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Polar heatwave
南極大陸出現創紀錄高溫
Antarctica is known for being a vast land of ice and snow, a place too cold for most life. Despite this, the continent is slowly starting to turn warm. According to the Guardian, the Antarctic has registered a new high temperature for the first time on record, prompting fears of climate instability in the world's iciest place.
眾所周知，南極洲是一片被冰雪覆蓋的廣闊土地，氣候酷寒，大多數生命難以生存。然而，這片大陸卻正在逐漸變暖。據《衛報》報道，南極測得了有氣象記錄以來的最高溫，引發人們對于全球極寒之地氣候不穩定的擔憂。
On Feb 9, Brazilian researchers at Seymour Island reported a temperature of 20.75 °C on the icy continent of Antarctica. It was almost a full degree higher than the previous record of 19.8 °C, taken on Signy Island in January 1982.
2月9日，巴西研究人員在處于嚴寒地帶的南極洲西摩島記錄下了20.75攝氏度的高溫。這比先前西格尼島1982年1月記錄的19.8攝氏度高了將近1攝氏度。
This record-breaking reading was taken at a monitoring station in the northern part of Antarctica. According to Brazilian soil scientist Carlos Schaefer, the temperature was documented during a 20-year-long research project. The focus of this project is to study the effect that climate change has on the permafrost within the region. Permafrost is soil that stays frozen for at least two years.
這一破紀錄的數據是在南極洲北部的一所監測站測得的。巴西土壤學家卡洛斯·謝弗稱，這一氣溫紀錄被收錄于一個長達20年的研究項目。該項目的關注點在于研究氣候變化對于該地區永久凍土的影響。永久凍土指的是凍結至少兩年的土壤層。
Although this is a first record high for Antarctica, Schaefer stressed that "We can't use this to anticipate climatic changes in the future. It's simply a signal that something different is happening in that area."
盡管這一記錄刷新了南極洲氣溫的最高值，謝弗強調稱：“我們無法用這個記錄預測未來的氣候變化，這只是個信號，表明這個地區正在發生一些不同尋常的變化。
But in fact, the last high temperature reading was in the 19 °C range. These higher temperatures can cause ice and glaciers in Antarctic regions to melt. The Antarctic peninsula – the long finger of land that stretches towards Argentina – is most dramatically affected. Scientists saw glaciers that have retreated by more than 100 meters in Discovery Bay where the snow melted in little more than a week, leaving dark exposed rock. This melted ice leads to a rise in sea levels that can threaten the safety of coastal areas. It's believed to be behind an alarming decline of more than 50 percent in chinstrap penguin colonies, which are dependent on sea ice.
但事實上，之前的最高溫記錄還在19攝氏度的范圍內。這些高溫天氣會導致南極洲地區的冰雪與冰川融化。南極半島是個延伸向阿根廷的狹長地帶，這里受到的影響最大。科學家們發現，探索灣的冰川已經后退了100多米，地面的積雪用一周多的時間就化得裸露出深色的巖石。這些融化的冰雪會導致海平面上升，威脅沿海地區的安全。人們認為，這也是依賴海冰的帽帶企鵝數量急劇下降超過50%的背后原因。
Like American writer Ernest Hemingway once said, "The Earth is a fine place and worth fighting for." We should do everything we can to help save our planet. Otherwise, it may become too hot for us to fix.
正如美國作家歐內斯特·海明威所言：“地球很美好，值得我們為之奮斗。”我們應當做一切力所能及的事來保護我們的星球。否則，地球或許將陷入我們無法挽回的高溫之中。
