NASA: 10,000-year-old Antarctic ice shelf will disappear by 2020

One of the last remaining sections of Antarctica’s Larsen B Ice Shelf is dramatically weakening, according to a new NASA study.

NASA最近研究显示，南极拉森B冰架最后部分正在快速消融。

The study predicts that what remains of the once-prominent ice shelf, a thick floating platform of ice, most likely will "disintegrate completely" before the end of this decade

研究预计仅存的这部分冰架（冰架即海上厚厚的浮冰），很有可能在2020年之前“彻底消失”。

Ice shelves are extensions of glaciers and function as barriers. Their disappearance means glaciers potentially will diminish more quickly, as well, increasing the pace at which global sea levels rise.

冰架是冰川的海上延伸，起屏障作用。冰架的消失意味着冰川的快速消融和海平面上升速度加快。

A team led by Ala Khazendar of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, found evidence of the ice shelf flowing faster and becoming more fragmented. The flow is creating large cracks in the ice shelf.

美国宇航局喷气推进实验室位于加州帕萨迪纳市，由该实验室阿拉·哈曾达尔领导的调查组发现冰架消融加快，破碎部分越来越多。

"These are warning signs that the remnant is disintegrating," Khazendar said in a NASA press release. "Although it’s fascinating scientifically to have a front-row seat to watch the ice shelf becoming unstable and breaking up, it’s bad news for our planet."

“已经发出警报，剩余部分正在瓦解。” 哈曾达尔在NASA新闻发布会上说道。“虽然看着冰架在眼前变得不稳定并崩解，从科学上说很吸引人，但对我们的地球而言是个噩耗。”

The Larsen B Ice Shelf has existed for at least 10,000 years.

拉森B冰架已有至少1万年的历史。

The ice shelf’s disintegrating state came into light after it partially collapsed in 2002. Scientists watched in amazement as the ice shelf splintered and vanished rapidly in six weeks. No one had ever witnessed a large ice mass disappear so quickly, according to a meteorologist at Slate.

斯莱特的一位气象学家称，早在2002年冰架部分崩解后，大家开始关注冰架消融。科学家惊奇地发现，六周之后，冰架就分裂彻底消失了。之前没有人曾看到一大块冰消失的如此迅速。

The collapse of the Larsen B Ice Shelf seems to have been caused by a series of warm summers on the Antarctic Peninsula, which happen during what in the Northern Hemisphere are winter months. Those trends built up to a particularly warm summer in 2002, according to NASA.

据NASA报道，拉森B冰架的崩解似乎是由南极半岛一系列暖夏引起的，崩解发生时正值北半球的冬季。这种趋势使2002年夏季格外炎热。

Larsen B measured 4,445 square miles in January 1995. It went down to 2,573 square miles in February 2002 after the major disintegration, and a month later Larsen B was down to 1,337 square miles.

1995年1月，拉森B冰架面积为4445平方英里，2002年2月，在那次大范围崩解后，面积锐减到2573平方英里，一个月后，又减到1337平方英里。

At present the Larsen B remnant is about 618 square miles. That’s less than half the size of Rhode Island, the smallest U.S. state. Two decades ago, Larsen B was slightly smaller than the state of Connecticut.

现如今，拉森B冰架面积仅剩618平方英里，比美国最小的州罗得岛州的一半还要小。20年前，拉森B冰架仅比康乃狄克州小一点点。

NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory glaciologist Eric Rignot said the research gives insight into how ice shelves closer to the South Pole will react with the warming climate.

美国宇航局喷气推进实验室冰河学家埃里克·里格诺特表示，这项研究使我们对南极附近冰架如何随气候变暖变化有了深入了解。

Study raises concerns over big, rapidly thinning Antarctic glacier.

研究引起了大家对南极冰川快速消融的关注。

"What is really surprising about Larsen B is how quickly the changes are taking place," Khazendar said. "Change has been relentless."

“关于拉森B冰架真正令人吃惊的是这一变化发生地如此之快，” 哈曾达尔说，“这太残酷了。”

Ice shelves are particularly sensitive to atmospheric warming and changes to ocean temperature, said Helmut Rott from the University of Innsbruck after the European Space Agency observed a rapid retreat of Larsen B Ice Shelf in April 2012 via satellite images.

2012年4月，欧洲太空总署通过卫星影像观察到拉森B冰架快速消融，之后，因斯布鲁克大学的赫尔穆特·罗特说道，冰架对气候变暖和海洋温度变化特别敏感。

Other prominent ice shelves in the region also have been affected over the years. Larsen A disintegrated in January 1995. Larsen C has been somewhat stable with some evidence of thinning and melting, the space agency said after observing satellite imagery in 2012.

近几年来，南极地区其他冰架也受到了影响。拉森A已于1995年崩解消失。太空总署2012年观察卫星影像后表示，拉森C目前还算稳定，但也正在变薄消融。

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来源:ChinaDaily爱语吧作者:刘佳