Arctic may see ’ice-free’ summers in as few as 15 years, study says研究：北極可能在15年內「無冰」

【摘要2020.4.6.自由】◎陳成良

A study suggests that the Arctic "may be essentially ice-free during summer within 15 years."

一項研究顯示，北極「15年內可能會在夏季基本無冰」。

The study used statistical models to predict the future amount of Arctic ice, which suggested that the Arctic could be ice-free in the summer during the decade of the 2030s – most likely in the year 2034.

該研究利用統計模型預測北極冰層的未來數量，表明在21世紀30年代的十年裡，極有可能是在2034年，北極可能會在夏季無冰。

Sea ice is frozen ocean water that melts each summer, then refreezes each winter. The amount of summer sea ice in the Arctic has been steadily shrinking over the past few decades because of global warming. It reached its second-smallest level on record in 2019 , the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said.

海冰是凍結的海水，每年夏季融化，然後每年冬季重新凍結。由於全球暖化，過去幾十年來，北極夏季海冰的數量一直在穩定減少。美國國家海洋暨大氣總署說，2019年海冰數量降至有紀錄以來第二小的水平。

Sea ice affects Arctic communities and wildlife such as polar bears and walruses, and it helps regulate the planet’s temperature by influencing the circulation of the atmosphere and ocean. It also affects global weather patterns.

海冰影響到北極群落以及北極熊和海象等野生動物，並透過影響大氣和海洋環流來幫助調節地球溫度。北極冰層消失還影響到全球的天氣模式。

新聞辭典

regulate：動詞，控制，管理，調節，調整。例句：Her mother strictly regulates how much TV she can watch.（她媽媽嚴格控制她看電視的時間。）

statistical：形容詞，統計的；統計學的。例句：Statistical techniques are regularly employed. （統計方法得到經常的運用。）

walrus：名詞，海象。例句：A walrus can swim as fast as 35 kilometres per hour at its quickest. （海象游水速度最快可達時速35公里。）