The Arctic May See “Ice-Free” Summers 北極或將迎來“無冰”夏季

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

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.

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.

Sea ice affects Arctic communities and wildlife such as polar bears and walruses， and it helps regulate the planets temperature by influencing the circulation of the atmosphere and ocean.

“The extent of Arctic ice is important to Arctic peoples， whose lands are being affected by increased coastal erosion，” NOAA said in a statement.

It also affects global weather patterns.

What scientists refer to as the first “ice-free” Arctic summer year will occur when the Arctic has less than 1 million square kilometers of sea ice. The thick ice sheets surrounding Canadas Arctic islands are likely to remain for much longer， even in summer.

As the climate changes， the Arctic is warming more than twice as fast as the rest of the planet. Arctic air temperatures were about 3.4 degrees above average in 2019， and were the second-warmest since records began in 1900.

Scientists also said the results of the study indicate that there is room for improvement in sea-ice models—and that the ice may disappear even more quickly than current models suggest.

一項研究顯示，北極“在15年內可能會在夏季基本無冰”。

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

海冰是凍結的海水，每年夏季融化，然后每年冬季重新凍結。由于全球變暖，過去幾十年來，北極夏季海冰的數量一直在穩步減少。美國國家海洋和大氣管理局稱，2019年北極夏季海冰水平僅次于歷史最低紀錄。

海冰會對北極群落以及北極熊和海象等野生動物產生影響，并通過影響大氣和海洋環流來幫助調節地球溫度。

美國國家海洋和大氣管理局在一份聲明中說：“北極冰層的范圍對北極地區的居民來說很重要，他們的土地正受到海岸侵蝕加劇的影響。”

北極冰層還會影響全球的氣候模式。

科學家所說的首個“無冰”北極夏季的年份將出現在北極海冰不足100萬平方公里的時候。加拿大北極島嶼周圍的厚冰層很可能會存留更長時間，即便是在夏季。

隨著氣候發生改變，北極的變暖速度是全球其他地區的兩倍多。2019年北極的氣溫比平均水平高出約3.4攝氏度，是1900年開始記錄以來溫度第二高的年份。

科學家還表示：研究結果表明，海冰模型還有改進的地方——海冰消失的速度甚至可能比現有模型顯示的還要快。

Word Study

shrink /?r??k/ v. 收縮;減少

The market for their products is shrinking.

circulation /'s??kj?'le??n/ n. （氣、水等的）環流;血液循環

Regular exercise will improve blood circulation.