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Since humans evolved, it's ice, through glaciers, ice sheets and floods,
随着人类的进化，正是冰层，通过冰河，冰原和洪水方式
that has been the dominant force shaping our planet.
强行修整我们的星球
But the greatest influence of ice relies on far more than brute force.
然而冰层最大的影响力莫过于其残忍的威力
That's because ice has some unusual properties that have a profound effect on the Earth's climate.
因为冰层有些非凡的道具 它们深深的影响着地球的气候
I am on the west coast of Greenland in what's known as Iceberg Alley.
我正处在格陵兰岛西海岸著名的冰山巷中
This is the biggest iceberg factory in the world.
这里是世界上最大的冰山制造工厂
I've never been up this close to icebergs before.
我从未如此的接近冰山
I know they're chunks of glacier
这些是巨大的冰块
that fall off the front of the ice sheet and they float here,
它们从前面的冰原掉落然后飘到这里
but when you get this close,
然后当你靠近它们
they're like majestic beautiful ships flowing silently by.
它们就像是庄严美丽的船只静静的从你身边使过
This is known as an iceberg nursery.
而这里就是冰山托儿所
Most substances are denser when solid than when liquid
多数物质在固体状态下比液体状态下密度大
which means they sink. Ice is an exception.
这就意味着会下沉，可是冰块恰恰反向
Because it expands when it freezes, it becomes less dense and so it floats.
因为当冰块冻结的时候体积变大，密度变小，因此能够漂浮
It's also dazzlingiy bright, which makes it highly reflective,
这也令冰块能够高度反光，看起来明亮耀眼
and this combination has a dramatic effect on the Earth's climate.
这种化合物会对地球气候产生重要影响
