评论
打印
An enormous iceberg known as A23a is heading towards South Georgia: a remote island in the southern Atlantic Ocean, filled with seals and penguins.
一座名为A23a的巨大冰山正朝着南乔治亚岛进发。南乔治亚岛是南大西洋上的一座偏远岛屿，岛上海豹和企鹅成群。
The trillion-ton megaberg was stuck in the ocean for nearly 40 years but, now it's on the move.
这座重达万亿吨的巨型冰山在海洋中被困了近40年，如今开始移动。
Although it's creeping along at under 1.5 miles per hour, some experts are worried about its potential impact on this wildlife haven.
尽管它的移动速度每小时不到1.5英里，但一些专家担心它可能会对这片野生动物栖息地造成影响。
How did the iceberg break free, how might it affect penguin and seal populations, and is this related to climate change? Here's everything you need to know.
这座冰山是如何挣脱束缚的？它会对企鹅和海豹种群产生怎样的影响？这与气候变化有关吗？下面是你需要知道的所有信息。
In 1986, A23a -- icebergs are named sequentially based on the Antarctic quadrant in which they were first seen -- calved from the Filchner Ice Shelf.
1986年，A23a（冰山按照首次被发现时所在的南极象限顺序命名）从菲尔希纳冰架脱离。
Iceberg calving is the natural process of icebergs breaking off from the ice shelf, which happens all the time.
冰山崩裂是指冰山从冰架上断裂的自然过程，这种情况一直在发生。
A23a is notable for its size: "several tens of kilometers in length and a few hundred meters in depth," says Martin Siegert, a polar scientist at the University of Exeter. "It's not uncommon, it's not unnatural, but it is unusual because it's just so big; very, very big."
埃克塞特大学的极地科学家马丁·西格特说，A23a因其巨大的规模而引人注目：“长数十公里，深数百米。它并非罕见，也并非反常，但因其过于庞大，所以不同寻常，极其巨大。”
At just over 1,400 square miles, A23a could currently fill all of New York City, Los Angeles, and Houston combined.
A23a面积略超1400平方英里，目前它的大小可以装下纽约市、洛杉矶和休斯顿。
Because of its epic proportions, the behemoth "almost immediately got stuck" on the seabed around the continental shelf, which was too shallow for its keel to pass over, he says.
西格特说，由于其巨大的体积，这座庞然大物“几乎立刻”就被困在了大陆架周围的海床上，那里太浅，它的龙骨无法通过。
"It kept sitting there until about 2020" says Andrew Meijers, science leader of the British Antarctic Survey's polar oceans program.
英国南极调查局极地海洋项目的科学负责人安德鲁·迈耶斯说：“它一直停留在那里，直到2020年左右。”
As it lingered, the iceberg gradually melted and was buffeted by winds and ocean currents as chunks of ice tumbled into the water. Eventually, it freed itself into the deep ocean.
在停留期间，这座冰山逐渐融化，受到风和洋流的冲击，冰块不断落入水中。最终，它挣脱束缚，进入了深海。
In April 2024, it became stuck again, circling in a Taylor Column -- "an oceanographic phenomenon where rotating water above a seamount traps objects in place," according to the British Antarctic Survey.
2024年4月，它再次被困，在一个泰勒柱中打转。据英国南极调查局介绍，泰勒柱是一种海洋学现象，海山上旋转的水流会将物体困在原地。
After breaking free in December, it's now traveling along the Antarctic circumpolar current. "It's the strongest current on Earth," says Meijers.
12月挣脱束缚后，它现在正沿着南极绕极流移动。迈耶斯说：“这是地球上最强的洋流。”
"It's going to head more or less straight towards South Georgia," says Meijers. This wildlife haven is home to fur seals, albatrosses, gentoo penguins, and more.
迈耶斯表示：“它或多或少会直接朝着南乔治亚岛前进。”这片野生动物栖息地是毛皮海豹、信天翁、巴布亚企鹅等动物的家园。
On its current trajectory, A23a will reach a sharp turn in the current. "The iceberg weighs a trillion tons so it's not turning on a dime," he says.
按照目前的轨迹，A23a将到达洋流的一个急转弯处。迈耶斯说：“这座冰山重达万亿吨，所以不会轻易转向。”
If it overshoots, it could run aground in shallow waters until it melts enough to keep moving or break up. "It's anyone's guess what it might do," he says.
如果它错过了转弯，可能会在浅水区搁浅，直到融化到足以继续移动或解体。他说：“没人能猜到它会怎样。”
