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As polar bears fight for survival because of disappearing Arctic sea ice, a new group of Greenland bears seems to have found an icy area that might permit a small population to “hang on.”
在北极熊因北极海冰消失而挣扎求生时，科学家在格陵兰岛发现一群北极熊新种群，这一新种群似乎发现了一个可以让一小群北极熊“生存下去”的结冰的区域。
But the situation overall for the endangered polar bear species remains serious.
但濒临灭绝的北极熊的整体情况仍然很严峻。
Scientists say the animals are in danger of disappearing because of the effects of climate change.
科学家表示，由于气候变化的影响，这些动物面临着消失的危险。
A team of scientists recently studied a group of a few hundred polar bears in Southeast Greenland.
最近，一组科学家研究了格陵兰岛东南部的一个有几百只北极熊的群体。
These bears are genetically different and geographically separate from others.
这些北极熊在基因上和所处的地理位置上与其他北极熊不同。
What is unusual about these bears is that they survive even while having just 100 days a year when there is enough sea ice to hunt seals.
这些北极熊的不同寻常之处在于，即使一年中只有100天有足够的海冰可以让它们去捕猎海豹，它们也能存活下来。
In other places, polar bears need at least 180 days, usually more, of sea ice for them to effectively hunt.
在其他地方，北极熊需要至少180天有海冰，通常需要更多天有海冰，才能有效地捕猎。
When there is no sea ice, bears often do not eat for months.
没有海冰的时候，北极熊通常几个月都不吃东西。
Sea ice is frozen ocean water.
海冰是冻结的海水。
With limited amounts of this ice, the Southeast Greenland polar bears use freshwater ice masses called icebergs.
由于这种冰的数量有限，格陵兰岛东南部的北极熊使用被称为冰山的淡水冰块。
The icebergs – created from the shrinking Greenland ice sheet – serve as hunting grounds, scientists say.
科学家表示，这些冰山是由不断缩小的格陵兰岛冰盖形成的，是狩猎场。
A study on the new finding recently appeared in the publication Science.
一项有关这一新发现的研究最近发表在《科学》杂志上。
The scientists, however, are not sure if the bears might be surviving because they are smaller and have fewer babies than other polar bear populations.
然而，科学家不确定这些北极熊是否能够幸存下来，因为它们比其他北极熊种群体型更小，产下的幼崽也更少。
Kristin Laidre was the lead writer of the study.
克里斯汀·莱德雷是这项研究的主要作者。
Over nine years, Laidre followed, studied and tested the all-white bears - usually from a helicopter.
在九年多的时间里，莱德雷跟踪、研究和测试了这些全身都是白色的北极熊——通常是从直升机上。
“These polar bears are adapted to living in an environment that looks like the future,” Laidre said.
莱德雷说：“这些北极熊已经适应了生活在一个看起来像未来环境的环境中”。
But Laidre added that Greenland is special.
但莱德雷还说，格陵兰岛是特别的。
“Most bears in the Arctic don’t have glacial ice,” she said.
她说：“大多数北极熊都没有冰川冰”。
Laidre explained, “We project large declines of polar bears across the Arctic and this study does not change that very important message.”
莱德雷解释说：“我们预测整个北极地区的北极熊数量会大幅减少，而这项研究不会改变这一非常重要的信息。”
The population of polar bears is on the southeast part of Greenland, where there are no towns.
这一北极熊种群生活在格陵兰岛的东南部，那里没有城镇。
For years scientists believed these bears were part of the same population that existed in Northeast Greenland.
多年来，科学家一直认为这些北极熊和格陵兰岛东北部的北极熊是同一种群。
But they are not, Laidre said.
但它们不是，莱德尔说。
Wind and other conditions around 64 degrees North make it next to impossible for bears to move north of that point, she added.
她还说，北纬64度左右的风等环境条件使得北极熊几乎不可能向北移动。
While most bears travel 40 kilometers over four days, the Southeast Greenland bears go about 10 kilometers in the same amount of time, the study found.
该研究发现，大多数北极熊在四天内行走40公里，而格陵兰岛东南部的北极熊在相同的时间内行走约10公里。
“They just stay in the same place for years and years,” Laidre said.
莱德雷说：“它们只是在同一个地方待了很多年”。
Beth Shapiro was the co-writer of the study.
贝丝·夏皮罗是这项研究的合著者。
She said genetic testing has shown that the Southeast Greenland bears are different from other polar bear populations.
她说，基因测试表明，格陵兰岛东南部的北极熊与其他北极熊种群不同。
In general, the Southeast Greenland bears are thinner than other Arctic bears, with females weighing about 185 kilograms.
一般来讲，格陵兰岛东南部的北极熊比其他北极熊更瘦，雌性北极熊的体重约为185公斤。
This compares to weights of about 199 to 255 kilograms for bears in other parts of the North American Arctic, Laidre said.
莱德雷说，相比之下，北美北极其他地区的北极熊的体重约为199至255公斤。
The Southeast Greenland bears also often have fewer babies, she added.
她还说，格陵兰岛东南部的北极熊通常产下的幼崽也更少。
This could be because they are so isolated and do not get as many chances to reproduce.
这可能是因为它们太孤立了，没有那么多繁殖机会。
“They’re not reproducing as much as other individuals... They’re not as healthy as other individuals who are in a better habitat,” Shapiro said.
夏皮罗说：“它们的繁殖能力不如其他北极熊。它们不如生活在更优良栖息地的其他北极熊那样健康。”
She used the term oasis – meaning a safe place that is surrounded by something unpleasant - to describe where the bears live.
她用“绿洲”一词来形容这些北极熊的栖息地，“绿洲”指的是被令人不快的东西包围的安全地方。
“So it’s kind of an oasis maybe, but it’s not a happy oasis,” Shapiro said.
夏皮罗说：“所以这可能是一片绿洲，但不是一片快乐的绿洲。”
“It’s a I’m-struggling-to-get-by-but-just-making-it kind of oasis.”
“这是一片能够勉强维持生计的绿洲。”
I’m John Russell.
约翰·拉塞尔为您播报。
译文为可可英语翻译，未经授权请勿转载！
