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However, these ice caps are thicker than the Arctic ice cap. They are also on land. Both of these factors slow down the melting process to an extent. However, enormous pieces of the ice sheets in both places have already broken off. Scientists claim that if the entire Greenland ice sheet melts, the result would be an increase of 6 to 7 meters in sea level.
但是，这些冰帽比北极冰帽更厚，而且还在陆地上。这在某种程度上减缓了融化的过程。然而，在这两个地方，大片的冰层已经破裂。科学家宣称，如果整个格陵兰岛的冰层融化，将会使海平面上升6至7米。
At this point, let us look at another universal law of nature. We find in nature a massive and complex interconnectedness and interdependency of things. This interconnectedness applies to warming in the Arctic in a variety of ways. People who live in the northernmost regions are experiencing serious effects of this melting right now. In some areas, homes and roads are built on permafrost, ground that has been frozen for thousands of years. Cases are now being reported of buildings collapsing as the permafrost melts. Some roads have become impassable at certain times of the year.
在这一点上，让我们来看看另外一个自然法则。我们发现，自然界的事物相互依存、有着紧密而复杂的内在联系。这种内在联系也以多种不同的方式表现在北极的气候变暖现象中。现在，那些住在极北地区的人们正经受着冰川融化的严重影响。在一些地区，房屋和道路都是建立在冻结了数千年的冻土上面的。有报道称，目前随着冻土的融化，已出现了建筑物倒塌的情况。有些道路在每年特定的时期无法通行。
CO2 is an extremely prevalent, humanly created form of greenhouse gas. There is far less methane in the atmosphere, but it is much more potent in terms of the greenhouse damage it causes—about 20-25 times more potent. Both methane and CO2 are locked in the permafrost. As the ground thaws, these gases are being released in very large quantities, adding even more rapidly to the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
二氧化碳是人类创造的、一种极其普遍的温室气体。大气中的甲烷非常少，但是它所造成的温室效应破坏性却极强——大约是二氧化碳的20至25倍。甲烷和二氧化碳都被封锁在冻土中。随着冻土的解冻，这些气体被大量释放出来，使大气层中的温室气体急剧增加。
