This cycle of warming, as huge areas start to absorb rather than reflect heat广阔的区域并不反射而是吸收热量

rather than:而非...

I'll plump for noodles rather than buns.

我要吃面条而不要吃馒头。

The police suspect foul play rather than suicide.

警方怀疑是谋杀不是自杀。

But there's another kind of ice that could have an even more dramatic impact on our world.但还有另外一种冰雪可能会对我们的世界造成更深刻的影响

kind of:有点儿

I hate this kind of cheap emotion.

我讨厌这种肤浅的感情。

impact on:对 ... 产生影响

Her speech made a tremendous impact on everyone.

她的演说对大家震动很大。

The Greenland ice sheet is by far the largest in the Arctic.格林兰冰原是目前北极最大的冰原

by far:到目前为止

This is by far the largest cake in the world.

这是目前世界上最大的蛋糕了。