地球的力量 第3集 冰川(23)宏偉的雅各布冰河

Greenland is an island covered by the second largestice sheet on the planet.

格陵蘭擁有世界上第二大的冰原

On the west coast is the massiveJakobshavn Glacier.

宏偉的雅各布冰河便處在它的西海岸

It's become the front line in scientists' attempts tounderstand

這里已經(jīng)成為科學(xué)家了解

what's happening to theworld's ice today.

全球變暖現(xiàn)象對世界冰層的影響的前沿陣地

Until as recently as 1997, the glacier was relatively stable.

直到1997年冰河都是穩(wěn)定的

But since then, it's changed dramatically.

然而自此之后冰河變成變化劇烈

In the last five years, it's retreated over six miles.

過去5年冰河縮短了十公里那么多

It might seem strange, but the reason the glacier's retreated so much

但是它縮短的原因

is because it's started flowing faster.

是因為冰河的流速加快

The Jakobshavn Glacier is now moving at over 130 feet a day,

現(xiàn)在它一天流動四十米

the fastest in the world.

成為世界上

The faster it flows, the thinner it becomes.

流動得最快也最薄的冰川

This weakens the ice, causing it to break up.

這使得冰川斷裂了

The result, the fjord is jam-packed with ice

結(jié)果，峽灣全是擁擠的冰塊

that has broken off the front of the glacier and is drifting off to sea.

碎裂的冰山漂洋過海