【地球暖化】

[Guest]

暖化威脅北極 冰河逐漸融化並可能解體2007-05-27

一名加拿大研究人員在為一座面積有曼哈坦島大的冰山安裝信號浮標後，今天告訴法新
社，加拿大極北地區的暖化正造成冰河融化，冰河可能分裂成大塊浮冰並漂走。

渥太華大學地質學家柯普蘭和他的阿拉斯加費班克大學同僚穆勒，本周登上艾利斯冰島
安裝信號浮標，以追蹤這座冰山在北極海的行蹤。

柯普蘭告訴法新社：「我們週一登上這座冰島，並安裝一個衛星追蹤信號浮標，以追蹤這
座冰島往何處漂動，以及一個每小時紀錄氣溫的氣溫感應器。」這座長十六公里，寬五公
里的冰山，二零零五年與格陵蘭島附近的加拿大艾士米爾島分離，但是直到去年底才被發
現。

當時斷裂的震動異常猛烈，連兩百五十公里外的加拿大地震儀都偵測得到，但是無人確知
到底發生了什麼事。

柯普蘭從地震儀的讀數和衛星照片重建這一連串事件。當科學家去年十二月宣布發現這座
冰山時，柯普蘭曾表示，這是北極地區「二十五年來的最大」斷裂事件。

根據加拿大極冰署，這座冰山自斷裂以來南行不到一百公里，但是近幾個月一直被一座冰
原擋住去路，動彈不得。

這座冰山大致是隨著洋流向西漂動，如果漂抵阿拉斯加，可能對外海鑽油平台構成威脅。
地球極地是受全球暖化影響最深的地區，過去一百年來，北極氣溫上升的速度是其他地區
的兩倍。

http://news.pchome.com.tw/internation/afp/20070527/index-20070527000504190001.html

Canadian, US scientists tag Arctic ice island bigger than Manhattan

US and Canadian researchers landed on a massive ice island this week to
install beacons to follow its movements as it floats through the Arctic
Ocean in Canada's far north.

Ayles Ice Island, which is 16 kilometers long and five kilometers wide
(10-by-three miles), tore away from Canada's Ellesmere Island close to
Greenland in August 2005, but was only identified late last year.

The break was so violent that it caused tremors that were detected by
Canadian seismographs 250 kilometers (155 miles) away, but at the time
no one was able to pinpoint what had happened.

Geographer Luke Copland of the University of Ottawa, who reconstructed
the chain of events by piecing together data from the seismic readings and
satellite images, and his colleague Derek Mueller of the University of
Alaska Fairbanks landed on the berg on Tuesday, Sophie Nadeau, a
spokeswoman for Ottawa university, told AFP.

The satellite tags installed on the island will track its movements as its
drifts toward Alaska, where it could pose a danger to offshore oil rigs.

According to the Canadian Ice Service, relying on satellite images, the
island has traveled less than 100 kilometers (62 miles) to the south since
its rupture.

In an interview with AFP in December, when the discovery was announced,
Copland said: "This loss is the biggest in 25 years, but it continues the
loss that occurred within the last century."

Almost 90 percent of the ice cover in the region had been lost since it was
first discovered during a polar expedition in 1906, he said.

With global warming, Copland now fears the five area glaciers clinging to
Ellesmere Island will not rejuvenate themselves, as they once did, and
crumble into the ocean.

The Earth's polar regions have been most affected by warming, believed
to be caused by greenhouse gas emissions, with temperatures in the Arctic
rising twice as fast as elsewhere over the past century.

The ice cover and thickness will be substantially reduced by 2100, the UN's
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has predicted.

http://www.physorg.com/news99241186.html

[Guest]

Global warming melts Andean glaciers toward oblivion
By Monica Machicao and Eduardo Garcia

CHACALTAYA, Bolivia, June 7 (Reuters) - Global warming will melt most
Andean glaciers in the next 30 years, scientists say, threatening the
livelihood of millions of people who depend on them for drinking water,
farming and power generation.

The glacier on Bolivia's Chacaltaya mountain -- which means "cold road" in
the local Aymara language -- used to be the world's highest ski resort at
18,000 feet (5,500 meters) above sea level. But the glacier is now only 10
feet (3 meters) thick on average, down from 49 feet (15 meters) in 1998,
and glaciologist Edson Ramirez says it will disappear this year or next.

"This is a process that unfortunately is now irreversible," he said, adding
that industrialized nations are doing too little and too late to slash carbon
dioxide emissions. "Even if they were to take measures now, it will take
many, many years to replenish these glaciers, because unfortunately the
damage has already been done," he said. "Most of these glaciers are
similar to the Chacaltaya and that makes us think that those small glaciers
could disappear in 20, 30 years."

Water is already scarce in El Alto, a sprawling lower-class satellite city
north of the country's administrative capital La Paz. Almost 1 million
people live in El Alto and most homes lack running water. Daniel Cuencas,
a father of four, walks several blocks every day to fetch water from a
stream and is well aware of what will happen when the glaciers disappear.

"This right here is ice melt. That is where the drinking water comes from,
from the mountains. So we know that there isn't going to be enough
water," he said, fetching water with a rusty tin can from the stream.
Water needs will only increase in coming years with the population in the
La Paz region expected to double by 2050.

"We're the victims of climate change, the underdeveloped countries like
Bolivia, which are suffering the effects of shrinking glaciers," Paz said.

Earlier this year, Bolivia's leftist President Evo Morales also blamed
pollution from rich nations for the floods, droughts and hailstorms that
pounded the poor South American country for three months.

The extreme weather was triggered by El Nino, a weather phenomenon
believed to be aggravated by global warming.

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N07255128.htm

暖化衝擊！冰河融恐毀城市

暖化效應，正衝擊南美高原國家玻利維亞，專家預估在未來12個月，供應當地人飲用水
的冰河將會消失，更嚴重的話，還可能毀掉玻利維亞的首都。

冰河是世界的水塔，全球75%飲用水靠冰河儲存。其中南美內陸國家玻利維亞，大小都
市，都位在2千公尺的高山，當地最高峰「恰卡塔雅山」曾經冰河覆蓋，擁有世界最高的
滑雪場。

但是過去10年來，冰河迅速消融，專家預估，冰河在1年內就會消失，6成水源都仰賴冰
河的玻利維亞首都拉巴斯跟鄰近城市，可能遭遇飢荒，甚至滅亡的危機。

http://news.pchome.com.tw/internation/tvbs/20070607/index-20070607103750393718.html

[Guest]

中國時報 2008.05.25　
又現大裂縫 北極冰棚解體中
黃文正／綜合報導

　北極冰棚又出現了裂縫！加拿大軍方的隨軍科學家，在針對加拿大極北地區巨大冰
棚狀況進行評估時，發現了新的大規模裂縫，顯示冰棚正在解體中。

　科學家在區內最大的沃德．亨特冰棚（Ward Hunt Ice Shelf）上，發現許多新的
裂縫，最長達16公里。這些巨大冰塊的命運，被視為氣候變遷的一大重要指標。

　參與探險的安大略省特倫特大學的穆勒博士向英國廣播公司（BBC）表示：「這些
新裂縫讓我感到驚訝。這意味冰棚正在解體中，目前它們像拼圖一樣被釘在一起，但也可
能會漂流走。」

　另一位參與探險的科學家、渥太華大學柯普蘭博士說，新的裂縫跟北極圈的變化模
式吻合。

　他說：「從冰川的後退，到海上浮冰的融化，我們見證了非常戲劇性的變化。去年
比以往少了23%（海上浮冰），而目前在冰棚上發生的事，正是全貌的一部分。」

　當冰棚崩裂後，它們會從陸地漂向海洋成為「冰島」，從而改變整個海岸線的地
貌。

　去年穆勒博士和柯普蘭博士對埃利斯冰島進行首次探險，它的面積原本跟紐約曼哈
頓島差不多，但現在這個島已斷裂成兩大塊，目前位置都在距離原來地點的南方640公里
處。

http://news.chinatimes.com/2007Cti/2007Cti-News/2007Cti-News-Content/0,4521,110504+112008052500251,00.html

Dramatic evidence of the break-up of the Arctic ice-cap has emerged from
research during an expedition by the Canadian military.

Scientists travelling with the troops found major new fractures during an
assessment of the state of giant ice shelves in Canada's far north.

The team found a network of cracks that stretched for more than 10 miles
(16km) on Ward Hunt, the area's largest shelf.

The fate of the vast ice blocks is seen as a key indicator of climate change.

One of the expedition's scientists, Derek Mueller of Trent University,
Ontario, told me: "I was astonished to see these new cracks.

"It means the ice shelf is disintegrating, the pieces are pinned together
like a jigsaw but could float away," Dr Mueller explained.

According to another scientist on the expedition, Dr Luke Copland of the
University of Ottawa, the new cracks fit into a pattern of change in the
Arctic.

"We're seeing very dramatic changes; from the retreat of the glaciers, to
the melting of the sea ice.

"We had 23% less (sea ice) last year than we've ever had, and what's
happening to the ice shelves is part of that picture."

When ice shelves break apart, they drift offshore into the ocean as "ice
islands", transforming the very geography of the coastline.


Ayles Ice Island (BBC)

Mission to Ayles Ice Island
Last year, I was part of a BBC team that joined Dr Mueller and Dr Copland
as they carried out the first research on Ayles Ice Island, an iceberg the
size of Manhattan.

It has since split into two, each vast chunk of ice now 400 miles (640km)
south of its original position.

The rapid changes in the Arctic have reignited disputes over territory.

The Canadian military's expedition was billed as a "sovereignty patrol",
the lines of snowmobiles flying Canadian flags in a display of control.

After the record Arctic melting last year, all eyes are now on what
happens to the sea ice this summer.

Although its maximum extent last winter was slightly greater than the year
before, it was still below the long-term average.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7417123.stm

[Guest]

五成機率 北極九月沒冰了
更新日期:2008/06/28 04:18

聽起來不可思議，最新研究報告指出，北極可能在今年夏天出現冰層完全融化的奇景，
將是人類有史以來首見。

美國科羅拉多州博爾德市「國家冰雪資料中心」的資深科學家薛瑞茲表示，受全球暖化影
響，北極區冰層有五成的機率，在今年九月暫時完全融化，速度比預期快很多。儘管北極
融冰可能不會對人類產生立即的影響，但北極熊將連立足之地都沒有了。

薛瑞茲指出，「幾年前，我們認為北極全面融冰應發生在二○五○年至二一○○年間，最近
則認為會提前到二○三○年，現在卻可能提早到今年九月。」他說，就科學角度而言，
北極只是地球上的一個點，但是象徵意義重大：「北極應是冰天雪地，不該變成一片
汪洋。」

美國有線電視新聞網報導，位於北極海的「西北通道」原本長年結冰，不利航行，不過
去年九月因北極融冰而首度短期出現「門戶洞開」。西北通道起於大西洋，通過北美洲
北岸、加拿大北極群島進入北極海，再進入太平洋。

薛瑞茲說，如果北極區冰層完全融解，船隻就可利用「西北通道」航行，不必依賴巴拿馬
運河或繞道南美洲最南端的合恩角，將可節省時間和能源，而且北極海底部還有石油。

北極冰層若完全融化，北極熊將面臨生死存亡關頭。科學家證實，逐冰而居的北極熊因
覓食困難而溺斃的情況日益嚴重，甚至因覓食不著而互噬。

美國研究人員二○○五年發現，北極熊必須游泳穿越六十英里的海面尋找食物。被迫長泳
的原因是，牠們賴以覓食的浮冰不斷融化，愈來愈小，彼此距離愈來愈遠。北極熊的泳技
只在近岸地區吃得開，海上長征使牠們無法承受筋疲力竭、體溫過低或遭海浪吞沒。

科學家認為，北極熊因浮冰融化而溺斃，正逐漸成為北極圈的普遍現象，棲息於北極圈的
兩萬兩千隻北極熊正逐漸減少。

本則新聞由聯合新聞網提供 2008/06/28
http://news.msn.com.tw/news834663.aspx

North Pole ice may completely melt away this summer
Updated Fri. Jun. 27 2008 12:59 PM ET
CTV.ca News Staff

For the first time in modern history, the North Pole may be iceless this
summer. Scientists say it's an even bet that sea ice in the region will
completely disappear in the next few months, perhaps as soon as August.

Ice at the North Pole quickly and significantly melted away last year, and
that may be causing further melting this summer. Scientists say the
disappearance of long-term and thicker ice formed over the years has
disappeared. Now, most of the ice that's left is seasonal ice, which melts
away much more quickly during warm weather.

"This year there is a lot of young ice. There's always some, but this year
there's a lot," Andy Mahoney, a researcher at the University of Colorado's
National Snow and Ice Data Center, told CTV.ca.

Satellite observations indicate the ice remaining at the poles is melting
faster than last year's rate, which was already a record year for Arctic ice
loss. Scientists say whether or not the ice melts completely, this year's
northern melt is yet another example of the impact that global warming is
having on the planet's environment.

"There were some people who were saying last year was a rogue year. If
the same thing happens again a lot more people are going to be
persuaded about the consequences of global warming," Mahoney said.

"A lot of people think it's a very small change in temperature. This shows
that the change in sea ice is quite a dramatic consequence." As the ice
melts, interest in the region is intensifying. Canada and other nations that
border the Arctic -- including Russia and the U.S. -- are scrambling to lay
claims to vast parts of the area, which may someday allow new resource
development and shipping lanes.

"If the North Pole melts, then you don't have to worry about the Northwest
Passage. It will still be significant, but going on top of the globe would be
politically easier," Mahoney said.

A UN panel is supposed to decide on control of the Arctic by 2020. Last
year, Canada's Conservative government announced plans to acquire up
to eight Arctic patrol ships and to build an army base in Resolute Bay and
a naval station in Nanisivik.

Under the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, Arctic countries
have 10 years after ratification to prove their claims under the largely
uncharted polar ice pack. All countries with claims to the Arctic have
ratified the treaty, with the exception of the United States.

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20080627/iceless_north_080627/20080627?hub=World

[Guest]

暖化惹禍？　阿根廷冰堤提前崩塌
更新日期:2008/07/09 11:12


阿根廷冰川國家公園裡的冰堤，會因為季節變化，融化而崩堤，但一直以來，只有在夏天
溫度上升時、才會出現類似景象。

目前南半球正處於冬季，公園裡摩利諾冰川地區、一座60公尺高的冰堤，卻在7日發生崩
裂，專家高度關注，認為冰堤提前坍塌，是一項警訊，因為氣候變遷的速度，遠比想像中
要快，也有人認為，未來，冰堤坍塌的自然景象，很有可能會逐漸消失。

本則新聞由TVBS新聞提供 2008/07/09
http://news.msn.com.tw/news852692.aspx

Argentine glacier calves — in dead of winter
No previous record of famed Perito Moreno rupturing during the cold

updated 12:49 p.m. PT, Tues., July. 8, 2008

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina -
Perito Moreno, Argentina's most famous glacier, has begun calving when
one would least expect it — the Southern Hemisphere's winter.

Officials at the Los Glaciares National Park in Santa Cruz Province said
there was no record of such an ice break during the winter months of June
through August, although breaks during summer melts happen regularly.

Park director Carlos Corvalan said the rupture, which began last Friday,
could be caused by global warming.

Climate change is causing roughly 90 percent of the world's mountain
glaciers to shrink, said Lonnie Thompson, a glacier expert at Ohio State
University who this year received a National Medal of Science from
President Bush.

"The picture points unfortunately (to) massive loss of ice on land, which
has huge implications for future sea level rise," he said.

The U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change says global
temperatures are likely to warm from 2 degrees to 11.5 degrees
Fahrenheit by the end of the century if no major efforts are undertaken to
reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

In Bolivia, north of Argentina, the capital La Paz gets a third of its water
from a tropical Andes glacier that's nearly vanished.

Scientists predict that all the glaciers in the tropical Andes will disappear
by mid-century. The implications are dire not just for La Paz but also for
Quito, Ecuador, and Bogota, Colombia. More than 11 million people now
live in those burgeoning cities.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25590432/

[Guest]

南極反常暴雨 數萬企鵝寶寶雨中凍死

2008-07-18 17:40:59

全球暖化造成南極氣候巨變，雨多、雪少，已嚴重威脅企鵝繁殖，初生的阿德利
（Adelie）企鵝因羽翼未長成，絨毛不能防水，數以萬計的企鵝寶寶在寒風中凍死。
科學家相信，若暴雨氣候持續，阿德利企鵝數目恐將減少八成，十年內可能絕種。

奧斯卡最佳紀錄片「企鵝寶貝」中的國王企鵝，生存處境也備受威脅。

科學家指出，過去礦工常用金絲雀來測試礦坑的空氣品質，而企鵝則是海洋環境的天然
警報器，由企鵝的命運可以看出海洋真的病了。

過去五十年來，南極半島氣溫上升攝氏三度，現在的平均氣溫為攝氏零下十四點七度，
更重要的是，五十年前下雨和下雪的比例是每兩天下雪、才有一天下雨，但過去數年的
情形剛好倒過來。

初生的阿德利企鵝只有薄薄的絨毛，要到四十天大時才長出有防水功能的羽毛。大雨來
襲時，企鵝父母會保護企鵝寶寶不要被淋濕，可是成年企鵝得出外覓食、也可能淪為海
豹的食物，失去依傍的企鵝寶寶就會全身濕透而死於失溫。

紐約探險家鮑爾馬斯特說，過去五年來，南極暴雨的情形增多，有時暴雨持續六天，小
阿德利企鵝凍得發抖。下雪時，牠們的絨毛能夠抗寒，但大雨時就好像我們穿的羽絨衣
一樣會濕透。夜間氣溫下降，小企鵝根本撐不到早上。

鮑爾馬斯特說：「南極冰帽融化聽起來可能不痛不癢，看見企鵝腳下盡是下一代的殘
骸，才是氣候變化最震撼、直接的證據。」

西雅圖華盛頓大學生物學教授波爾斯曼在二○○六年十二月重回「企鵝寶貝」拍攝地點
南極洲東部，時隔不到兩年，景物全非。波爾斯曼說，放眼望去，根本看不到國王企鵝
寶寶、冰山僅剩不到十來座，國王企鵝樂園已不復見。

研究企鵝卅年的波爾斯曼指出，企鵝對環境十分敏感，一有變化牠們一定先知道，由牠
們的命運可以看出人類對環境的作為。

http://mypaper.pchome.com.tw/news/butter8fly/3/1309010202/20080718174059

[Guest]

熱島效應 廣東番禺烈日下冰雹裹石球

大紀元7月28日訊】(明報新聞網2008年7月28日報導)廣州市番禺區石碁鎮昨午下
冰雹，粒粒的冰雹中竟然裹著一顆小石球，經研究後，原來是空氣中的污染物。

昨日15時45分到16時，廣州市番禺區石碁鎮的大龍村和凌邊村，烈日中冰雹突至，
驚煞村民。家住石碁鎮的大龍村的招小姐稱，昨天15時45分，午睡醒來的她突見天空
烏雲密布，風雨大作，出門一看，居然有大拇指般大的冰雹迎面砸來。「太讓人吃驚
了！」她說，「我長這麼大，別說夏天下冰雹，就是冬天，也沒見過冰是什麼樣子！」
她說，昨天的天氣很熱，太陽一直很曬，她實在弄不明白為什麼這麼熱的天會下冰雹。
「而且，不到15分鐘，冰雹和雨就停了，而太陽又像著了火一樣了。」

而對家住石碁鎮凌邊村凌邊工業生活區的謝先生而言，讓他吃驚的不僅僅是冰雹驟至，
更讓他目瞪口呆的是，冰雹中竟夾雜著石球。

「昨天15時30分左右，突然天像夜晚一樣黑，很快，就下起暴雨。」謝先生說，「很
快，我們發現下起了冰雹。突然，有人發現有冰雹落到窗台上後，『砰』的一下就彈到
了對面墻。大家撿起一看，冰雹外面的冰融後，居然是個小石球！」今年上小學二年級
的龍俊小朋友說，一聽外面下「石頭雨」，他就衝了出去。「我們都打著傘去撿天上掉
下來的石球，我撿了五個。」

這些小石球除了一個碎裂、一個稍有凹陷之外，其餘的都是表面異常光滑的圓球。小的
豌豆般大小，最大的一顆跟彈子球(波子)差不多。大多呈灰色或灰白色，有一顆略帶綠
色。村民說，也有人撿到的是黑色的。

專家表示，由於熱島效應，氣溫一高，在城鄉接合部的水汽和污染物就會隨著氣流上
升，到達一定高度變成污染物顆粒與水汽的凝結物。凝結物會往下落，但因為上升氣流
不斷向上的推動作用，凝結物一時降不下來，在這樣一降一推的過程中，凝結物會不停
旋轉，慢慢地就形成了球形。等到了一定重量就會降落下來。

因為污染物多為灰色或黑色，所以，降落下來的石球也多是這些顏色。污染物濃度越
高，顏色越深。

http://news.epochtimes.com/b5/8/7/28/n2207302.htm

[Guest]

專家：北極洋冰層面積比去年大 北極熊今年安了 路透社
更新日期:2008/07/31 09:45

（路透奧斯陸30日電）專家表示，雖然新的證據證實北極洋冰層一直在融化，去年冰
層面積縮減並創下新低記錄，迫使外界對氣候變遷做了最壞的預測，但是今年可鬆一口
氣了，因為冰層面積縮減極不可能比去年低。

去年冰層面積縮減創下新低記錄引發外界憂慮，冰融結果可能導致北極完全無冰，威脅
到原住民漁獵，以及當地賴冰層存活的生物如北極熊。

挪威西部南森環境遙感中心（Nansen Environmental and Remote Sensing
Center）研究員約翰生（Ola M. Johannessen）表示：「今年9月北極洋冰面積縮減
極不可能創下新低」。

北極洋冰層面積9月就會達到每年夏季低點，約為1百萬平方公里，比去年7月底同時期
來得大，當時縮減約600萬平方公里，近乎於澳洲面積。

美國國家冰雪資料中心（U.S. National Snow and Ice Data Center ,NSIDC）資
深研究員賽瑞茲（Mark Serreze）表示：「看起來今年極洋冰層縮減極不可能打破去
年的記錄」。「至少北極熊在今年是安全了」。中央社（翻譯）

http://news.msn.com.tw/news887849.aspx

North Pole ice fears reduce
July 30, 2008

SEA ice in the Arctic is unlikely to shrink below the record low levels of
last year, experts said last night.

But the long-term thaw caused by climate change is still causing
concern, they stressed.

Mark Serreze, of the US National Snow and Ice Data Center, said: “Last
summer saw an ideal atmospheric pattern for melting sea ice but the
pattern so far this summer has been cooler.

“The North Pole is likely safe for at least this year.”

A study by Norwegian expert Ola Johannessen to be published soon
shows a 90 per cent link between rising greenhouse gas emissions in
recent decades and shrinking ice levels.

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/special_events/green_week/article1493226.ece

[Guest]

大批北極熊大海漂流 保育組織憂心
中央社 2008-08-23 01:03

（中央社記者周盈成日內瓦二十二日專電）世界自然基金會（WWF）今天說，日前多
隻北極熊被發現在阿拉斯加外海游泳，最遠的離岸超過六十英里，牠們和所有同類的命
運在北極海冰融解情形下令人更加憂心。

WWF指出，美國礦產管理局的科學家十六日在阿拉斯加西北方的楚克奇海從空中進行
海洋調查時，發現至少九隻北極熊在開放海域游泳，其中一隻離岸六十英里以上。而在
這附近海域，衛星影像顯示海冰幾乎都已消失。

WWF北極熊計畫協調人約克說，當北極熊游得這麼遠，恐怕會難以安全登岸，有溺斃
的危險。

他指出，當氣候變化持續嚴重干擾北極環境，北極熊據以棲息和獵食的海冰大量融化，
牠們被迫游得更遠去尋找食物和棲地；「一次發現這麼多北極熊在海上是個極令人憂慮
的警訊」，可能還有更多的同類也面臨相同險境。

WWF說，去年的北極海冰覆蓋區域縮小到有紀錄以來的最低點，科學家甚至預期今年
海冰消失的情形會有過之而無不及。

以海冰消失威脅棲地為由，美國聯邦政府在今年五月已將北極熊列為受威脅物種。

http://news.yam.com/cna/international/200808/20080823313006.html

ANCHORAGE, Alaska, Aug 21, 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE) --

An aerial survey by government scientists in Alaska's Chukchi Sea this
week found at least nine polar bears swimming in open water - with one
at least 60 miles from shore - raising concern among wildlife experts
about their survival. A World Wildlife Fund (WWF) polar bear expert said
the bears could have difficulty making it safely to shore and risk
drowning, particularly if a storm arises.

"To find so many polar bears at sea at one time is extremely worrisome
because it could be an indication that as the sea ice on which they live
and hunt continues to melt, many more bears may be out there facing
similar risk," said Geoff York, a polar bear biologist with WWF. "As climate
change continues to dramatically disrupt the Arctic, polar bears and their
cubs are being forced to swim longer distances to find food and habitat."

Scientists say the Arctic is changing more rapidly and acutely than
anywhere on the planet, noting that 2007 witnessed the lowest sea ice
coverage in recorded history. Satellite images indicate that ice was
absent in most of the region where the bears were found on August 16,
2008 and some experts predict this year's sea ice loss could meet or
exceed the record set last year.

The discovery of the nine bears at sea came as the U.S. Minerals
Management Service was conducting marine surveys in the Beaufort and
Chukchi Seas in advance of potential offshore oil development.

http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/multiple-polar-bears-discovered-swimming/story.aspx?guid={9D938E1B-7204-4D4E-8ACF-9EC53B685635}&dist=hppr

[Guest]

冰舌融光！繞北極無礙 12.5萬年來頭一遭
自由時報╱管淑平編譯 2008-09-01 10:29

最新公布的北極衛星照片顯示，北極海冰融化已讓環繞北極點的西北和東北通道上週同
時打開，這是人類史上首次能夠繞行北極點航行，但這也凸顯全球暖化超出預期的加
快。

最後一塊冰舌也消失

英國獨立報31日報導，德國布萊梅大學科學家在網站上公布一批美國航太總署
（ＮＡＳＡ）微波遙測拍攝的衛星照片顯示，西北通道已於上週末打開，而穿過
西伯利亞拉普提夫海伸向俄羅斯、封鎖東北通道的最後一塊冰舌也在數天後融化。

西北、東北兩通道首度同時開

這是12萬5千年來這兩條通道首度同時打開，也是這一個月內北極所出現多個全球暖化
危機徵兆中最令人震驚的。美國國家冰雪資料中心（ＮＳＩＤＣ）海冰專家塞瑞茲教授
說，這是「歷史大事」，更進一步證實現在北極冰帽可能已經進入無法逆轉的「死亡螺
旋」。

上週該中心曾警告，未來數週北極海冰面積可能減少到打破去年的新低紀錄；美國科學
家莫斯洛斯基今年提出的報告預測，5年內北極夏季將完全無冰，而且融冰速度可能會
大幅加快。促成這些論點的關鍵點，就是去年北極冰層融化數量達到原本預期要等到
2050年才會出現的規模。

海運利多 航程驟減數千英里

北極的西北通道經加拿大，東北通道則經俄羅斯環繞北極點。2005年東北通道一度打
開，西北通道當時仍維持封閉，去年情況相反，現在兩條通道同時打開。

最期待這天來臨的要算是海運公司，因為這兩條通道將讓海上航程大幅縮短數千英里，
東北航道就讓德國到日本航程縮短4000英里，已有海運公司準備明年派船航行東北通
道。

http://news.yam.com/tlt/international/200809/20080901496389.html

The North Pole has become an island for the first time in human history
as climate change has made it possible to circumnavigate the Arctic ice
cap.

The historic development was revealed by satellite images taken last
week showing that both the north-west and north-east passages have
been opened by melting ice.

The satellite images gathered by Nasa show that the north-west passage
opened last weekend and the final blockage on the east side of the ice
cap, an area of sea ice stretching to Siberia, dissolved a few days later.


Last year the extent of sea ice in the Arctic reached a record low that
could be surpassed in the next few weeks, with some scientists warning
that the ice cap could soon vanish altogether during summer.

Four weeks ago tourists had to be evacuated from a park on Baffin Island
because of flooding caused by melting glaciers, and polar bears have
been spotted off Alaska trying to swim hundreds of miles to the
retreating ice cap.

Measurements on August 26 showed an ice cap of just over two million
square miles, confirming the second biggest ice cap melt since records
began. New of the opening of the passages emerged as the British
explorer and adventurer Lewis Gordon Pugh began a kayak expedition to
the North Pole aimed at drawing attention to the dramatic impact of
melting polar ice.

"I want to bring home to world leaders, on this expedition, the reality of
what is now happening here in the Arctic," said the 38-year-old
environmentalist in his blog.

"The rate of change is clearly faster than nearly all the models predict,
which has huge implications for climate change and how to tackle it."

Meanwhile Prof James Lovelock, of the University of Oxford, has claimed
"planet-scale engineering of the climate" may have to be attempted to
counter global warming.

Prof Mark Serreze, a sea ice specialist at the National Snow and Ice Data
Centre (NSIDC) in the US said the images suggested the Arctic may have
entered a "death spiral" caused by global warming.

Shipping companies are already planning to exploit the first simultaneous
opening of the routes since the beginning of the last Ice Age 125,000
years ago. The Beluga Group in Germany says it will send the first ship
through the north-east passage, around Russia, next year, cutting 4,000
miles off the voyage from Germany to Japan.

Meanwhile, Stephen Harper, Canada's Prime Minister, has announced that
ships entering the north-west passage should first report to his
government. The routes have previously opened at different times, with
the western route opening last year, and the eastern route opening in
2005.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/main.jhtml?xml=/earth/2008/08/31/eaarctic131.xml

[Guest]

加商船成功穿越“西北航道” 或標誌北冰洋船運新紀元
2008-11-29 07:39 中國新聞網

據加拿大國家電視台二十八日報導，今年秋天，一艘加拿大商用貨船駛過西北航道，
向努奴瓦特西部地區運送物資。報導引述加拿大海岸警衛隊官員的話稱，這是歷史上
第一艘從東部通過西北航道運送物資的商用貨船。

報導說，這艘名爲“The MV Camilla Desgagnes”的貨船從加拿大東部蒙特利爾出
發，於九月抵達努奴瓦特西部的劍橋灣鎮、庫格魯克圖克、約阿港和塔拉約科等地村
落。貨船在航行過程中未遇到冰塊，以至於海岸警衛隊隨時待命的破冰船完全沒有用
武之地。

“西北航道”是指從加拿大東北部戴維斯海峽開始，沿加北部海岸到美國阿拉斯加州的
一條航道。這條航道在北極圈内，大部分時間處於封凍狀態，再加上氣候惡
劣，無法用作常規商業航線。但隨着全球變暖，北冰洋冰層逐漸融化。環境學家認爲，
“西北航道”可能在未來幾十年内變成真正的“艦隊高速公路”。屆時，從歐洲開往
亞洲的船隻將不必遠走巴拿馬運河，而可以直接通過西北航道，穿越白令海峽，抵達
日本和亞洲其他地區。

“西北航道”歷史上第一次通航發生在一九O三年。在上世紀四十年代初，加拿大皇家騎
警的航船曾東西來回航行，宣示加拿大對這一地區的主權。除了航道價值外，北極地
區還擁有豐富的漁業和礦産資源。北冰洋沿岸的俄羅斯、丹麥、美國、挪威和加拿大
都通過各種方式表明自己擁有北冰洋海域經濟開發權。

加拿大媒體稱，首艘商船成功穿越“西北航道”可能標誌着北冰洋船運新紀元的到來。

[Guest]

獨角鯨北極破冰遷徙 首度曝光

* 2009-02-09
* 中國時報
* 【潘勛／綜合報導】

　北極圈稀奇動物「獨角鯨」，會在春天冰層融化時，成群遷徙覓食。「英國廣播
公司」（ＢＢＣ）最近拍攝節目時，捕捉到這種珍貴畫面，讓世人更加了解獨角鯨。專
家表示，地球暖化，北極圈生態丕變，對獨角鯨存活影響之大，只怕更甚於對北極熊。

　ＢＢＣ拍攝《自然大事件》（Nature’s Great Events）節目時，由空中拍攝到
成群的獨角鯨，由冰層的窄窄間隙尋路而過，進行危險的春季遷徙，牠們自格陵蘭島西
岸首途向北，去尋找食物。

　英國《每日電訊報》七日報導，科學界從事的新研究也指出，北極圈氣候發生變
化，獨角鯨的適應力恐怕比北極熊還差；若沒有冰層遮蔽，獨角鯨要對付掠食者以及其
他鯨類的競爭，便更為能無力。

　美國西雅圖「華盛頓大學」極圈生物學家賴德表示，獨角鯨生存的地點十分偏
遠，所以要進行研究很困難，科學界仍不清楚牠們是如何勉力找到冰層中的破孔；北極
冰層每一年裂開的方式都不盡相同，但獨角鯨卻能算準遷徙的時機。

　獨角鯨組成團隊，成為向北遷徙的先鋒；隨著春季溫度漸漸上升，和風開始吹裂
遼闊的海上冰層，獨角鯨便到達牠們夏日的覓食場地，即加拿大努勒維特省蘭開斯特
海峽（Lancaster Sound）的海灣與峽灣。

　目前有數千頭獨角鯨正踏上年度之旅，沿著海冰的窄窄渠道而行，牠們以廿隻或
卅隻為團隊，隊形完美，偶爾浮上表面呼吸空氣。偶爾渠道凍住，獨角鯨群只好更往前
游，找尋開孔處，不然就會溺死。

　獨角鯨突出的尖刺，其實不是頭上的角，而是嘴中太長的門牙，每根長牙可賣到
數千英鎊，據說前英國女王伊莉莎白一世便花了一大筆錢，買得一根，作為權杖。


http://news.chinatimes.com/2007Cti/2007Cti-News/2007Cti-News-Content/0,4521,110504+112009020900249,00.html

Narwhals filmed for first time on migration

Narwhals, known as ice unicorns for their long tusts, have been filmed for
the first time as they make their treacherous migratin along the cracks in
the Arctic sea ice.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
By Richard Gray, Science Correspondent
Last Updated: 9:13PM GMT 07 Feb 2009

These unusual whales are rarely glimpsed in the fleeting moments they
break through the ice that covers their underwater world.

But spectacular aerial footage captured by the BBC shows how the groups
of narwhal, with tusks up to eight feet long, crowd their way through
narrow gaps between the ice sheets as they attempt a dangerous spring
migration in the search for food.

It comes as new research is also revealing how these rare and strange-
looking mammals are under threat from changing conditions in the Arctic.

Scientists studying the impact of climate change on the Arctic have
concluded that narwhals are even more vulnerable than polar bears, which
rely upon the ice to hunt. They claim that without the ice to shelter them,
narwhals will become more vulnerable to predators and competition from
other whales.

"Narwhal need predictable conditions so they can time their migration right
and get to their food sources at the right time," added Dr Kristen Laidre, a
polar biologist who is carrying out the research on narwhal at University of
Washington. "They are really very specialised animals that have adapted to
live amid the ice, so if the ecology of the Arctic changes then it can impact
on the whole food chain.

"The areas they are found are extremely remote, so they are difficult to
study. We still don't know how they manage to find open water within the
ice. Each year the ice breaks up in different ways, but they time their
migration at the right moment."

The narwhals, which feature in the first programme of the BBC's latest
natural history series Nature's Great Events, were filmed during their annual
migration north from the west coast of Greenland to their summer feeding
grounds in the fjords and bays beyond Lancaster Sound.

They form the vanguard of animals to migrate north as rising spring
temperatures and winds start to break up the vast stretches of sea ice that
form in the Arctic Circle during the freezing winter months.

The film captures the thousands of narwhals as they make the annual trip
along thin channels in the ice in the ice in groups of 20 or 30, all swimming
in perfect unison as they surface for air.

Occasionally channels close up and the narwhals have to swim to find
openings in the ice further along their route or they will drown. The animals
can also become trapped if the ice sheets close up above them and the
narwhals have to break through thin sections of the ice in order to breathe.

To get the footage film crews had to travel 30 miles out on the sea ice
while it was starting to break up.

Justin Anderson, producer of the programme that follows the springtime
melting of the Arctic ice sheets, said it took three weeks before they found
the elusive whales.

He said: "The location is very remote and the ice was breaking up all the
time around the film crew.

"When you see them, it is hard to believe they are real – they seem almost
mystical as if they have come straight from some kind of fantasy world."

Narwhal tusks are thought to be the inspiration for the legend of unicorns
and they can fetch thousands of pounds. Queen Elizabeth I is said to have
paid a fortune for a narwhal tusk which she used as a sceptre.

Only male narwhals have tusks and they were originally thought to be used
in "fencing" as males competed for mates. Recent research, however, has
suggested the tusks could also act as some sort of super-sensory organ
that allows them to detect changes in water temperature and salinity.

Nature's Great Events follows six periods of dramatic seasonal change in
different parts of the world, including the salmon run in north America,
flooding on the Kalahari and shoals of sardines up to 15 miles long migrating
off the coast of South Africa.

In one heart-rending scene, a pride of hungry lions in Africa's Kalahari attack
and kill a baby elephant in broad daylight. Such behaviour is considered to
be extremely rare and it is the first time such an attack has been filmed.

Although lions are known to attack elephants, they usually do it under cover
of darkness when the elephants are unable to see. It is thought that some
prides are adapting to increasingly difficult conditions in their habitats to hunt
bigger and more difficult prey.

Chris Carbone, a carnivore ecologist at the Zoological Society of London,
said: "Lions do occasionally hunt really big prey that weigh up to one tonne,
but that is pretty unsusual. They usually stick to zebra and wilderbeast that
can weigh up to 200kg. With a social species like elephant, the adults will try
to protect the young so it is a big risk. But lions are very adaptable and
there are lions that specialise in hunting giraffe."

Nature's Great Events will begin on Wednesday 11 February on BBC One at
9pm.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/wildlife/4547325/Narwhals-filmed-for-first-time-on-migration.html

[Guest]

聯國專家警告 暖化惡化超出預期
〔編譯鄭寺音／綜合報導〕

美國科學家十四日警告，由於溫室氣體增加的速度快於預期，溫度上升也在啟動全球生
態系統中的反餽機制，全球暖化的速度，甚至已遠遠超出二○○七年預期；此外，高度
提倡透過生質燃料來遏止二氧化碳排放量，可能會適得其反。

生質燃料遏排碳 恐適得其反

卡內基研究所的菲爾德十四日在美國科學促進會年會上表示，二○○○年以來，二氧化碳
排放量每年以三．五％的比率成長，比一九九○年代每年○．九成長率高出甚多，速度
大幅超出二○○七年聯合國跨政府氣候變遷小組（ＩＰＣＣ）的預估。本身也是小組一
員的菲爾德說，溫室氣體排放量增加，主要是發展中國家燃燒燃料量較高所致。

高於預期的二氧化碳散發到大氣中，是因為加速自然過程的反餽漏洞導致，其中最顯著
的證據，包括溫度升高讓北極永凍層開始融化，導致數千億噸二氧化碳與甲烷釋放到大
氣中。

菲爾德表示，北極永凍層內含的一兆噸二氧化碳，其中十％可能在本世紀釋放；永凍層
融化過程中，不僅釋放二氧化碳，也會排放出溫室氣體含量比二氧化碳高二十五倍的甲
烷。

此外，高度提倡透過生質燃料來遏止碳排放量，甚至可能會適得其反。比方說，生質燃
料需求增多，使得美國增加玉米種植量，意味著原本生產大豆的農田，必須轉作種植玉
米之用，不過由於大豆需求並未減少，巴西等國增加大豆種植來填補缺口，巴西為了多
種大豆，就會燃燒熱帶雨林作為農地，反而導致更多氣體排放。


http://www.libertytimes.com.tw/2009/new/feb/16/today-int3.htm

[Guest]

南極一冰架已完全融化
2009-04-04 08:05:22　
夏明珠


英國的一項研究指出，南極一個冰架已經消失，另一個正在快速變小，冰河融化的速度
加快，這一切都是氣候暖化惹得禍。

英國的南極研究團隊說，從1960年代就開始分解的沃迪冰架，已經完全溶化，拉森冰
架的北部，也已經消失，根據測量，從1986年至今，拉森冰架的面積減少了八千三百
平方公里。

這再一次透露氣候暖化的狀況，比之前認知，嚴重得多。

地球上的冰河，有百分之九十以上，集中在南極，那裏的冰層變化，對人類生存環境的
影響也特別深遠。
新聞來源：中廣

An Antarctic ice shelf has disappeared -scientists
WASHINGTON, April 3 (Reuters) -

One Antarctic ice shelf has quickly vanished, another is disappearing and
glaciers are melting faster than anyone thought due to climate change,
U.S. and British government researchers reported on Friday.

They said the Wordie Ice Shelf, which had been disintegrating since the
1960s, is gone and the northern part of the Larsen Ice Shelf no longer
exists. More than 3,200 square miles (8,300 square km) have broken off
from the Larsen shelf since 1986.

Climate change is to blame, according to the report from the U.S.
Geological Survey and the British Antarctic Survey, available at
pubs.usgs.gov/imap/2600/B.

"The rapid retreat of glaciers there demonstrates once again the profound
effects our planet is already experiencing -- more rapidly than previously
known -- as a consequence of climate change," U.S. Interior Secretary Ken
Salazar said in a statement.

"This continued and often significant glacier retreat is a wakeup call that
change is happening ... and we need to be prepared," USGS glaciologist
Jane Ferrigno, who led the Antarctica study, said in a statement.

"Antarctica is of special interest because it holds an estimated 91 percent of
the Earth's glacier volume, and change anywhere in the ice sheet poses
significant hazards to society," she said.

[Guest]

北極冰層自2004年起急遽變薄
路透社
日期:2009/07/08 15:15

（路透華盛頓7日電）美國國家航空暨太空總署（NASA）的科
學家們今天表示，北極海冰層從2004年起急遽變薄，北方多年
厚層積冰在夏天融化，被新的薄冰層取代。

多年來，研究人員已知覆蓋在北極海上的冰層面積一直在退縮，
但是測量冰厚度的新衛星數據顯示，北極海冰層的體積正在縮
減。

多年厚層積冰的重要性在於，厚冰可迅速恢復，且持續多個夏
天。如果沒有厚層積冰覆蓋，北極海深色海水更容易立即吸收太
陽熱能，而不是反射回去，更加速熱效應。

科學家們利用衛星觀測數據計算，整個北極海的冰層從2004
年以來每年變薄7英寸（17.8公分），持續4個冬天，總計變薄
2.2英尺（67公分）。

他們的研究成果已刊登在「地球物理研究期刊─海洋」
（Journal of Geophysical Research-Oceans）。
中央社（翻譯）

Arctic Ocean’s Ice Layer Thins ‘Dramatically,’ Study Concludes

By Chris Dolmetsch

July 7 (Bloomberg) -- The layer of ice over the Arctic
Ocean has thinned “dramatically” this decade, with its
thin seasonal blanket for the first time making up a
bigger portion of the total ice than the thicker, older
coat, a study said.

Scientists from NASA and the University of Washington
in Seattle surveyed the ocean’s ice sheet from 2003
through 2008 using observations from the Ice, Cloud
and Land Elevation Satellite, or ICESat, to make the first
estimate of its thickness and volume. The study was
published in the July 7 issue of the Journal of Geophysical Research-Oceans.

The ocean’s ice layer gets larger each winter as the sun
sets for several months and temperatures drop, the
National Aeronautics and Space Administration said in a
statement. In the summer, much of that seasonal
cover melts, while wind and ocean currents carry some
away, the agency said.

Older ice, which averages about 9 feet (2.7 meters) in
thickness, is more likely to survive than seasonal sea
ice, which is about 6 feet thick.

The researchers found that the Arctic Ocean’s ice layer
thinned by about 2.2 feet over four winters, or about 7
inches a year, while the area covered by older, thicker
ice shrank by about 42 percent, or 595,000 square
miles -- almost the land area of Alaska.

In 2003, 62 percent of the ocean’s ice cover was older,
thicker ice, with 38 percent in seasonal layers, the
researchers found. Five years later, 68 percent of the
ice cap was made up of seasonal ice.

The amount of ice replaced in the winter hasn’t been
enough in recent years to compensate for the loss in
the summer, which leads to more open water, which in
turn absorbs heat, warming the ocean and further
melting the ice, the researchers said.

“Even in years when the overall extent of sea ice
remains stable or grows slightly, the thickness and
volume of the ice cover is continuing to decline, making
the ice more vulnerable to continued shrinkage,” the
study’s lead researcher, Ron Kwok of NASA’s Jet
Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, said in a
statement.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601124&sid=aZSiubM0Wkgg