标签 南极 下的文章
罗斯海的冰山，南极洲 Iceberg in the Ross Sea, Antarctica (© Michel Roggo/Minden Pictures)
罗斯海的冰山，南极洲 Iceberg in the Ross Sea, Antarctica (© Michel Roggo/Minden Pictures)
为最酷的地方欢呼！ Celebrating the coolest place!
世界南极日
地球上风最大、最寒冷、最干燥的大陆，世界第五大洲——南极洲，于1820年被发现。在随后的几十年里，多个国家组织探险队前往南极冰原进行考察。由于南极洲没有原住民，因此各国都声称对其拥有主权。随着紧张局势的加剧，12个国家于1959年签署了《南极条约》，将该地区划为科学研究区，并禁止一切军事活动。目前该条约已有56个缔约国，我们今天庆祝的就是这个条约的周年纪念日。
从悬浮的冰晶云到冰下富含氧化铁的血红色湖泊，这片极地沙漠遍布自然奇观。该地巨大的冰盖储存了世界上大约70%的淡水。如果冰盖全部融化，海平面会上升200多英尺，并会威胁到世界各地的低洼地区。臭名昭著的臭氧层空洞就位于南极洲上空，但在全球的共同努力下，有望在未来20年内关闭臭氧层空洞。
Antarctica Day
The windiest, coldest, and driest continent on Earth—Antarctica—was officially discovered in 1820. In the following decades, several countries organized expeditions to reach and explore the Antarctic ice sheets. The southernmost continent had no indigenous population and various nations claimed ownership. But in 1959, 12 countries signed the Antarctic Treaty, banning military activities and setting Antarctica aside for scientific research. Today, we celebrate the anniversary of this treaty, which now has 56 parties.
From suspended clouds of ice crystals to a subglacial, iron oxide-rich lake that seeps into a blood-red waterfall, this polar desert is full of natural wonders. Its massive ice sheet stores about 70% of the world's fresh water, enough to raise sea levels by more than 200 feet if it were to melt entirely.
南极洲的巴布亚企鹅 Gentoo penguins in Antarctica (© Nature Picture Library/Alamy)
南极洲的巴布亚企鹅 Gentoo penguins in Antarctica (© Nature Picture Library/Alamy)
南极洲的巴布亚企鹅 'I've got a lot of problems with you penguins!'
南极洲的企鹅
对于外行来说，虚构节日Festivus的起源可以追溯到90年代热播剧《宋飞正传》的一集根据该剧编剧之一的真实家庭传统，Festivus在现实世界中展现了自己的生活，并为粉丝提供了一种有趣的、开玩笑的方式来庆祝节日，同时忽略了它的压力和商业性。
从今天的照片来看，南极洲的这些Gentoo企鹅似乎很了解Festivus，因为人们似乎正在参与节日的主要传统之一“哀怨之声”就Gentoo而言，他们有很多不满要发泄的情况并不罕见。无论是因为不忠而被逐出教会，还是因为邻居的巢石而嫉妒，Gentoo都可能是咸的。不过，也许这是意料之中的事，因为它们的饮食中含有大量的物质，以至于它们会从喙中漏出高浓度的盐水。
Gentoo penguins in Antarctica
For the uninitiated, the origins of the made-up holiday Festivus can be traced back to an episode of the hit '90s show, 'Seinfeld.' Based on the real family tradition of one of the show's writers, Festivus has taken on a life of its own in the real world and provides fans with a fun, tongue-in-cheek way to celebrate the holiday season while ignoring its pressures and commercialism.
And with today's photo, it appears these Gentoo penguins in Antarctica are well aware of Festivus, as one seems to be engaging in one of the holiday's main traditions—the 'Airing of Grievances.' And as far as Gentoos go, it's not uncommon for them to have plenty of grievances to air. Whether over excommunication for infidelity, or jealousy over their neighbor's nesting stones, Gentoos can be salty. Maybe that's to be expected, though, as their diets are so loaded with the stuff that they literally leak highly concentrated saline from their beaks.
天堂港, 南极洲 Paradise Harbour, Antarctica (© SinghaphanAllB/Getty Images)
天堂港, 南极洲 Paradise Harbour, Antarctica (© SinghaphanAllB/Getty Images)
下面的另一块大陆 The other continent down under
南极日
世界上最孤立的大陆是南极洲这片极地沙漠，这是地球上最冷、最干燥、风力最大的大陆。听起来像是不可居住的，几乎完全位于南极圈之下的南极洲也是一个美丽的地方，这张照片就是南极洲半岛顶端附近的天堂港，也就是天堂湾。南极洲也极易受到气候变化的影响，值得今天纪念1959年南极条约签署周年的南极日。国际协定保护南极洲作为科学保护区。
南极半岛是南极洲的最北端，也是最接近南美洲的地区，因此相对容易到达。天堂港是大陆上游客最多的地方之一，也是民用游轮的常规停靠站。该地区是一个繁荣的企鹅群体的家园，也是一个观察冰川崩解的绝佳地点。虽然冰川冰的流失是正常的，但由于全球变暖，这一过程以惊人的速度加速。覆盖南极洲的一英里厚的冰盖占了地球淡水供应的70%。从长远来看，如果全部融化，海平面将上升200英尺。如果没有这片冰原之地，世界将大不相同。
Antarctica Day
The most isolated continent in the world is hands down the polar desert that is Antarctica, the coldest, driest, and windiest continent on Earth. Inhospitable as it sounds, Antarctica, which lies almost completely below the Antarctic Circle, is also a place of stunning beauty as evidenced by this image of Paradise Harbour, aka Paradise Bay, near the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula. Antarctica is also extraordinarily vulnerable to the effects of climate change, worth remembering today on Antarctica Day, which marks the anniversary of the signing of the 1959 Antarctic Treaty. The international agreement protects Antarctica as a scientific preserve.
The Antarctic Peninsula is the northernmost part of Antarctica and the closest to South America, making it relatively accessible. Paradise Harbour is one of the most visited places on the continent, and a regular stop for civilian cruises. The area is home to a thriving colony of penguins and is an excellent place to see glacial calving. While the loss of glacial ice is normal, the process has accelerated at an alarming rate due to global warming. The mile-thick ice sheet that covers Antarctica accounts for 70 percent of the planet's supply of fresh water. To put that in perspective, if it all melted, sea levels would rise by 200 feet. Without this land of ice, the world would look a lot different.
从冰山跃入水中的阿德利企鹅，南极 Adélie penguins diving off an iceberg in Antarctica (© Mike Hill/Getty Images)
从冰山跃入水中的阿德利企鹅，南极 Adélie penguins diving off an iceberg in Antarctica (© Mike Hill/Getty Images)
One giant leap for penguins
These Adélie penguins are jumping for joy because it's World Penguin Day. Or maybe they're just looking for a snack as they dive off this iceberg. Adélies live on Antarctica and nearby islands all year long, but in the fall and winter they spend most of their time near the coast. They can dive as deep as 575 feet or travel as much as 185 miles to find krill, fish, and squid.
The smallest penguin in the Antarctic, Adélies are one of only two penguin species (the other is the Emperor penguin) that live exclusively on the Antarctic continent. Huge colonies of Adélies were once spread throughout the Antarctic Peninsula and the coastline of the continent, but as climate change took hold, populations declined in some areas. Fortunately, a robust colony of some 1.5 million Adelie penguins was found on the Antarctic Peninsula's Danger Islands.
企鹅的一次大跃进
这些广告é因为今天是世界企鹅日，所以企鹅们高兴得跳起来。或者他们只是在从冰山上跳下去的时候找点吃的。广告é它们终年生活在南极洲和附近的岛屿上，但在秋天和冬天，它们大部分时间都在海岸附近。它们可以潜到575英尺深或185英里深的地方寻找磷虾、鱼和鱿鱼。
南极最小的企鹅，公元é谎言是只生活在南极大陆的两种企鹅物种之一（另一种是帝企鹅）。大量的广告é谎言一度蔓延到整个南极半岛和该大陆的海岸线，但随着气候变化，一些地区的人口减少。幸运的是，在南极半岛的危险岛上发现了一个由大约150万只阿德利企鹅组成的健壮的群体。
栖息在斯诺希尔岛的成年帝企鹅和幼崽，南极 Emperor penguin adults and chicks at the Snow Hill Island rookery, Antarctica (© Martin Ruegner/Getty Images)
栖息在斯诺希尔岛的成年帝企鹅和幼崽，南极 Emperor penguin adults and chicks at the Snow Hill Island rookery, Antarctica (© Martin Ruegner/Getty Images)
Hey, you two in the front!
For World Teachers' Day, we're taking you to a class of emperor penguin chicks getting a lesson from a couple of wise adults—at least that's how it looks to us. All kidding aside, the celebration has a special significance this year. Educators dedicate their lives to engaging the minds of young and old alike, all the while sparking curiosity about the world around us. But with in-person classes widely curtailed due to the coronavirus pandemic, teachers have had to adapt their instruction methods, including the implementation of remote learning. More than ever we're grateful for their efforts, including their support to parents who are contributing at home.
Speaking of remote learning, the penguins in this photo live and learn in Antarctica at their breeding colony on Snow Hill Island. One thing we've learned on this World Teachers' Day: A group of chicks is called a rookery, but when mature, they become a waddle of adult penguins, a term that also describes their graceless walking gait. About that gait: Penguins rock side-to-side to raise their center of gravity and compensate for their wide feet and squat legs. You might think they expend a lot of energy getting around, but the percentage of energy retained per penguin stride—or recovery rate—is 80%. In comparison, the recovery rate for humans is a mere 65% (the two penguin chicks snoozing in today's photo probably already know that).
