标签格陵兰下的文章

座头鲸，迪斯科湾，格陵兰 Humpback whale, Disko Bay, Greenland (© Paul Souders/DanitaDelimont.com)

跳出“濒危名单” Jumping off the endangered list

《濒危物种保护法》颁布 50 周年

对于我们毛茸茸的、有鳞片的和长羽毛的朋友们而言，今天是一个特殊的里程碑：美国《濒危物种保护法》迎来了它的50周年。这项具有里程碑意义的法律于1973年签署确立，半个世纪以来，它一直在向濒临灭绝的物种伸出援助之手。那么，谁是这次的焦点呢？是照片中的座头鲸！这些温顺的庞然大物以悦耳的歌声和杂技般的“鲸跃”而闻名，是《濒危物种保护法》成功实施的典范。过去，由于捕鲸和捕鱼装置的缠绕，座头鲸一度濒临灭绝，但在保护工作的努力下，它们的种群正在复苏，从1966年的约5,000头到增加到现在的约135,000头。然而，保护濒危物种，任重而道远。从预防栖息地丧失到防止偷猎，各种挑战依然存在。而我们能做的，就是宣传保护濒危物种，支持保护工作，参与当地活动，做一个环保主义者。

50 years of the Endangered Species Act

Today is a special milestone for our furry, scaly, and feathered friends: the Endangered Species Act is turning 50. This landmark legislation, signed into law in 1973, has been helping species on the brink for half a century. Who's that in the spotlight? A humpback whale! Known for their haunting songs and acrobatic breaches, these gentle giants are a success story of the ESA. They were once on the edge of extinction, largely due to commercial whaling, but thanks to conservation efforts, their population has bounced back from around 5,000 in 1966 to an estimated 135,000 today. However, our work isn't over. Challenges persist, from habitat loss to poaching. So, what can we do? Spread the word, support conservation efforts, participate in local initiatives, and be eco-friendly.

搁浅船只上空的极光，格陵兰岛塔西拉克 Northern lights over a stranded boat in Tasiilaq, Greenland (© Shane P. White/Minden Pictures)

Tasiilaq, Greenland

It's said that Erik the Red gave Greenland its deceptively pleasant name to draw unwitting settlers to the snowy subcontinent. The Viking leader wasn't totally fibbing, though: Greenland can turn pretty darn green as aurora borealis gives the glaciers a glow-up.

This verdant display was captured in Tasiilaq, the largest settlement on the island's east coast. Though Tasiilaq is home to fewer than 2,000 people, it's one of Greenland's fastest-growing towns. Plus, regular plane hops from Reykjavik, Iceland—about 500 miles east—add the occasional cold-tolerant tourist to the population.

格陵兰塔西拉克

据说红色埃里克给格陵兰取了一个貌似很好的名字，以吸引不知情的定居者来到这个多雪的次大陆。尽管如此，维京人的领袖并不是完全在撒谎：当北极光使冰川发光时，格陵兰岛可以变成非常糟糕的绿色。

这张翠绿的照片是在塔西拉克拍摄的，塔西拉克是该岛东海岸最大的定居点。虽然塔西拉克的人口不到2000人，但它是格陵兰发展最快的城镇之一。此外，从冰岛雷克雅未克向东约500英里的地方定期乘坐飞机，也为当地居民增加了偶尔的耐寒游客。

Going with the floe

Welcome to Disko Bay near the town of Ilulissat, Greenland, where summer's midnight sun will dip just below the horizon for only about an hour and a half tonight. In fact, for several weeks in the period around the summer solstice, the sun doesn't set at all on Disko Bay. Technically, the 'midnight sun' occurs in places north of the Arctic Circle or south of the Antarctic Circle when the sun remains visible at the local midnight. This natural phenomenon lasts from April to August in the northern regions of Greenland. (The opposite effect, polar night, occurs during winter months when the sun does not rise above the horizon.)

So much light during the summer months means that the massive icebergs in nearby Ilulissat Icefjord are easily visible from this west-coast town, which is home to about 4,500 people, most of them indigenous Inuit. Ilulissat is also home to almost as many Greenland dogs, which are sturdy sled dogs with thick fur that prevents frostbite. They're bred for long-distance travel in cold climates, and those physical attributes come in handy, because even in the height of summer, average daily temperatures here barely top 50 degrees, despite all that sun.

星空迷