Plight of the Polar Bear

Plight of the Polar Bear, written by Ned Jensen.

《北极熊的困境》，内德·延森 著

Introduction. Venture into the vast snow -covered winter tundra of the northern Arctic and you will be surprised by the apparent absence of life. This region is a harsh, unfriendly place for most living things. But one living thing has managed to thrive in the tundra. That is, until now.

引言 当你踏入北极北部广阔的冰雪冻原，你会惊讶地发现这里几乎看不到生命的痕迹 对大多数生物来说，这片区域严酷恶劣，并不宜居 但有一种生物却能在冻原上繁衍生息 不过，这一切到今天为止了

Tundra Winter vs. Summer During much of the year, the temperature in the tundra is extremely low, well below freezing. Winter lasts for more than six months, and for several weeks during that time, the sun never rises above the horizon. The soil just below the surface remains permanently frozen throughout the year. And to make conditions even harsher, There are no barriers like trees or hills to slow down the cold winds that sweep across this ice and snow -covered land.

冻原的冬季与夏季 一年中大部分时间，冻原的气温都极低，远低于冰点 冬季会持续六个多月，而且有整整好几周，太阳都不会升出地平线 地表下方的土层一整年都保持永久封冻状态 更糟糕的是，这里没有树木、山丘这类屏障，无法阻挡寒风横扫这片冰封雪地

Summer in the tundra is quite a contrast from winter. The sun does not set for several weeks on end. Often it just peeks over the horizon appearing to move as earth rotates. During this season, the average temperature remains above freezing. The snow has a chance to melt, and low -growing plants such as mosses, lichens, grasses, and small shrubs grow. Millions of insects hatch and fill the air, ground, and pools of water. The abundance of insects attracts huge numbers of birds that migrate to the tundra and make it their summer home. Even mammals that migrated south to escape the harsh winter return to the tundra to feed each summer.

冻原的夏季和冬季截然不同 太阳会连续好几周都不会落下 它常常低悬在地平线上，随着地球转动缓缓移动 这个季节的平均气温始终保持在冰点以上 积雪得以融化，苔藓、地衣、青草、小灌木这类低矮植物就生长出来 数百万只昆虫孵化而出，遍布空中、地面和水洼 充足的昆虫吸引了无数候鸟飞到冻原，把这里当成它们的夏日家园 就连南迁躲避严冬的哺乳动物，每年夏天也会回到冻原觅食

Yet, despite the region's harsh conditions, one inhabitant lives there year -round, one of Earth's most magnificent creatures, the polar bear. This creature of the north is well -suited to the inhospitable conditions of the tundra. But in recent years, the polar bears living along the northern edge of the tundra have been struggling to survive. The tundra's harsh conditions are not the reason. It is the Earth and its rapid alterations.

尽管这里环境严酷，却有一种生物全年在此居住，它就是地球上最壮美的生灵之一——北极熊 这种北国生灵非常适应冻原恶劣的生存条件 但近年来，生活在冻原北缘的北极熊一直挣扎求生 原因并不是冻原的严酷环境 问题出在地球自身的快速变化

built to survive. Polar bears are adapted to survive the severe conditions of the Arctic. They appear to be all white, but each strand of hair is actually transparent. It has been commonly believed that this clear fur carries sunlight to the bear's black skin, where it is absorbed and changed to heat. However, studies on polar bear fur have proven that it does not transmit sunlight to a bear's skin. Since the sun is either low on the horizon or not even above the horizon during the coldest Arctic months, it wouldn't make much difference if the fur was able to transmit sunlight to the bear's skin.

为生存而生 北极熊已经适应了北极的严酷环境，能够在此生存 它们看起来通体雪白，可实际上每一根毛发都是透明的 过去人们普遍认为，透明毛发会把阳光传导到北极熊黑色的皮肤上，再转化为热量吸收 不过针对北极熊毛发的研究已经证明，毛发并不会把阳光传导到皮肤上 北极最冷的几个月里，太阳要么低悬地平线，要么根本不会升起，就算毛发能传导阳光，也起不了多大作用