In winter, it is completely covered with sea ice.

在冬天，它完全被海冰覆盖。

In summer, some of the sea ice becomes water.

夏天里部分海冰会融化成水。

There are two reasons. One is that the sea ice is melting.

原因有二。一是海冰正在融化。

Arctic sea ice usually melts in spring and summer, then grows in winter.

北极的海冰通常在春天和夏天融化，然后在冬天形成。

Now, however, the sea ice is becoming water earlier than it used to.

然而，现在海冰比以前更早地融化。

They have pushed down the number of polar bears and seals while polar bears depend on sea ice for hunting seals.

它们导致了北极熊和海豹数量的减少，而北极熊依靠海冰捕食海豹。

The sea ice loss and the Arctic ice melting (融化) caused by climate change have increased much in the last ten years.

过去十年里，气候变化引起的海冰流失和北极冰融化现象不断加剧。

Is this the end of Arctic summertime sea ice?

北极夏季海冰即将消失了吗？

Indeed, sea ice cover in the Arctic is melting faster than expected.

事实上，覆盖在北极的海中的冰正在以比预期更快的速度融化。

Wildlife like polar bears and walruses that depend on sea ice to live is also in danger.

像北极熊和海象这样依靠海冰生存的野生动物也处于危险之中。

The properties of this clear sea ice were very similar to the ice from the green iceberg.

这种透明的海冰的性质与绿色冰山上的冰块非常相似。

The Arctic sea ice holds a central position in the Earth's climate system and it's deteriorating faster than expected.

北极海冰在地球气候系统中占据中心位置，并且它恶化的速度比预期的更快。

Without those masses of cooling sea ice, warm air brought to the Arctic can penetrate further inland than it ever did before.

如果没有这些大量冷却的海冰，被带到北极的暖空气可以比以前更深入渗透到内陆。

Many hunters use more traditional methods in the spring, traveling across sea ice and paddling toward whales in sealskin boats.

许多猎人在春天使用更传统的方法，穿越海冰，乘着海豹皮船划向鲸鱼。

That could be dangerous for navigators and local communities who are unprepared for huge waves or depend on sea ice to protect them.

这可能会对航海家和当地社区造成危险，因为他们对巨浪没有准备，或者依赖海冰来保护自己。

'Geo-engineering plans to inject stratospheric aerosols or to seed clouds would act to cool the planet, and act to increase the extent of sea ice,' says Rasch.

拉施说：“地球工程计划将平流层的气溶胶注入到云层中，这将起到冷却地球的作用，并增加海冰的范围。”

The formation of sea ice causes the concentration of salt in surface waters to increase; less sea ice would mean a smaller increase in the concentration of salt.

海冰的形成导致表水中盐的浓度增加；海冰的减少意味着盐浓度的增加幅度较小。

This is troubling as climbing arctic temperatures combined with rapid sea ice loss are creating a new type of climate feedback loop which could accelerate Arctic warming.

这是令人担忧的，因为北极气温上升和海冰迅速消失正在形成一种新型的气候反馈回路，可能会加速北极变暖。

Arctic Sea Ice News and Analysis.

北极海冰近况与分析。

Sea ice will contract.

海冰将会收缩。

Arctic Sea Ice Extent.

北极海冰规模。

The summer sea ice is thinning and shrinking.

夏季海冰正在变薄变小。

Melting sea ice affects ecosystems and currents.

海冰融化会影响生态系统和水流。

Disappearing sea ice is making that task easier.

正在消失的海洋冰块儿正在使这个任务更加容易。

The storms are getting heavier as the sea ice retreats.

随着冰的消融，海上风暴越来越大。

West and north of Greenland, sea ice appears pale gray-blue.

在格陵兰岛的西部和北部，海冰呈淡淡的灰蓝色。

Scientists use the observations to map sea ice concentrations.

科学家利用观测结果绘制出海冰密集图。

Arctic sea ice has also retreated at a faster than average rate.

北冰洋海域的冰雪正以超过平均速度的速度溶逝。

Arctic summertime sea ice is decreasing by just over 7% a decade.

北极夏季海冰正在以每十年刚刚超过7%的速度减少。