Glaciers of the Southern Alps Melt　by Two-fold 　南阿爾卑斯山冰川融化速度翻倍

The Southern Alps in New Zealand are the latest icy region to be devastated by global warming.

新西蘭南阿爾卑斯山是最新遭受全球變暖重創的冰川覆蓋區。

A study finds the mountains have lost up to 62 percent of their glaciers since the end of the Little Ice Age， around 400 years ago.

一項研究發現，自從約400年前小冰河期結束以后，該地區山脈的冰川減少了多達62%。

This， according to the study， equates to a maximum ice loss of 73 square km， an area half the size of Liechtenstein.

研究顯示，這相當于最多損失了73平方千米的冰，約占列支敦士登公國面積的一半。

By contrast， Patagonia， which is home to the largest body of ice in the southern hemisphere outside of Antarctica， has seen just 11 percent of its Little Ice Age volume vanish.

相比之下，在南半球除南極之外冰川覆蓋面積最大的巴塔哥尼亞小冰河期冰川面積只損失了11%。

New Zealands Southern Alps are best known for being the set of many scenes from The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit movies.

新西蘭南阿爾卑斯山作為《指環王》和《霍比特人》的電影拍攝地而出名。

The Southern Alps is the highest mountain range in Australasia， with Mount Cooks summit standing at 12，218 feet above sea level.

南阿爾卑斯山是澳大拉西亞最高的山脈，庫克山峰頂海拔12 218英尺（約3 764米）。

The study analyzed volume changes in the Southern Alps for three time periods： 1600 to 1978， 1978 to 2009 and 2009 to 2019.

該研究分析了南阿爾卑斯山三個時期的冰川變化：1600年至1978年、1978年至2009年、2009年至2019年。

Data was gathered using computer simulations， physical markings and historical records. Comparison between the decades reveals ice loss has increased by two-fold since the Little Ice Age， with a rapid increase in the last 40 years.

數據是通過計算機模擬、物理標記以及歷史記錄收集的。這些時期的數據對比顯示，小冰河期以來，冰川融化速度翻倍，尤其近40年在加速融化。

Up to 17 percent of the ice that was on the mountains at the time of the Little Ice Age was lost between 1978 and 2019 alone.

僅在1978年至2019年間，小冰河期山脈的冰川中就有多達17%融化了。

In 2019， only 12 percent of ice mass remained in what was formerly the low altitude part of the Little Ice Age glacier region.

在2019年，位于曾經小冰河期冰川地區低海拔地區的冰塊僅剩12%。

Word Bank

devastate /'dev?ste?t/ v. 徹底破壞；摧毀；毀滅

equate /i'kwe?t/ v. 同等看待；使等同

Some parents equate education with exam success.

simulation /'s?mju'le??n/ n. 模擬；仿真

reveal /r?'vi?l/ v. 揭示；顯示；透露

Details of the murder were revealed by the local paper.