摘要
北极正经受着尤其强烈的气候变化。过去几十年中,北极平均温度的上升速率几乎为世界其余部分的2倍。冰川和海冰的大面积消融,以及永冻层温度的升高也表明北极在强烈变暖。北极的这些变化提供了全球性环境和社会显著后果的早期征兆。北极也向世界其它地区提供极为重要的自然资源(如石油、天然气及渔业资源),这些自然资源同样也将受到气候变化的影响。北极冰川的消融是造成全球海平面上升的重要因素之一。由于地球大气层中温室气体的浓度在继续增加,预计本世纪气候变化将呈加剧趋势。北极的这些变化将反过来影响人类赖以生存的整个地球。
Climate change is being experienced particularly intensely in the Arctic.Arctic average temperature has risen at almost twice the rate as that of the rest of the world in the past few decades.Widespread melting of glaciers and sea ice and rising permafrost temperatures present additional evidence of strong Arctic warming.These changes in the Arctic provide an early indication of the environmental and societal significance of global consequences. The Arctic also provides important natural resources to the rest of the world (such as oil, gas,and fish) that will be affected by climate change,and the melting of Arctic glaciers is one of the factors contributing to sea level rise around the globe.An acceleration of these climatic trends is projected to occur during this century,due to ongoing increases in concentrations of greenhouse gases in the Earth's atmosphere.These Arctic changes will, in turn,impact the planet as a whole.
