国家地理:融化的北极正使一场新的冷战升温(1)

Late on a gray November afternoon Marvin Atqittuq, a newly elected patrol commander in the Arctic community of Gjoa Haven, stood on the frozen sea outside town and called his troops in for a meeting. A frigid wind flicked snow in from the south, and it was about 20 below zero, cold but not that cold for the Arctic. The company of some 20 Inuit men and a few women gathered around with rifles slung over their shoulders, dressed in hand-sewn jackets of caribou hide or pants made of polar bear fur or wearing the usual store-bought stuff, which was far less warm but namuktuk, good enough for now.

11月某个天色灰暗的午后，北极地区约阿港镇新选出的巡逻指挥官马文·艾奇图克站在镇外冰冻的海面上，呼喊他的部队前来集合。南方吹来的寒风带来阵阵飘雪，气温约为摄氏零下30度，虽然冷但在北极地区还不算太冷。由大约20名因纽特男子和几名妇女组成的连队集合在一起，他们肩上挂着步枪，身上穿着手工缝制的北美驯鹿毛皮夹克和北极熊毛皮裤子，或一般店家卖的虽不及毛皮暖和但“namuktuk”的衣物--意思是目前够用。

Atqittuq pulled on a pair of sealskin gloves and outlined the plan for the day. The group was part of the Canadian Rangers, a reserve component of Canada's armed forces, and Atqittuq would now lead them on his first mission as their commander: a weeklong patrol by snowmobile down the treeless coast of King William Island. There would be GPS training, military-style target practice, search-and-rescue scenarios, and plenty of hunting and ice fishing.

艾奇图克戴上海豹皮手套，简要说明当天的计划。这群人隶属加拿大巡逻民兵，为加拿大后备部队的一支。艾奇图克现在首次以指挥官身分带领他们执行任务。他们将骑着雪地摩托车，沿着威廉国王岛上没有树木的海岸线进行为期一周的巡逻。期间将进行GPS训练、军式打靶练习、搜索救援模拟演练，也会经常打猎和冰钓。