地球的力量 第3集 冰川(29)哥伦比亚冰河

The line around the valley shows where the ice usedto reach.

可以看到山谷周围冰层曾经到过的痕迹

It's like a high tide mark.

就像深深的潮痕

This change has had a devastating effect.

这种变化的影响是极具破坏性的

Where the glacier meetsthe ocean, the result is clear.

在冰河与海洋交接的部分便能看到后果

Chunks of ice are falling into the sea 30 times faster than before.

大块的冰块以比过去快三十倍的速度落入海洋中

As the ice gets thinner, the process accelerates.

更多的冰层在塌陷，整个过程还在加速

Since 1980, the Columbia has retreated over nine miles.

从1980年至今，哥伦比亚冰河已经缩短了十五公里

In fact, in the past 50 years,it could have very serious consequences.

实际上，过去五十年 全世界的冰河都缩短了

The floating ice shelves that surround Antarctica are also disintegrating.

南极周边漂浮的冰原也正在破裂

This one collapsed in just five weeks,

这个坍塌发生在五星期以前

destroying an area of ice in excess of 1,100 square miles.

大小有1100平方英里

There is now no doubt that the world's ice is in retreat.

毫无疑问，世界的冰层正在缩小

It's melting at a phenomenal rate,

它以惊人的速度融化

and it's likely to accelerate over the next few years.

融化的速率在以后可能还会加快

It's still not possible to say for certain how much ice on the planet will vanish, or how fast.

虽然还不能确定的说 地球上的冰层将会消失得多快

For the planet, being without ice will be nothing unusual

对与地球来说没有冰并没有什么不同

But for humans, the loss of ice how much ice on the planet will vanish, or how fast.

对于人类，失去了冰川 将成为出现文明以来

It will be the most visible change on the Earth since the dawn of civilisation.

地球发生的最为显著的变化