新奇事件簿 北极圈现有史以来最高气温

Meteorologists have observed another indication of global warming being in full swing. Temperatures in the Arctic Circle hit an all-time record on Saturday, with the mercury topping 38o Celsius¹ in the Siberian town of Verkhoyansk. The town currently holds the Guinness World Record for the greatest temperature range on Earth. It fluctuates from a low of minus 68oC to a high of 37.3oC. The record heat is 18 degrees higher than the daily average for June. The Arctic Circle has been experiencing a heatwave for much of this year. Temperatures have averaged 10 degrees above normal. This is ringing alarm bells with climatologists, who say the Arctic Circle is warming at twice the rate of the global average.

Atmosphere scientist Professor Dann Mitchell expressed his concern on rising temperatures. He told the BBC: "Year-on-year temperature records are being broken around the world, but the Arctic is warming faster than anywhere else on Earth, so it is unsurprising to see records being broken in this region. We will see more of this in the near future." Professor Chris Rapley of University College London said: "This is a warning message from the Earth itself. We ignore it at our peril²." Scientists say higher temperatures in Siberia could accelerate global warming. Melting Siberian permafrost is releasing alarming levels of the greenhouse gasses carbon dioxide and methane³ into the atmosphere.

气象学家观察到全球气候变暖的另一个迹象。周六，北极圈的气温创下了历史最高纪录，西伯利亚维科扬斯克小镇的气温已经达到38摄氏度。目前该小镇保持着地球最大温度变化幅度的吉尼斯世界纪录。其温度在最低零下68摄氏度到最高37.3摄氏度之间波动。创纪录的高温比6月份的日平均高温高出18度。今年大部分时间，北极圈都在经历热浪。平均气温比正常高出10度。这给气候学家敲响了警钟，他们表示北极圈正在以全球平均速度的两倍变暖。

大气科学家，Dann Mitchell教授表达了他对气温不断上升的担忧。他告诉BBC：“世界各地的年度气温记录正在被打破，但北极区的变暖速度比地球上的任何地方都快，所以这个区域记录被打破也就不奇怪了。我们在不久的将来会看到更多这种情况。”伦敦大学学院的Chris Rapley教授说到：“这是地球发出的警告信息。我们忽视它，就要承担风险。”科学家表示西伯利亚更高的温度可能加速全球变暖。西伯利亚多年冻土的融化正在向大气层释放惊人水平的温室气体二氧化碳和甲烷。

1 Celsius   

adj.摄氏温度计的，摄氏的

参考例句：

• The temperature tonight will fall to seven degrees Celsius.今晚气温将下降到七摄氏度。
• The maximum temperature in July may be 36 degrees Celsius.七月份最高温度可能达到36摄氏度。

2 peril   

n.(严重的)危险；危险的事物

参考例句：

• The refugees were in peril of death from hunger.难民有饿死的危险。
• The embankment is in great peril.河堤岌岌可危。

3 methane   

n.甲烷，沼气

参考例句：

• The blast was caused by pockets of methane gas that ignited.爆炸是由数袋甲烷气体着火引起的。
• Methane may have extraterrestrial significance.甲烷具有星际意义。