内容来源：分享美国 地址链接：http://go.usa.gov/3DpuC

关于地球变暖和气候变化的信息很多，但其中有一点让许多专家格外不安，即：地球最寒冷的地方正在以更快的速度变暖。

根据《2014年北极年度报告》（Arctic Report Card 2014），北极的空气温度正在以比地球总体空气温度快一倍的速度上升。报告中还包含与北极地区变化相关的其他关键指数。

这项由美国国家海洋和大气管理局（U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration）在2014年下旬发布的报告，得到来自13个国家的60多位科研人员的参与。

对北极最新综合性研究的关键结果包括：

雪盖：2014年春季，整个北极地区的冰雪覆盖面积小于1981年-2010年的长期中值，欧亚地区4月份的雪盖面积为1967年以来最小。冬季积雪量减少和春季温度升高，致使积雪在许多地区提前3到4个星期融化。

海冰：自从1988年以来，最老最厚的冰冻（4米以上）不断减少。1988年时，陈冰在浮冰中占26%，2014年占10%。报告指出，海冰面积缩小是北极熊数量在一些地方减少的一个原因。

北冰洋温度：在2014年夏季融冰期测到的海面温度高于往年。位于阿拉斯加西北的楚科奇海（Chukchi Sea）大幅变暖；俄罗斯北部拉普捷夫海（Laptev Sea）的温度比1982年-2010年的平均温度上升了高达摄氏3.9度。

格林兰冰原：2014年夏季，格林兰冰原几乎40%的地方出现融化。融化程度一般超过了1981年-2010年的长期平均值。冰原反射度在2014年8月达到十多年来所看到的最低程度。随着冰雪对太阳能的反射作用减少，融化势必发生。在2013年到2014年期间，冰原总面积基本保持未变。

北极理事会（Arctic Council ）的北极监测和评估小组（Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme）组织了对2014年北极年度报告的同行审议——这是任何负责任、可靠的科学研究均会经过的检验。

由八个国家组成的北极理事会将于4月24-25日在加拿大的北极城市伊卡卢伊特（Iqaluit）举行会议。理事会为北极周边国家和北极各地原主民提供了一个议事论坛，关注可持续发展、环境保护、航运以及其他独特的地区问题。


More heat, less ice, and other things you should know about the Arctic

You hear a lot about global warming and climate change. One fact makes a lot of experts especially nervous. It is getting warmer faster in one of the coldest places on the planet.

Arctic air temperatures are rising at more than twice the rate of global air temperatures, according to the Arctic Report Card 2014, which includes other key indicators about the pace of change in the northernmost reaches of the planet.

More than 60 scientists and researchers from 13 countries contributed to the report issued by the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in late 2014.

Key findings in the most recent and comprehensive studies on the region include:

Snow cover: During the spring of 2014, snow cover across the Arctic was below the long-term mean of 1981–2010, with Eurasia’s snow cover in April the lowest since 1967. With low seasonal snow accumulation, and warmer spring temperatures, snow melted three to four weeks earlier in many areas.

Sea ice: The oldest, thickest ice (greater than 4 meters) has diminished since 1988. At that time, old ice made up 26 percent of the ice pack, compared to 10 percent in 2014. The decrease in sea-ice extent is cited as a cause for diminished polar bear populations in some areas.

Arctic Ocean temperature: Sea-surface temperatures measured during the summer ice-melt period were higher in 2014 than in the past. Significant warming was recorded in the Chukchi Sea, northwest of Alaska; in the Laptev Sea, north of Russia, the temperature was as much as 3.9 C higher than the 1982–2010 average.

Greenland ice sheet: Melting occurred across almost 40 percent of the Greenland ice sheet in summer 2014. Extent of melting was generally above the long-term average from 1981 to 2010. In August 2014, the reflectivity (albedo) of the ice sheet was the lowest observed in more than a decade. When less of the sun’s energy is reflected by ice, melting increases. The total mass of the ice sheet remained essentially unchanged between 2013 and 2014.

The Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme of the Arctic Council organized the independent peer review of the 2014 report card — the litmus test for responsible, grounded science.

The eight member nations of the Arctic Council will convene in the Arctic city of Iqaluit, Canada, April 24–25. The council serves as a discussion forum for Arctic-bordering nations and indigenous Arctic peoples, with a focus on sustainable development, environmental protection, shipping and issues unique to the region.