全球变暖致驯鹿变瘦12% 拉不动圣诞老人了
Reindeer becoming smaller due to global warming, research finds
Dragging a sleigh laden with enough presents for the world's children - not to mention a famously portly white-bearded gentleman - can be no easy feat.
满载着全世界儿童的礼物的雪橇拖起来可不轻松,更别提上面还载着一位大名鼎鼎的白胡子胖先生.
But, since time immemorial, this crucial Christmas Eve duty has been performed with distinction by a team of beloved reindeer.
但是,自古以来,一群可爱的驯鹿都能出色完成这个圣诞夜的重任.
Soon, however, Santa Claus may have to start looking around for a stronger type of animal, as new research reveals the species is becoming increasingly puny.
不过,圣诞老人可能很快就得开始寻找更加强壮的动物了.因为新的研究显示,驯鹿正变得越来越瘦小.
A 16-year survey on the arctic Norwegian island of Svalbard found the reindeer there have declined in weight by an alarming 12 percent.
一项对挪威北极区域斯瓦尔巴特群岛长达16年的调查发现,这里的驯鹿体重下降了12%,这一数字让人震惊.
The reduction in average body-mass is being blamed on global warming.
全球变暖是驯鹿平均体重减轻的罪魁祸首.
In research presented lately at a meeting of the British Ecological Society in Liverpool, scientists will explain how rising temperatures are depriving female reindeer of nutrients during important phases of gestation.
日前,科学家们在利物浦英国生态学会的会议上展示了这项研究成果,他们将解释在雌性驯鹿怀孕的关键阶段,气温升高是如何令其失去营养的.
Snow in Svalbard typically covers the ground for eight months of the year, which, combined with low temperatures, limits grass growth to June and July.
通常,斯瓦尔巴德岛一年中有八个月都被白雪覆盖,而且气温极低,小草的生长期仅限于六月和七月.
But as summer temperatures have increased by around 1.5℃, pastures have become more productive, allowing female reindeer to gain more weight by the autumn and therefore to conceive more calves.
