（記者問）韋格納博士，可不可以請你告訴我們究竟海冰是什麼東西？ Dr. Wagner,can you tell us exactly what sea ice is
以及海冰今年的狀況有什麼特殊？ and what's new about it this year?
海冰是海洋在冬季時結冰所形成的，而你現在所看到的這個影像是地球頂端的照片 Sea ice forms on the ocean in the winter months,and the image you're looking at right here is a picture of the top of the planet
這張照片不是模型、不是電腦模擬、也不是藝術家畫的 not a model,not a simulation,not an artist's impression
而是從衛星所取得的真實資料所描繪在北極海地區海冰的覆蓋情形 but this is actual data from a satellite showing us the sea ice cover on the Arctic Ocean.
我們試著想要瞭解海冰對我們來說究竟有何重要 And what's really important to us is we're trying to understand
以及海冰在一年當中的變化，還有海冰又融化了多少 how that sea ice changes over the course of the year and how much it melts back
現在我們看到的是海冰在過去六個月的變化（2011.3-2011.9） and what we're looking at is just changes over the last six months here.
（記者問）能不能請你告訴我們，海冰究竟有什麼重要？ Well,can you tell us why sea ice is important?
海冰的重要性在於，它是控制整個地球天氣的重要因素之一 The reason that sea ice is important is that it's kind of one of the main controls on weather over the whole planet.
北極海的功能類似地球表面的一面鏡子或是帽子 The Arctic Ocean actually functions as kind of like a mirror or hat up on the surface of the Earth,
當冰層開始減少或融化 and as that ice begins to decrease and melt away,
陽光照射到深色的海洋，使得陽光的能量被吸收並加熱海洋 that sunlight encounters dark ocean where it gets absorbed and begins to heat the ocean up.
在正常的情況下，太平洋與大西洋的海水會流入北極 And what happens is that normally Pacific and Atlantic water goes into the Arctic,
這些海水會變冷、密度變大、下沉到海底之後流出來形成海洋環流 gets cooled off,and becomes denser and sinks and flows out as ocean circulation.
而海洋環流則會影響整個地球的天氣與氣候 And ocean circulation is what sets the weather and the climate for the entire planet.
也就是說，當我們改變了北極海，就等於我們改變了全球的天氣與氣候 So as we change the Arctic Ocean we change that.
但是我們也許還改變了北極海本身，就像是你可能聽過的北極熊故事 But we also change the Arctic itself quite a bit. You've probably heard about some of the polar bears
當冰層變少，他們就會被帶到離食物更遠的地方 that as the ice decreases,they're getting taken further away from their food.
而且冰層的改變，還開啟了西北通道，就是圖中紅線所標示的位置 But also too as that ice changes we do things like open up the Northwest Passage shown here in red.
不過我們真正最擔心的，是今天北極冰層的範圍與過去三十年的平均值相比 And what we're really concerned about is that over the last 30 years
也就是圖中黃線所標示的範圍，是過去三十年冰原覆蓋範圍的平均值 which is this yellow line here,that's what the average ice extent
在經過夏天融冰之後的今年九月，冰層覆蓋縮到最小的範圍 has been at this kind of minimum period after the summer melt in September.
你可以看見越來越多藍色的部分在這裡，也就是更多開放的水域 And as you can see there's a lot more blue in there -- that's a lot more open water.
我們試著想瞭解這些改變與全球暖化之間的關連性 And what we're trying to understand is how those changes are correlated with warming of the planet overall.
（記者問）你們已經找到導致海冰融化的原因了嗎？ Have you identified what's causing more sea ice to melt?
我們認為可能是全球暖化所導致的，因為如果你觀察地球如何變暖 We think that it's likely associated with warming of the planet. And the reason for that is if you look at how the planet warms,
甚至即使只是最近這二、三十年的變化 what's happened is that even just over the last couple of decades,
你都可以發現每個溫度區在變暖，而且極區變暖的速度比地球上其他地方都快 you can see that the temperate zones warm up but the poles warm up faster than the whole rest of the planet.
如同大家所看到的，北極在過去十年 And it looks like the Arctic just in the last decade
溫度上升了大約一到四度 has probably warmed by about one to four degrees.
（記者問）對於瞭解極區的變化以及影響，你們有哪些特別的作為？ What is NASA doing in particular to better understand the polar changes and their impacts?
為了瞭解極區，我們進行了三項主要的工作 NASA does three things to really understand the polar regions.
第一，我們派人出去，讓他們親自到極區站在冰層上 The first one is we send people out. They go out there and they stand on the ice
去測量並且試著瞭解它們如何發生改變 and make measurements and they try to understand how it's changing.
我們同時使用飛機去瞭解冰層的每個面向 We also use a whole range of aircraft to understand the ice.
所有觀測結果都來自於老間諜飛機（像是DC-8）的航行之中， We've got everything from old spy planes to even things like a DC-8,which you may have flown on,
有非常多難以置信的儀器陣列都安裝在飛機上頭，讓這些儀器能夠測量冰層的表面 which have all these special holes cut in them and this unbelievable array of instruments,instruments that can measure the surface of the ice.
我們還有像雷達這樣的儀器能夠穿透冰層並描繪冰層底下的海床 We also have things like radars that can penetrate the ice and map the bed underneath it.
但是利用衛星研究冰層則可能是我們最重要、最獨特的方法 But probably the most important and unique thing we do is study the ice with satellites.
由於極區的冰原範圍實在太大了，所我們必須使用衛星來做觀測 And we need to use satellites because these polar icesheets are so vast,
你需要有衛星才能得知冰層的整個覆蓋範圍 you need a satellite to get the coverage.
下個月，我們還將發射另一顆繞極軌道天氣衛星NPP And next month,we're going to launch the next polar-orbiting weather satellite,NPP.
（記者問）那其他的一些極端天氣現象 What is causing our other recent dramatic events,
像是：颶風、龍捲風、地震、或洪水的成因，和海冰融化有關嗎？ hurricanes,tornadoes,earthquakes,floods -- is that related?
最近地球上所發生的自然災害，看起來確實也發生了許多改變 It seems like there's been a lot of changes happening on the planet with all these natural disasters and things.
不過就地震與火山來說，目前並沒有證據顯示它們的發生變得頻繁 In terms of like earthquakes and volcanoes, there's no evidence that there's any more of those now
只不過世界上的人口倒是變得越來越多了 then there have ever been,but there's more people now.
而且我們常居住在災害發生頻繁的海岸區域，或是火山周圍的豐饒谷地 We live in more hazardous areas along coasts and fertile valleys around volcanoes and things.
雖然這些變化伴隨著天氣的改變，但我們仍然努力在釐清它們之間的關連性 But the changes that are happening with weather,we're still trying to work those out.
一般人認為，我們所看到的變化也許是因為全球暖化 In general though the changes we're seeing are probably consistent with a warming planet,
但那其實是我們正在努力研究的方向 but that's kind of the edge of the research that we're working on.
（記者問）請問哪裡可以找到更多的相關訊息？ Where can viewers go to find more information?
最棒的地方是www.nasa.gov或ice.nasa.gov The best place to go is www.nasa.gov. You can also go to ice.nasa.gov