冰冻星球（2011）

冰冻星球
第一集
地球上有超过三分之一的地方是冰天雪地
Over one third of our planet is frozen,
然而 北极和南极这两个被冰雪覆盖的世界
and yet, the icy worlds of the Arctic and Antarctic
对于大多数人来说 却像外星那样陌生
are as alien to most of us as the surface of another planet.
那里有数不尽的世界之最
They are places of superlatives.
两极冰冠共储藏有地球上近80%的淡水
From ice caps that hold nearly 80% of our planet's fresh water
冰冻森林更跨越了所有经度
to frozen forests that encircle the entire globe.
那里丰富了我们的想象力
These are places that feed our imaginations,
宛如童话故事中所描述的世界
places that seem to be borrowed from fairy tales.
冰雪的形成及融化
They're dominated and shaped by the ice...
是塑造两极的主导性力量
both by its coming and by its going.
这是地球上仅存的纯正荒野
This is our planet's last true wilderness
而正当我们开始对其有所了解之时
and one that is changing
那里正经历着变迁
just as we're beginning to understand it.
在此系列中
In this series,
我们将踏遍荒凉之地的每个角落
we'll be travelling to all parts of these lonely lands,
包括北极和南极
both north and south,
这也许是我们最后一次 见证那里的奇观
to witness its wonders perhaps for the last time
并探索那些克服了重重困难
and to discover some extraordinary examples
才得以生存下来的伟大生命
of survival against all the odds,
它们的身影遍及世界各地
as can be found anywhere on the planet.
行至地球的尽头
冰天雪地是两极永恒的主题
The poles are permanently capped with ice.
对于生命
Nowhere is colder,
那里的酷寒 狂风是最严苛的挑战
windier or more hostile to life.
我的脚下就是北极点
I'm standing at the North Pole -
世界之巅
the very top of the Earth.
为何极地地区如此寒冷
Up here, it's easy to see
身临其境时 体会更加深刻
why the polar regions are so cold.
太阳的直射角度很小 鲜有阳光照射下来
The sun never rises high enough in the sky to warm my back
而即使光线到达了地表
and those rays that do strike the surface
大部分也会被这白茫茫的冰雪反射回去
are mostly reflected back from this great whiteness.
但最重要的问题是 这里有半年的时间
But the fundamental problem is that there's no sun here at all
完全没有阳光照射
for half the year.
极地冬季的严酷 无与伦比
The polar winter is unrivalled in its harshness.
一个夜晚可持续数月之久
A night that lasts for months.
随着温度骤降到零下70摄氏度
Only the toughest stay, as temperatures plunge
只有最顽强的生命才能存活下来
to minus 70 degrees centigrade.
然而对于生命来说 最大的挑战并非寒冷
And yet, the greatest challenge to life here is not the cold,
而是剧烈的四季更迭
but the extreme swings between the seasons.
当太阳再次升起时
When the sun finally returns,
一次翻天覆地的转变开始了
an extraordinary transformation begins.
这个冰冻的世界开始融化
This frozen world begins to melt away.
极地的春天带来了一丝短暂的生机
The polar spring brings a brief opportunity for life.
到了夏季 太阳不再落下
By summer, the sun no longer sets
全天24小时施展着魔力
and works its magic for 24 hours a day.
各个物种展开了一场繁衍的竞赛
Now it's a race to breed before the sun departs.
到了秋季 美好消失殆尽 严酷再次袭来
By autumn, all but the hardiest abandon the poles
冰雪王国不断扩张它的领土
and the ice extends its grip.
大地与海洋失去生机 共同进入漫长的极冬
Land and sea close down for the long, polar winter,
等待太阳的再次升起
until, once again, the sun returns.
时值北极的春季
It's spring in the High Arctic
太阳照耀着冰封的无垠海洋
and the sun illuminates a giant frozen ocean,
这也是我们旅程的第一站
the first stop on our journey.
陆地上最强健的捕食者正在悄然潜行
The most powerful land predator is on the prowl.
一只雄性北极熊正在寻觅配偶
A male polar bear is searching for a mate.
愿意交♥配♥的母熊凤毛翎角
Willing females are few and far between
随着他的跋涉 海冰会迅速融化消失
and the sea ice on which he travels will soon melt and vanish.
在这广袤冰冻的荒原上寻找配偶
He's running out of time to find a mate
他的时间紧迫
in this vast, frozen desert.
远在十英里之外 有一只没有幼仔的母熊
Ten miles ahead, a single female without cubs -
这正是公熊所寻觅的对象
exactly what the male is seeking.
他似乎很欣赏她的气息
He seems to relish her scent,
即使她仍在数英里之外
even though she's miles away.
这种憧憬 激动人心
This is an exciting prospect.
无疑 她发出了正确的信♥号♥♥
She's clearly giving off the right signals.
他紧跟她的足印 生怕遗失她的踪迹
He locks onto her tracks, eager not to lose her trail.
踩着她的足印
It's easier to tread
在夯实的雪上前行 更加省力
in the compacted snow of her footprints.
此次觅偶之旅可持续数日
This pursuit could last for days.
终于 母熊映入了眼帘
The female eventually comes into view.
搜索行动最终宣告结束
The search is finally over.
对于体重仅为其一半的母熊来说
For the female, only half his weight,
这必然是一次心惊肉跳的邂逅
this must be a nerve-racking encounter.
因为如果公熊愿意 可将其杀死
The male could kill her if he chooses.
但是他另有所图
But he has other intentions...
而她也准备好服从
And she is ready and willing.
她将他引上高地
She leads him to higher ground.
求爱中的北极熊似乎很注重隐私
It seems that courting polar bears prefer privacy,
他们通常会远离海冰 移步至山上
often leaving the sea ice and heading for the hills
以躲避雄性竞争者窥探的眼光 免受其扰
to avoid the prying eyes of rival males who might disturb them.
很少有人得以见证这一刻
Few have witnessed this moment.
对公熊而言
For the male,
这是他孤独生活的一场难得的邂逅
his only tender encounter in an otherwise solitary life.
但美景不长
But it doesn't last long -
另一位求爱竞争者追随母熊的气味而来
a rival suitor has also caught the female's scent.
求爱要暂停了 他必须为权利而战
Courtship has to be put on hold. He must fight for his rights.
他击退第一位挑战者 双方都毫发无伤
He sees off this first challenger without injury to either party,
但血腥之战即将上演
but bloodier battles are to come.
尽管受了点轻伤 但他胜利了
Another battle won, though he has been slightly injured.
他迅速回到配偶身边
He hurries back to his mate,
但她好像失去了性趣
but now she seems to have lost her enthusiasm.
母北极熊是需要高度呵护的动物
Female polar bears are high-maintenance.
无论她走到哪 他都如影随形
Wherever she goes, he will follow,
在她愿意之时与她交♥配♥
mating with her when she allows
并一直守护着她
and guarding her at all times.
接下来的两周内 公熊击败了多位对手
Over the next two weeks, the male sees off many rivals
但他也为战斗付出了代价
but the battles take their toll on him.
他已筋疲力竭
He is almost spent,
但他已确保
but he has ensured that
不会再有公熊与他的伴侣交♥配♥
no other bears have mated with his female.
这对伴侣
It's time for the couple
分道扬镳的时候到了
to go their separate ways.
九个月之后 她将独自产下他的幼崽
She will give birth to his cubs, alone, in nine months' time
也许他们将天涯永别
and he may never see her again.
他回到了冰冻的海洋
He returns to the frozen ocean,
安详的重新开始独居生活
no doubt relieved to resume his solitary ways,
时机正正好
and just in time.
他脚下的冰不久就要消失
The ice beneath his feet will soon be gone.
每到春天 北冰洋都要经历
Each spring, the Arctic Ocean undergoes
一次非凡的转变
an extraordinary transformation.
面♥积♥如欧洲大小的海冰融化
An area of sea ice the size of Europe melts,
冰下富饶的海域重见天日
exposing the rich waters beneath.
短尾鹱[短尾水剃鸟]从一万六千公里外的
Short-tailed shearwaters have travelled 10,000 miles
澳大利亚飞行至此
from Australia to be here.
一千八百万只迁徙鸟遮蔽了天空
18 million visitors darken the skies,
地球上最庞大的海鸟群在此聚集
the largest gathering of sea birds on the planet.
座头鲸从赤道一路游来
Humpback whales have come all the way from the Equator
在这富饶的极地海洋中觅食
to feed in these rich, polar waters.
它们巨硕的尾鳍长达五米
Their giant tails are five metres across.
尾部轻轻抬出海面
Simply raising them above the surface
就能给予座头鲸足够的向下动量
gives the whales enough downward momentum
去品尝海下的磷虾和青鱼
to reach the great swarms of krill and herring below.
海鸥跟随巨鲸的指引捕食
The shearwaters follow the giants' lead.
海水为那些在夏天光临到此的生物
For those who can get here, in summer,
提供一场空前绝后的盛宴
these waters provide a feast of epic proportions.
但美好的时光转瞬即逝
But the good times will be very short -
这是极地所有生命所面临的问题
a problem that faces all life in the polar regions.
向南穿越北冰洋
Journeying south across the Arctic Ocean,
抵达的第一站是世界第一大岛
the first land you reach is Greenland,
格陵兰岛[字面义为绿岛]