Topic:

Surviving the
Link:
coldest place
on Earth
https://www.ted.com/talks/nadia_frontier_surviving_the_coldest_place_on_earth/
transcript
00:07
The vast, white ice surface of Antarctica stretches for over
3 million square kilometers: empty, desolate, and almost
completely silent. But appearances can be deceiving. On the
coast of this expanse, just a few meters beneath the ice lies
a multicolored constellation of life. This remarkably diverse
realm is home to over 8,000 species of sea denizens who
rely on an arsenal of otherworldly traits to survive. So how
do these species not only live, but thrive, in conditions most
animals would be unable to bear?
南极洲广阔无垠的雪白冰面 覆盖 300 多万平方公
里： 景象空旷、荒凉，且近乎死寂。 但表象往往
不代表全部， 在这片广阔区域的海岸上， 冰层下
几公尺处 就隐藏着丰富的生命群。 这片极其多样
化的空间是 8,000 多种海洋居民的家园； 它们凭
借超凡的本领在此生存。 那么，这些物种是怎么
在 大多生物所无法承受的 条件下存活并繁衍生长
的呢？
00:40
Antarctic waters are some of the most consistently frigid in
the world, hovering below 0 degrees Celsius for a large
portion of the year. This means burning energy too quickly
can be deadly, so survival in this ecosystem looks slow and
steady. Freezing temperatures persist even in the summer,
but this season brings a rare gift: sunlight. For a brief
period, it’s abundant, shining through the ice for 24 hours a
day. This infusion of energy drives intense coastal
phytoplankton blooms, transforming the waters into a thick
green soup.
南极水域是世界上最稳定 维持冰冷的水域之一，
常年位于零度以下。 这意味着过快地 消耗能量会
是致命的， 因此在个生态系统中 生存似乎不紧不
慢。 冰冷的温度在夏季中持续， 但是这个季节带
来了 难得的馈赠：阳光。 在短时间内，它是很充
足的， 每天 24 小时照向通透的冰面。 这类能量
的增加导致 沿海浮游植物的迅速繁殖， 将水域染
为浓厚的绿色。
01:14
Marine life both large and small takes advantage of this
bounty, including the giant Antarctic isopod. Cousins of the
humble pill bug, these crustaceans can reach up to 11
centimeters long, and they never miss the opportunity for a
meal. The scavengers eat a wide variety of prey, including
other giant isopods. And by slowing their metabolisms, they
can make this food last, with one study showing specimens
surviving for 50 days without eating. Since this adaptation
involves careful conservation of energy, giant isopods
spend most of their time stationary or inching across the
seafloor. Meanwhile, their tiny amphipod relatives celebrate
the summer by releasing offspring alongside the algal
explosion, ensuring their young have an abundance of food.
And sea cucumbers carpeting the seafloor hoover up the
dense plankton with outstretched tentacles, producing
nutrient-rich feces that nourish nearby life.
体型各异的海洋生物 都善加利用这富足的滋养，
包括巨型南极等足类动物。 作为药虫的表兄， 这
些甲壳类动物可长达 11 厘米， 而且它们从来不
会错过用餐的机会。 这些“清道夫”会捕食各种
各样的猎物， 包括其他巨型等足类动物。 而通过
减缓新陈代谢， 它们可以充分利用这类食物， 一
项研究显示，其在 停止进食后可存活 50 天。 由
于这种方法需要谨慎地储存能量， 巨型等足类动
物大段时间是 静态，或是在海底挪动。 而它们的
小型两栖类亲属 通过在藻类爆炸的 同时释放后代
来庆祝夏天， 确保它们的幼儿有充足的食物。 遍
布海底的海参用伸出的触角 摄取密集的浮游生
物， 产生营养丰富的粪便， 滋养附近的生物。
02:10
But this big summer blowout doesn’t last long. The first
signs of autumn arrive in fine needles of frazil ice. These
slowly coagulating crystals form a skin across the surface,
then mix with falling snow before freezing into a thin crust
of ice. The waters get darker and colder. And in this swiftly
dimming world, a set of long, spiky limbs sidle into view.
With up to six pairs of legs, these giant sea spiders aren’t
arachnids, but rather a related class of marine arthropod
unique to the seafloor. In addition to housing some of the
animal’s organs, its legs are covered in tiny holes, which
grow more numerous as the spider ages. These holes will
likely help absorb the dissolved oxygen that saturates these
freezing southern waters. Since oxygen fuels growth, many
local species have evolved to take advantage of this
abundance, and it may be one of the reasons that gigantism
is so common in this region. Individual sea spiders, for
instance, can grow to the size of dinner plates. But soon,
these underwater giants will be moving slower than ever.
不过，夏季的盛况 不会持续多久。 秋天的第一个
征兆是 细微冻粒冰的出现。 这些缓慢凝结的 晶
体在水面上形成薄层， 随后与落雪融合， 最终结
成单薄的冰壳。 海水会变得愈加黑暗、冰冷。 在
这个迅速失色的世界中， 一对细长带刺的肢体隐
约可见。 这些巨型海蜘蛛最多长着六对腿， 不是
蛛形纲动物， 而是一种与栖息海底节肢动物 相近
的、独一无二的蛛形纲。 它们的腿除了容纳某些
器官， 上面还遍布小洞， 这会随着蜘蛛的年龄增
长， 而变得越来越多。 这些洞大概能有助于吸收
冰冻南极水域的饱和溶解氧。 由于氧气促进生
长， 许多当地物种已经进化出 利用这样密集度的
能力， 这可能是巨型生物 在该地区如此普遍的原
因之一。 例如，单个海蜘蛛 可以长到餐盘般大
小。 但再过会儿，这些水下巨人将 移动得比以往
任何时候更加缓慢。
03:13
As winter settles in, the sea floor becomes even colder.
Waters fall to negative 1.8 degrees Celsius. On the surface,
the thin icy crust thickens into a layer called nilas, and
young sea ice starts forming ridges that block out the sun.
The ocean begins to mirror the still landscape above it.
Antarctic sea cucumbers and urchins go into dormancy for
months, and their metabolic rates fall to the slowest on
Earth. Antarctic limpets continue feeding, but at such a
gradual pace that they're largely still surviving on energy
reserves from the summer. Tiny crustaceans survive off the
traces of algae growing on their home’s icy ceiling, raising
their young in these expansive winter nurseries.
随着冬天来临， 海底变得更为寒冷。 水温降至零
下 1.8 摄氏度。 在海面，薄薄的冰壳 会凝固成
一层海冰， 积累起来遮挡住阳光。 海面开始折射
周围静象的景观。 南极海参和海胆会数月停留在
休眠期， 它们的新陈代谢率 降到地球上最慢的程
度。 南极帽贝继续进食， 但节奏如此缓慢， 它
们基本上仍依靠夏季的 能量储备生存。 微小的甲
壳类动物靠它们家园冰顶上 生长的零星藻类生
存， 在这些辽阔的冬季窝巢里培育幼体。
03:56
But this seemingly endless winter won't last forever. As
spring comes, light slowly begins to trickle back down
through the ice. And week by week, bit by bit, this
underwater world will begin waking up to begin its delicate,
slow-motion dance once again.
但是这个看似无尽的冬天 不会永远持续下去。 随
着春天的到来， 光线慢慢地穿过冰层。 一周周过
去，一点点地， 这个海底世界会开始苏醒， 再次
跳起它那支灵巧的慢动作舞蹈。