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Scientists researching climate change in Antarctica are studying penguins² in an effort to better understand the area's environmental health.

在南极洲研究气候变化的科学家们正在研究企鹅，以更好地了解该地区的环境健康状况。

The scientists are measuring the growth and development of the penguin¹ population on the eastern side of the Antarctic Peninsula.

科学家们正在测量南极半岛东侧企鹅数量的增长和发展趋势。

Reuters news agency recently reported on studies in the area carried out by two American researchers.

路透社最近报道了两名美国研究人员在该地区进行的研究。

"We are counting penguin nests to understand how many penguins are in a colony, producing young every year, and whether that number is going up or down with the environmental conditions," said Alex Borowicz.

亚历克斯·博罗维茨说：“我们正在统计企鹅巢的数量，以了解一个聚居区每年有多少只企鹅会生小企鹅，以及这个数字是会随着环境条件的变化而上升还是下降。”

He is an ecology researcher at New York's Stony³ Brook⁴ University.

他是纽约石溪大学的生态学研究员。

The work is not easy for climate researchers in the icy, faraway reaches of Antarctica.

对于身处冰冷、遥远的南极洲的气候研究人员来说，这项工作很困难。

But penguins are easier to follow than some other kinds of animals because they nest on land.

但是企鹅比其他动物更容易被跟踪，因为它们在陆地上筑巢。

Their black bodies and waste droppings can also be identified against the area's white background.

它们黑色的身体和粪便也可以在该地区的白色背景下辨认出来。

Michael Wethington, another researcher from Stony Brook, told Reuters the penguin population can represent overall climate conditions and the health of the area's whole ecosystem⁵.

来自石溪大学的另一位研究人员迈克尔·韦辛顿告诉路透社，企鹅的数量可以反映整体的气候条件和该地区整个生态系统的健康状况。

The researchers say counts of individual penguins can be combined with data from satellite images to get a more complete picture of how the animals are progressing.

研究人员说，结合企鹅的数量和来自卫星图像的数据，从而可以更全面地了解企鹅的生长情况。

Gentoo penguins--with bright orange beaks⁶ and white markings on their heads--prefer open water without broken pieces of ice floating around.

巴布亚企鹅的喙是亮橙色的，头上有白斑，它们更喜欢没有碎冰漂浮的开阔水域。

So when temperatures on the Antarctic Peninsula began rising during the latter half of the 20th century, gentoo populations moved south.

因此，当南极半岛的气温在20世纪下半叶开始上升时，巴布亚企鹅开始向南迁徙。

Some scientists called the movement the "gentoofication" of Antarctica.

一些科学家称这一迁徙现象为南极洲的“gentoofication”。

David Ainley is a biologist with the ecological⁷ advisory⁸ company H.T. Harvey & Associates.

大卫·安利是生态咨询公司H.T. Harvey & Associates的生物学家。

He has been studying penguins for more than 50 years.

他研究企鹅已经有50多年了。

"Gentoo penguins don't like sea ice," Ainley told Reuters.

安利告诉路透社：“巴布亚企鹅不喜欢海冰”。

"They mostly forage⁹ over the continental¹⁰ shelf and don't go far out to sea."

“它们大多在大陆架上觅食，不会出海太远。”

As sea ice has decreased along the western side of the peninsula, gentoos seem to have gotten used to the changed conditions.

随着南极半岛西侧海冰的减少，巴布亚企鹅似乎已经习惯了这种改变了的环境。

But those same conditions have been worse for the Adelies penguin species.

但同样的环境对阿德利企鹅来说会比较糟糕。

This is because the Adelies depend on sea ice for feeding and reproduction.

这是因为阿德利企鹅依赖海冰觅食和繁殖。

"When we find Adelie penguins, we typically know that sea ice is nearby," Stony Brook's Wethington said.

石溪大学的韦辛顿说：“当我们发现阿德利企鹅时，我们通常知道附近有海冰”。

He added that whenever researchers see sea ice decreasing or disappearing, they also see Adelie penguin populations drop sharply.

他补充说，每当研究人员看到海冰减少或消失时，他们也会看到阿德利企鹅的数量急剧下降。

Even though Adelie penguins are increasing in number overall, some populations have fallen by more than 65 percent, researchers say.

研究人员说，尽管阿德利企鹅的总数在增加，但一些企鹅的数量已经下降了65%以上。

On their January trip to the area, the Stony Brook scientists found that Adelie colonies around the still-icy Weddell Sea had remained solid during the past ten years.

在1月前往南极洲的旅程中，石溪大学的科学家们发现，在过去的十年里，阿德利企鹅在仍然结冰的威德尔海周围的聚居地一直是坚固的。

"This peninsula is maybe a safe space as we see climate change progressing and overall warming throughout the globe," Wethington said.

韦辛顿说：“当我们看到全球气候变化和整体变暖的情况时，这个半岛可能是一个安全的空间。”

I'm Bryan Lynn.

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