BBC Media｜海冰少了，北极熊却 “更胖、更健康”

Polar bears getting "fatter and healthier" amid ice loss

There's long been concern about the effect that melting ice was having on their ability to hunt seals, their staple diet.

But in the Norwegian Archipelago of Svalbard, something surprising has happened. The bears there have gained weight, and for a polar bear, fatter means healthier.

Rising temperatures, though, mean that there are now 100 more ice-free days per year in Svalbard than when this study began, so the bears are now hunting on the land.

This unexpected, good news, scientists say, is temporary. As sea ice recedes more, bears may have to travel further between their hunting grounds, using up valuable fat reserves for energy.

词汇表
melting ice [ˈmeltɪŋ] 融冰，正在融化的海冰
seal [siːl] n. 海豹
staple diet [ˈsteɪpəl] 主食，主要食物
Norwegian Archipelago of Svalbard [nɔːˈwiːdʒən ˌɑːkɪˈpeləɡəʊ əv ˈsvɑːlbɑːd] 挪威斯瓦尔巴特群岛
ice-free [ˈaɪs friː] adj. 无冰的，不冻的，不结冰的
recede [rɪˈsiːd] vi. 消退，后退，逐渐远离  
hunting ground 猎场，捕食地
fat reserves [rɪˈzɜːvz] 脂肪储备，脂肪储存

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