BBC Media｜棕色斑块揭示南极企鹅的生存困境

Brown spots reveal Antarctic penguin problem

In order to survive the cold, emperor penguins must remain on platforms of sea ice for long enough every year to replace weather-beaten feathers with new waterproof coats.

Little was known about what is called catastrophic moulting until researchers at the British Antarctic Survey looked at satellite pictures of the frozen continent and spotted brown smudges. They realised they were mounds of feathers. But global warming is now rapidly changing Antarctica.

Satellite images show that after summer sea ice shrank dramatically in 2022 and 23, there were fewer smudges, suggesting many penguins had died in West Antarctica.

There is hope that some move to safer ice, but it is another sign of how climate change is endangering some of the world's most vulnerable animals.

词汇表
Antarctic [ænˈtɑːktɪk] adj. 南极的
emperor penguin [ˈempərə(r) ˈpeŋɡwɪn] 帝企鹅（现存最大的企鹅）
weather-beaten [ˈweðə(r) ˌbiːtn] adj. 饱经风霜的，历经风雨的
waterproof coats [ˈwɔːtəpruːf kəʊts] 防水外套，防水大衣
catastrophic moulting [ˌkætəˈstrɒfɪk ˈməʊltɪŋ] 灾难性换羽（企鹅等鸟类在短时间内一次性换掉全身所有羽毛的过程）
continent [ˈkɒntɪnənt] n. 大陆，洲
smudge [smʌdʒ] n. 污迹，斑点，斑块
mounds of feathers [maʊndz əv ˈfeðə(r)z] 堆积如山的羽毛，成堆的羽毛
endanger [ɪnˈdeɪndʒə(r)] vt. 危及，使遭受危险
vulnerable [ˈvʌlnərəbl] adj. 脆弱的，易受伤害的

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