Koko News | 科学 | 4 days ago

Giant Icebergs Found Near Britain

NewevidencehasrevealedthatgianticebergsoncefloatedoffthecoastofBritain.

新的證據表明，巨大的冰山曾經漂浮在英國海岸附近。

ScientistsfoundscratchmarksleftbehindastheirundersidesdraggedacrosstheflooroftheNorthSeainthelasticeage.

科學家發現了上一個冰河時期它們的底部拖過北海海底時留下的刮痕。

Researchsuggeststhattheirsizewouldbesimilartoicebergsfoundoffpresent-dayAntarctica.

研究表明，它們的大小與現今南極洲附近的冰山相似。

Expertssaythefindingscouldprovideimportantcluesinunderstandinghowclimatechangeiscurrentlyaffectingtheworld'ssouthernmostcontinent.

專家表示，這項發現可以為了解氣候變遷目前如何影響世界最南端的大陸提供重要線索。

ScientistsfromtheBritishAntarcticSurveyused3Dseismicdatatosearchforfingerprintsofgianticebergs.

英國南極調查局的科學家利用三維地震資料尋找巨型冰山的指紋。

Theyfounddeep, comb-likegrooves, whichtheybelievewerecreatedbytheundersidesoflargeicebergsthatbrokeofftheBritish-Irishicesheetmorethan 18,000 years ago.

他們發現了深深的梳狀凹槽，他們認為這些凹槽是由 18,000 多年前從英國愛爾蘭冰蓋上脫落的大型冰山底部形成的。

Theywerefoundpreservedinthesedimentsburiedbeneaththepresent-dayseafloor.

人們發現它們保存在當今海底的沉積物中。

Bytakingacloserlookatthesegrooves, expertswereabletoestimatethattheicebergscouldhavebeenaround3-6 miles wideand50-180metresthick, althoughit'sdifficulttobeexact.

透過仔細觀察這些凹槽，專家估計冰山的寬度約為 3 至 6 英里，厚度約為 50 至 180 米，但很難準確估計。

Theyalsodiscoveredthatsomeofthesescratchmarksareascloseas90 milestoScotland'spresent-dayeastcoast.

他們還發現，其中一些划痕距離蘇格蘭現今東海岸僅 90 英里。

JamesKirkham, marinegeophysicistattheBritishAntarcticSurveyandleadauthorofthenewstudyexplainedthattheirresearchalsosuggestshowtheicebergsmayhavelookedlike.

英國南極調查局海洋地球物理學家、新研究的主要作者詹姆斯·柯克漢姆解釋說，他們的研究也揭示了冰山可能的樣子。

Heexplained:'Wefound[evidenceof]thesegigantictabularicebergs, whichbasicallymeanstheshapeofatable, withincrediblywideandflattops.'

他解釋說：“我們發現了這些巨大的平頂冰山的證據，這些冰山的形狀基本上像一張桌子，頂部非常寬闊和平坦。”

ThesehavenotbeenseenbeforeanditshowsdefinitivelythattheUKhadiceshelves, becausethat'stheonlywaytoproducethesegigantictabularicebergs,' headded.

「這些是以前從未見過的，它明確表明英國曾經有過冰架，因為這是形成這些巨大的平頂冰山的唯一方式，」他補充道。

Iceshelvesarefloatingplatformsoficewhereglaciersextendoutintotheocean.

冰架是冰川延伸至海洋的漂浮冰平台。

Expertssayit'sthefirsttimethatevidencehasbeenfoundshowingthattheicesheetwhichoncecoveredBritainandIrelandproducedsuchlargeicebergs.

專家表示，這是首次發現證據顯示曾經覆蓋英國和愛爾蘭的冰蓋形成如此巨大的冰山。

New evidence has revealed that giant icebergs once floated off the coast of Britain.

Scientists found scratch marks left behind as their undersides dragged across the floor of the North Sea in the last ice age.

Research suggests that their size would be similar to icebergs found off present-day Antarctica.

Experts say the findings could provide important clues in understanding how climate change is currently affecting the world's southernmost continent.

Scientists from the British Antarctic Survey used 3D seismic data to search for fingerprints of giant icebergs.

They found deep, comb-like grooves, which they believe were created by the undersides of large icebergs that broke off the British-Irish ice sheet more than 18,000 years ago.

They were found preserved in the sediments buried beneath the present-day seafloor.

By taking a closer look at these grooves, experts were able to estimate that the icebergs could have been around 3-6 miles wide and 50-180 metres thick, although it's difficult to be exact.

They also discovered that some of these scratch marks are as close as 90 miles to Scotland's present-day east coast.

James Kirkham, marine geophysicist at the British Antarctic Survey and lead author of the new study explained that their research also suggests how the icebergs may have looked like.

He explained: 'We found [evidence of] these gigantic tabular icebergs, which basically means the shape of a table, with incredibly wide and flat tops.'

These have not been seen before and it shows definitively that the UK had ice shelves, because that's the only way to produce these gigantic tabular icebergs,' he added.

Ice shelves are floating platforms of ice where glaciers extend out into the ocean.

Experts say it's the first time that evidence has been found showing that the ice sheet which once covered Britain and Ireland produced such large icebergs.