在阿拉斯加遇到北极熊的几率正在上升

科学家警告，在阿拉斯加遇到北极熊的几率正在上升

Alaska scientists say the chances of a polar bear encounter have increased after research reveals the bears are arriving on shore earlier and staying on land longer, a report said.

一份报告表示，阿拉斯加的科学家说，在研究显示北极熊更早到达海岸，在陆地上停留的时间更长之后，人们遭遇北极熊的机会增加了。

Scientists at the US Geological Survey found changes in sea ice habitat have coincided with evidence that polar bears’ use of land is increasing, the Anchorage Daily News reported Saturday.

据《安克雷奇每日新闻》周六报道，美国地质调查局的科学家发现，海冰栖息地的变化与北极熊不断增加土地利用的证据相吻合。

The polar bears come to land from the Beaufort Sea during the ice-melt season, when the sea ice breaks up in the summer and refreezes in the fall, scientists said.

科学家们说，北极熊是在冰层融化的季节从波弗特海登陆的，夏季海冰融化，秋季又结冰。

The average duration of the ice-melt season has increased by 36 days since the late 1990s, researchers said.

研究人员说，自20世纪90年代末以来，冰层融化季节的平均持续时间增加了36天。

The bears are arriving “a little bit ahead of schedule,” said Todd Atwood, a research wildlife biologist leading the US Geological Survey’s polar bear research program.

负责美国地质调查局北极熊研究项目的野生动物生物学家托德·阿特伍德说，这些熊“比计划稍微提前了一点”。

Polar bears usually come to shore in mid-August, but residents have reported sightings as early as May in Kaktovik, a small town about 640 miles (1,030 kilometers) north of Anchorage, biologists said.

生物学家表示，北极熊通常在8月中旬上岸，但居民们早在5月就报告说，在安克雷奇以北约640英里(1,030公里)的小镇卡克托维克看到了北极熊。

Resident Annie Tikluk was one of the few who encountered a bear Monday before neighbors scared it off.

居民安妮·蒂克卢克，是周一在邻居把熊吓跑之前就遇到过熊的少数人之一。

Her daughter and two nieces were playing outside when “I saw the bear and ran out,” Tikluk said.

她的女儿和两个侄女在外面玩，“我看到了熊，就马上跑了出去。”蒂克鲁克说。

“The main issue is that bears in the southern Beaufort are now using land to an extent they haven’t used it historically,” Atwood said. “And increasing activities in the Arctic, particularly those related to development, the main consideration going forward is probably going to be how bears and humans are sharing those spaces.”

阿特伍德说:“主要问题是，博福特南部的熊，现在对土地的利用，已经达到了历史上从未有过的程度。”“北极地区的活动越来越多，尤其是与开发有关的活动，未来的主要问题可能是熊和人类如何共享这些空间。”