全球變暖融化北極冰蓋 格陵蘭或可賣沙子創收大綱

提到格陵蘭島，人們首先會想到天寒地凍的冰原，以及全球變暖導致的冰蓋融化。但是你知道嗎？全球變暖也帶給了格陵蘭島一個益處，那就是可以賣沙子創收了！

Greenland could start to export sand in a rare positive spinoff from global warming that is melting the island’s vast ice sheet and washing large amounts of sediment into the sea.

全球變暖正在融化格陵蘭島的巨大冰蓋，並將大量沉積物衝入海里。由此帶來的一個罕見的積極效應就是，格陵蘭島可以開始出口沙子了。

spinoff ['spin,ɔ:f]：n.副產品；附帶的利益

sediment ['sedɪm(ə)nt]：n.沉積；沉澱物

Mining of sand and gravel, widely used in the construction industry, could boost the economy for Greenland’s 56,000 population who have wide powers of self-rule within Denmark but rely heavily on subsidies from Copenhagen.

沙子和碎石廣泛用於建築行業，其開採可以促進格陵蘭島的經濟發展，這裏居住着5.6萬人口，他們在丹麥擁有廣泛的自治權，但嚴重依賴哥本哈根的補貼。

By mining sand, “Greenland could benefit from the challenges brought by climate change,” a team of scientists in Denmark and the United States wrote in the journal Nature Sustainability.

丹麥和美國的一個科學家團隊在《自然·可持續發展》雜誌上寫道，通過開採沙子，“格陵蘭島可以從氣候變化帶來的挑戰中獲益”。

The study, headlined “Promises and perils of sand exploitation in Greenland”, said the Arctic island would have to assess risks of coastal mining, especially to fisheries.

這篇題爲《格陵蘭島開採沙子的希望與風險》的研究報告稱，格陵蘭島需要評估沿海開採沙子的風險，尤其是對漁業的風險。

Rising global temperatures are melting the Greenland ice sheet, which locks up enough water to raise global sea levels by about seven meters if it ever all thawed, and carrying ever more sand and gravel into coastal fjords.

不斷上升的全球氣溫正在融化格陵蘭島的冰蓋，並將越來越多的沙子和碎石帶入沿海峽灣。格陵蘭島冰蓋鎖住了大量的水，如果全部融化，全球海平面將上升大約7米。

thaw [θɔː]：vi.融解；變暖和

“You can think of it (the melting ice) as a tap that pours out sediment to the coast,” said lead author Mette Bendixen, a researcher at the University of Colorado’s Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research.

該研究的第一作者、科羅拉多大學北極與阿爾卑斯山研究所的研究員梅特·本迪克森說：“你可以將它（融化的冰）想象成向海岸傾瀉沉積物的閥門。”

Worldwide demand for sand totaled about 9.55 billion tonnes in 2017 with a market value of $99.5 billion and is projected to reach almost $481 billion in 2100, driven by rising demand and likely shortages, the study said.

這份研究報告稱，2017年全球對沙子的需求總共達到約95.5億噸，市場價值995億美元（約合6661億元人民幣），由於需求上升以及供應量可能不足，預計到2100年，市場價值將達到近4810億美元。

That meant a rare opportunity for the island.

對格陵蘭島而言，這意味着一個難得的機會。

“Normally the Arctic peoples are among those who really feel climate change - the eroding coast, less permafrost,” said Bendixen. “This is a unique situation because of the melting ice sheet.”

本迪克森說：“通常，北極地區的人們能夠切實地感受到氣候變化——海岸被侵蝕，永久凍土減少。由於冰蓋融化，這是一個獨特的情況。”

permafrost ['pɜːməfrɒst]：n.多年凍土；永久凍結帶；永久冰凍

A giant iceberg is pictured behind the Innaarsuit settlement in Greenland on Thursday. The iceberg is 6 kilometers wide and 100 meters high. [Photo/Agencies]

David Boertmann of Aarhus University, who was not involved in the study, said there was already some local mining of sand for the domestic construction industry in Greenland.

並未參與這項研究的奧胡斯大學的戴維·伯爾特曼說，當地已經開始開採沙子用於格陵蘭境內的建築業。

Drawbacks for Greenland, common to other mining projects on the island ranging from uranium to rare earth minerals, include the distance to markets in Europe and North America, he said.

他說，與鈾和稀土等礦業開採項目一樣，格陵蘭島（開採沙子的）面臨的不利條件包括與歐洲及北美市場之間的距離。

Still, Bendixen said sand was already often transported long distances, such as to Los Angeles from Vancouver or from Australia to Dubai.

不過，本迪克森說，沙子已經在長途運輸，比如從溫哥華到洛杉磯，或從澳大利亞到迪拜。

“At the moment it is an inexpensive resource but it will become more expensive,” she said.

她說：“目前，這是一種廉價的資源，但它將變得更加昂貴。”

The study said that sand and gravel might also be used in future to reinforce beaches and coastlines at risk of rising sea levels, caused in part by Greenland’s thaw.

這份研究報告稱，沙子和碎石未來或許還會被用於加固面臨海平面上漲風險的海灘和海岸線，而這些在某種程度上也是由於格陵蘭島地區的冰蓋融化導致的。