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There is so much that we don't know yet about our planet, Earth. This is especially true when it comes to places which are remote, hard to reach and where the climate is harsh and uninviting.
关于地球，我们还有很多不知道的东西，尤其是关于那些偏远、难以到达、气候恶劣、看上去并不吸引人的地区。
That makes Antarctica one of the most mysterious places on Earth - it's an icy, remote, desolate desert with many secrets that are yet to be unraveled. The continent is so large that it may seem that scientists are just beginning to explore its vast territories and hidden treasures.
这使得南极洲成为地球上最神秘的地方之一——在这个冰冷、偏僻、荒凉的沙漠中，还有许多未解之谜。这块大陆面积十分广阔，这使得科学家们对它的探索才只是冰山一角，还有许多有待发现的隐藏宝藏。
1. There Are Places In Antarctica Which Haven't Received Rain Or Snow In 2 Million Years
南极洲有些地方已经超过两百万年没有降水了
In Antarctica around 1% of the continent (4,000 km or 2,500 mi) is permanently ice-free – such areas are called dry valleys or Antarctic oasis. They are thought to be the world’s harshest deserts and it is estimated that these areas haven’t seen rain or snow in almost 2 million years.
南极洲有大约1%的地区(4000公里或2500英里)是永久无冰的——这些地区被称为干河谷或南极绿洲。这是世界上环境最恶劣的荒漠，据估计，这些地区已经有超过两百万年没有降水了。
2. There Is A Waterfall In Antarctica Which Is Called Blood Falls
南极洲有一个被称为“血瀑布“的瀑布
Don’t worry – no real blood is running there. 5 million years ago, as sea levels rose, East Antarctica was flooded and a brine lake was formed there. After millions of years, glaciers formed on top of the lake. As they froze, the water below became even saltier. Today, the subglacial lake under Blood Falls is three times saltier than seawater and, therefore, is too salty to freeze. The water beneath Taylor Glacier, which feeds the Blood Fall, contains a lot of iron (picked up from the underlying bedrock) and when iron-rich water comes in contact with air, the iron oxidizes and takes on a red coloring, leaving blood-like stains on the ice.
别担心——这不是真的血。五百万年前，随着海平面的上升，南极洲东部被洪水淹没，于是在那里形成了一个盐水湖。数百万年后，湖上形成了冰川。当水结冰时，底下水的盐度会变得更高。今天，血瀑布下的冰湖比正常海水还要咸三倍，由于盐度太高，无法结冰。泰勒冰川下的水，也就是血瀑布水的来源，含有大量铁元素（来自底层基岩），当富含铁的水与空气接触时，铁就会氧化变成红色。这就是为什么它被称作“血瀑布“。
3. 70% Percent Of World's Fresh Water Is In Antarctica
世界上70％的淡水都在南极洲
Around 90% of the world’s ice and 70% of the fresh water is in Antarctica. If all of the Antarctic ice melted, sea levels in the world would rise about 200 feet (61 meters).
世界上大约90%的冰和70%的淡水都在南极洲。如果南极洲的冰川全部消融，地球海平面将上升约61米。
4. The Average Ice Sheet Thickness In Antarctica Is 1 Mile
南极洲的平均冰盖厚度是1英里
Antarctica, the southernmost continent, is almost completely covered in a thick layer of ice. The thickness of the ice sheet varies depending on the location, with the East Antarctic sheet being much thicker than the one in the West. On average, the ice is more than one mile (1.6 km) thick, but in some sections it can get as thick as almost three miles (4.8 km).
南极洲，这个地球最南端的大陆，几乎被完全覆盖在一层厚厚的冰层中。不同地区，冰盖的厚度也各不相同，南极洲东部的冰盖比西部的要厚得多。冰盖的平均厚度超过1.6公里，但在某些地区，冰层的厚度最高可以达到4.8公里。
5. Sled Dogs Have Been Banned From Antarctica In 1994
雪橇犬在1994年被禁止进入南极洲
Back in 1911, sled dogs hauled supplies for Norwegian explorers led by Roald Amundsen. It was the first expedition to reach the South Pole. Afterwards, sled dogs were kept and used in Antarctica for years. However, they were banned from the continent in 1993 due to fear that they might transmit canine distemper to the Antarctic seals or would escape and disturb the local wildlife.
早在1911年，雪橇犬被用来为Roald Amundsen率领的挪威探险家运送补给品。这是第一次到达南极的探险。之后的很多年，人们在南极洲饲养雪橇犬，并将它们用于补给。然而，由于担心它们会把犬瘟热传染给南极海豹，以及怕它们逃跑并干扰当地的野生动物，这些雪橇犬在1994年被禁止进入南极洲。
