但是，即使只有南极洲西部和格陵兰岛大冰原的一半融化的话，海平面就会上升6 - 7米，世界上的许多大城市都会被淹没，前景令人沮丧。

But if even half of the West Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets were to melt, sea levels would rise by six or seven metres, flooding many of the world's big cities, and the outlook is discouraging.

youdao

然而，在地球的“底部”——南极洲东部，一片巨大的蓝色冰原保持着它的纯净和荒瘠。

At the bottom of the Earth, however, in East Antarctica, huge sheets of blue ice remain pure and barren.

youdao

至于极地，则以地球南极洲的干谷为模型，比拟成无边冰原中的一片冰冻荒漠。

For the polar regions, the model is the Dry Valleys of Antarctica, a frozen desert in a landscape of endless ice.

youdao