Thaw could release Cold War-era U.S. toxic waste buried under Greenland's ice - Reuters

A large iceberg melts into jagged edges as it floats in Eriks Fjord near the town of Narsarsuaq in southern Greenland July 26, 2009. 2009年7月26日，在格陵兰岛南部 Narsarsuaq 附近的 Eriks Fjord ，一座巨大的冰山融化，呈现出锯齿状边缘。 REUTERS/Bob Strong/File Photo

Global warming could release radioactive waste stored in an abandoned Cold War-era U.S. military camp deep under Greenland's ice caps if a thaw continues to spread in coming decades, scientists said on Friday.
科学家们于周五表示，如果在未来几十年内全球持续变暖，那么，在格陵兰岛冰盖之下，一处被废弃的冷战时期美国军营中所储存的放射性废料，将可能被释放到自然环境中。

Camp Century was built in northwest Greenland in 1959 as part of U.S. research into the feasibility of nuclear missile launch sites in the Arctic, the University of Zurich said in a statement.
苏黎世大学在一份声明中表示，美国军营 Camp Century 是1959年在格陵兰岛西北部修建的，该军营是美国对于北极地区的核弹发射选址所做的可行性研究的一部分。

Staff left gallons of fuel and an unknown amount of low-level radioactive coolant there when the base shut down in 1967 on the assumption it would be entombed forever, according to the university.
根据苏黎世大学的声明，该营地于1967年被关闭、并根据规划将被永久掩埋；工作人员在军营中留下了大量的燃料，以及未知量的低辐射冷却剂。

It is all currently about 35 meters (114.83 ft) down. But the part of the ice sheet covering the camp could start to melt by the end of the century on current trends, the scientists added.
科学家们表示，现在该营地处于冰盖之下约35米深处。但是，在如今的全球变暖趋势下，覆盖营地的部分冰盖到本世纪末，可能开始融化。

"Climate change could remobilize the abandoned hazardous waste believed to be buried forever beneath the Greenland ice sheet," the university said of findings published this week in the journal Geophysical Research Letters.
“气候变化将使那些被废弃的有害废料重新发生移动，而这些废料本应在格陵兰冰盖之下被永久埋藏。”苏黎世大学谈到本周在 Geophysical Research Letters 所发表的研究时表示。

The study, led by York University in Canada in collaboration with the University of Zurich, estimated that pollutants in the camp included 200,000 liters (44,000 UK gallons) of diesel fuel and the coolant from a nuclear generator used to produce power.
这项研究由加拿大约克大学主导，并与苏黎世大学进行了合作。该研究估计，军营中的污染物质包括20万升柴油燃料，以及一台核动力发电机所用的冷却剂。

"It's a new breed of political challenge we have to think about," lead author William Colgan, a climate and glacier scientist at York University, said in a statement.
“这是我们必须考虑的一种新型政治挑战。”该研究主要作者、约克大学气候与冰川科学家 William Colgan 在一份声明中表示。

"If the ice melts, the camp's infrastructure, including any remaining biological, chemical, and radioactive wastes, could re-enter the environment and potentially disrupt nearby ecosystems," the University of Zurich said.
“如果冰盖融化，那么，该军营的各种设施，包括任何遗留的生物、化学及放射性废料，都将重新进入自然环境，并对周边生态系统带来潜在威胁。”苏黎世大学表示。

The study said it would be extremely costly to try to remove any waste now. It recommended waiting "until the ice sheet has melted down to almost expose the wastes before beginning site remediation."
研究表示，任何尝试移除废料的行动都将非常艰难。研究建议有关方面进行等待，“直到冰盖融化到即将使废料暴露的程度，再开始进行该地区的修复。”

There was no immediate comment from U.S. authorities.
美国当局对此没有立即发表评论。