The whales are harvesting krill, |
这些鲸现在正美美地享受着磷虾大餐 |
shrimp-like creatures that begin to swarm here as soon as the ice retreats. |
冰层一融化各种各样的虾就会聚集在这里 |
Diving into the heart of the swarm, |
潜入到虾群中后 |
teams of whales spiral round each other in close coordination. |
座头鲸会共同配合 紧密协作 |
Now they turn, blasting air from their blowholes, and ascend towards their prey. |
现在座头鲸转身 利用呼吸孔吐气 喷向猎物 |
The krill becomes concentrated as the spiralling net of bubbles draws inwards. |
螺旋型的气泡网逐渐收紧,把磷虾聚在一起 |
The team of whales work round the clock for the boom is short-lived. |
时光短暂,座头鲸昼夜不停捕食 |
Summer is already fading |
短暂的夏天正逐渐消失 |
and the whales will soon be forced north as winter returns. |
很快冬季又到了 这些鲸鱼将不得不前往北方 |
The sun's influence diminishes |
太阳的威力逐渐减弱 |
and the ocean starts to freeze. |
海洋开始结冰 |
The greatest seasonal change on our planet is underway. |
我们这个行星上最显著的季节变化正在发生 |
The ice grows at an extraordinary rate, |
冰盖的面积以非凡的速度扩大 |
advancing two and a half miles a day. |
一天扩大2.5英里 |
In a matter of weeks, the continent effectively doubles in size. |
几个星期之内,整个南极大陆的面积将扩大为原来的两倍 |
Life flees from Antarctica. |
生物纷纷逃离南极洲 |
But one creature is just arriving. |
但偏有一种生物赶来 |
Every winter, emperor penguins leave the comfort of their ocean home |
帝企鹅每年冬天便离开它们安逸的海洋家园 |
and begin a remarkable journey. |
开始了非凡的征途 |
They head towards their breeding grounds, almost 100 miles inland. |
它们要前往繁殖地,几乎在离海岸100英里的内陆 |
Eventually, the emperor penguins reach the place where they were hatched, |
帝企鹅将最终到达它们出生的故乡 |
an area sheltered by icebergs, trapped in the frozen ocean. |
一个位于冰封的洋面上、到处冰山林立的地方 |
Here they will raise the next generation. |
在这里 它们将繁衍下一代 |
But first, each must find a mate. |
但是 首先每只企鹅必须找到自己的配偶 |
The males begin to serenade. |
雄企鹅开始唱情歌 |
And if a female replies, they pair up, posing like statues. |
如果有雌企鹅回应, 它们就结成一对,共同摆出雕像般的姿势 |
New couples quickly form a strong bond. |
新的企鹅对很快就会建立深厚的感情 |
They seem oblivious to the noisy crowd around them. |
它们似乎对周围的喧嚣充耳不闻 |
To cement their relationship, the male steps out with his female. |
为了巩固它们的关系 雄企鹅跟雌企鹅走出行列 |
The brief courtship complete, there isn't a moment to lose. |
它们的交配很短暂 不浪费一分钟 |
With so much pressure to perform, |
求表现的压力太大 |
any male would struggle to stay on top. |
任何雄企鹅都会拼命留在上面 |
Several weeks later, |
几周之后 |
and it seems that most couplings were successful. |
绝大多数的企鹅对都会成功繁衍出下一代 |
But producing the egg has taken its toll. |
但体力也在产蛋的过程中消耗殆尽 |
The females no longer have the energy to incubate. |
雌企鹅再也没有孵蛋的力气 |
The male takes over. |
任务便交给了雄企鹅 |
It's still minus 20 degrees centigrade, |
此时温度还是零下20摄氏度 |
so the transfer must be done quickly |
所以交接过程必须迅速完成 |
or else the egg will freeze. |
否则蛋会冻坏 |
With no bare rock to nest on, |
没有裸岩可以在上面筑巢 |
the male tucks the egg into a special pouch, |
雄企鹅会小心翼翼地把蛋藏在自己的体袋里 |
where he can keep it warm. |
可以让蛋保持足够的温度 |
It requires an extraordinary piece of teamwork. |
交接过程需要双方高度的配合 |
Driven by hunger, |
在饥饿的驱使下 |
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the exhausted females now return to the ocean on their own, |
精疲力竭的雌企鹅们独自返回海洋 |
repeating the epic journey they made with the males only a month before. |
再次踏上了1月前曾和雄企鹅共同走过的漫漫征途 |
Now the sun barely appears above the horizon. |
现在太阳只能勉强升到地平线上方 |
As the days shorten, its warmth is withdrawn from the continent. |
随着白昼的缩短,南极大陆变得越来越冷 |
With the females gone, |
雌企鹅去了之后 |
the colony undergoes a strange transformation. |
企鹅的领地开始出现奇特的变化 |
The males shuffle into groups, their eggs still tucked away above their feet. |
雄企鹅们聚集在一起,此时它们的蛋仍然藏在脚上面 |
They lock together in tightly-packed huddles as they struggle to keep warm. |
它们紧紧挤成包围圈以此取暖 |
Speeding up the action reveals how these huddles constantly shift and change |
在快镜头下我们可以看到包围圈在不断地变动 |
as each penguin works its way towards the warmer interior. |
每只企鹅都要变换位置以进入更温暖的内部 |
Crammed into this scrum, the birds are remarkably good-natured. But they have to be. |
这些企鹅性情特别温和 这是环境使然 |
If the huddle breaks, even for a moment, precious heat escapes. |
如果包围圈散了,哪怕就一小会儿 宝贵的热气也会消散 |
It's imperative they reform as quickly as possible, |
它们必须尽最大的努力重新组成队列 |
for only by acting as one |
因为只有团结成一体 |
can the males withstand the elements and protect their eggs. |
雄企鹅才能抵挡严酷的自然力量 才能保护好它们的蛋 |
But their greatest test lies ahead. |
但是最大的考验还在前头 |
As winter advances, frequent blizzards drive the temperature down. |
随着隆冬的逼近,暴风雪越来越频繁 温度越来越低 |
It's now 60 degrees below zero. |
现在已经是零下60度 |
The birds at the edge of the huddle bear the brunt of the 100-mile-an-hour winds |
处于边缘的企鹅承受着时速100英里的狂风袭击 |
and so provide shelter to those taking their turn in the middle. |
以便保护轮流站在中央的企鹅 |
Abandoned by the sun, the males are left alone with their eggs |
太阳已经完全消失,雄企鹅们与它们的蛋相依为命 |
to face the coldest, darkest winter on Earth. |
来抵抗这地球上最寒冷、最黑暗的冬天 |
At the northern extreme of our planet, |
而在地球的北极 |
the sun rises for the first time in months, |
太阳在数个月的沉寂后第一次升起 |
illuminating a very different ice world. |
阳光照亮了一个截然不同的冰的世界 |
Unlike Antarctica, |
与南极不同 |
the Arctic is a vast frozen sea surrounded by land. |
北极是广阔的冰封海洋 被陆地包围 |
Here winter is coming to an end |
这里的冬天已经临近尾声 |
but this bleak wilderness remains locked in ice. |
但这片荒凉的无人区仍然是冰封的天地 |
Eider ducks break the silence. |
绒鸭的到来打破了这里的平静 |
They have stayed here, braving the northern winter, |
绒鸭没有迁徙到温暖的南方 |
instead of flying south to warmer climes. |
而一直坚守在这里经受着北方寒冬的考验 |
Flocks 40,000 strong sweep across the frozen wastes. |
4万只绒鸭飞越这一片冰天雪地的荒野 |
They all have the same goal, a polynya, |
它们都有相同的目标--冰间湖(冰穴) |
a permanent hole in the sea ice, kept open throughout the winter by strong ocean currents. |
冰间湖是结冰的海洋上永久性的洞孔 因为有强大的洋流使它们冬天也不会冰封 |
This unusual duck pond provides an overnight sanctuary |
这个不同寻常的水池是过夜的庇护所 |
and, when day breaks, a rare chance to feed. |
而且到了白天还有难得的进食机会 |
Just 10 metres beneath the ice, |
就在离冰面10米以下的海底上 |
the sea floor is carpeted with dense mussel beds. |
布满了密密麻麻的贻贝 |
These can only be reached during a brief lull in the currents. |
这个地方只有在洋流暂时停歇时才能吃到 |
The ducks must quickly prise the mussels free before the tide starts to turn. |
绒鸭必须赶在潮流转向之前迅速采食 |
The window of opportunity is short. |
机会之窗随时可能关闭 |
As the current begins to build, it's up, up and away. |
洋流开始转强时它们就只好远走高飞了 |
These permanent holes in the ice provide seafood throughout the winter. |
这个长年不冻的水窟窿提供了整整一个冬天的食物 |
The diners attract others. |
其它生物也似乎闻风而来 |
In the Arctic, any breach in the icy barrier can be a lifeline. |
在北极 每一处破冰的地方都是一条生命线 |
Musk oxen create their own. |
麝牛创造了自己的生命线 |
These giants have the strength to smash through the frozen crust |
这种体型巨大的动物有足够的力量砸出冰窟窿 |
to graze on the vegetation below. |
再吃下面的植物 |
The ice-breakers create an opening for other over-winterers. |
麝牛破冰也为其它越冬的动物创造机会 |
Flocks of ptarmigan make unusual grazing companions for the musk oxen, |
成群的雷鸟与麝牛结成了紧密的伙伴关系 |
whose entourage grows throughout the day. |
它们的活动忙碌一整天 |
This odd assembly of vegetarians doesn't go unnoticed. |
这些食草动物组成的奇特群落当然会引起注意 |
An arctic fox. |
一头北极狐 |
The musk oxen have recently given birth. |
麝牛最近生了幼仔 |
For the fox, it's a chance to scavenge. |
对于北极狐来说 这是一个捕食的机会 |