Antarctic Krill: A Summer Feast for Humpbacks
Seven Worlds, One Planet·Antarctica

Life in the Antarctic is harsh indeed. But all these creatures come here because the Southern Ocean is one of the richest on Earth. When, 30 million years ago, the continent broke away from South America and drifted south, currents began to swirl right around it.

They are now the strongest of any currents on the planet. They sweep up nutrients from the depths, and so create one of the richest feeding grounds in all the world's oceans. And some of the creatures that come here to feast do so in a most sophisticated way.

Humpback whales. It's summer, and they've come here for a banquet. The cold waters contain great shoals of krill. It's estimated that there are 400 trillion of them and that their combined weight is greater than that of any other animal species on the planet.

To collect them, the humpbacks blow curtains of bubbles, which the krill won't cross. The whales then rise, spiralling inwards, to concentrate the swarm.

Summer in Antarctica is a time of plenty, when most humpbacks are able to put on the reserves they need for the whole year.

But the wildlife in these waters faces an uncertain future. The Southern Ocean is warming. 90% of the world's ice lies in Antarctica and, in some parts, the rate at which it's melting is doubling every decade. Sea levels are rising.

词汇表
antarctic [æn'tɑ:ktɪk] 南极地区；南极的
Antarctica [æn'tɑ:ktɪkə] 南极洲
harsh [hɑː(r)ʃ] 严酷的，恶劣的，艰苦的
Southern Ocean 南大洋，南冰洋（围绕南极洲的海洋）
continent [ˈkɒntɪnənt] 洲，大洲，大陆
break away from 分离，脱离，离开
drift [drɪft] 漂移，漂流，飘
current ['kʌrənt] 洋流，水流；电流，气流
swirl [swɜː(r)l] 旋转，打旋，转圈
sweep up nutrients [swiːp][ˈnjuːtriənts] 汲取营养，吸收养分
feeding grounds [ˈfiːdɪŋ] 觅食地
feast [fiːst] 尽情享用（美味佳肴）；盛宴；宴会
sophisticated [səˈfɪstɪˌkeɪtɪd] 复杂的，精密的，高级的
humpback (whale) ['hʌmpbæk][weɪl] 座头鲸
banquet ['bæŋkwɪt] 宴会，筵席，盛宴
shoals of krill [ʃəʊls][krɪl] 磷虾群，大量的磷虾
combined weight [kəm'baɪnd] 总重量
blow curtains of bubbles 吹出气泡幕（鲸鱼捕食磷虾的策略，又称气泡网捕食）
spiral ['spaɪrəl] 螺旋式上升（下降），盘旋上升（下降）
inwards [ˈɪnwə(r)dz] 向内地，向中心地
concentrate swarm [swɔː(r)m] 聚集群体，集中群体
a time of plenty 富足的时节，丰收的季节
put on the reserves [rɪˈzɜː(r)vz] 增加储备，补足储备

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