you can light it on fire.

你可以把它點燃。

But it's not the water that's flammable,

但這不是水的可燃性。

it's actually what's bubbling up from the lake floor.

它實際上是什麼從湖底冒出。

These aren't your average lakes.

這些不是一般的湖泊。

They're called thermokarst lakes

他們被稱為熱卡斯特湖。

and they're filled with highly flammable methane gas.

他們充滿了高度易燃的甲烷氣體。

During the summer the gas bubbles to the surface

夏天的時候，氣體會浮出水面。

and enters the atmosphere.

並進入大氣層。

But in the winter the bubbles get trapped under the ice.

但到了冬天，氣泡就會被困在冰下。

So when you stab the frozen surface, it releases pockets

所以當你刺入冰凍的表面時，它就會釋放出口袋來

of the gas that you can then light up.

的氣體，然後可以點燃。

It may look like a fun party trick but there's more to this

這看起來像是一個有趣的聚會把戲，但還有更多的東西。

effect than meets the eye.

效果比想象中要好。

Methane isn't just highly flammable,

甲烷不只是高度易燃。

it's also a potent greenhouse gas.

它也是一種強效的溫室氣體。

25 times more efficient at trapping heat

熱量收集效率提高25倍

than carbon dioxide.

比二氧化碳。

And these methane filled lakes are popping up everywhere

而這些充滿甲烷的湖泊到處都在冒出來

in Alaska and Siberia.

在阿拉斯加和西伯利亞。

In 2017 alone 200, new thermokarst lakes

僅2017年就有200個，新增熱卡斯特湖泊。

were photographed in Siberia.

在西伯利亞被拍到。

So where are they all coming from?

那麼他們都是從哪裡來的呢？

They're actually remnants from the last Ice Age.

它們實際上是上一個冰河時代的遺蹟。

Around 11,000 years ago these areas

大約11000年前，這些地區

used to be frozen soil and ice.

以前是凍土和冰。

We call these frozen underground layers today, permafrost.

我們今天把這些冰凍的地下層稱為永凍層。

But it's not permafrost that's the problem,

但問題不在於凍土。

it's rising global temperatures which is causing

是全球氣溫上升導致

the permafrost to thaw for the first time

凍土初開

in thousands of years.

在幾千年的時間裡。

Since the 1980s, permafrost in Alaska

自20世紀80年代以來，阿拉斯加的永凍土。

has warmed by one and a half degrees Celsius.

已經升溫了1.5攝氏度。

Almost twice as much compared to how much it warmed

比起暖和的程度，幾乎多了一倍

between 1880 and 1980.

1880年至1980年期間。

And when permafrost thaws, it weakens the ground above it

而當凍土解凍時，會使上面的地面變弱。

which can destroy roads, damage building foundations,

會破壞道路、破壞建築物地基。

and even split a tree in two.

甚至將一棵樹一分為二。

In the process, it releases a buffet of long dead plants

在這個過程中，它釋放出大量早已死亡的植物的自助餐。

and animals on the lake floor.

和湖底的動物。

And that's where the real trouble starts.

而這才是真正的麻煩開始。

Tiny microbes called mathanogens eat the dead matter

微小的微生物被稱為 "mathanogens"，它們會吃掉死物。

and produce, you guessed it, methane.

併產生，你猜對了，甲烷。

And the more lakes that form means more ancient food

形成的湖泊越多，就意味著更多的古代食物。

for microbes and ultimately more methane

為微生物和最終更多的甲烷

that reaches the atmosphere.

抵達大氣層的。

Overall, thermokarst lakes are estimated to emit

總的來說，熱巖湖泊的排放量估計為1.5億噸。

3.8 teragrams of methane each year.

每年消耗3.8太格拉的甲烷。

Increasing annual methane emissions by up to 63%.

每年增加多達63%的甲烷排放量；

And what if all of Earth's permafrost thawed?

如果地球上所有的永久凍土都解凍了呢？

Researchers estimate it will release at least 100 teragrams

研究人員估計，它將至少釋放100個太極拳。

of methane into the atmosphere, potentially warming

沼氣進入大氣層，有可能使大氣變暖。

the planet enough to cause sea levels to rise

導致海平面上升

anywhere from three to 10 centimeters.

從三釐米到十釐米不等。

For comparison, sea levels have risen just 7.6 millimeters

相比之下，海平面只上升了7.6毫米。

on average over the last 15 years.

在過去15年中，平均。

Contributing to 1.8 billion dollars in annual damage

每年造成18億美元的損失。

off the coast of New Jersey alone.

僅在新澤西州沿海。

But right now little is being done to slow the formation

但現在幾乎沒有採取任何措施來延緩形成

of thermokarst lakes around the globe.

全球各地的熱卡斯特湖泊。

And if you burn the methane as it bubbles to the surface,

而如果你在甲烷冒出水面的時候燃燒它。

it can reduce the greenhouse effect but only slightly.

它可以減少溫室效應，但只是輕微的。

Since lighting it on fire turns it into carbon dioxide

因為點火後會變成二氧化碳

and water vapor, two other potent greenhouse gasses.

和水蒸氣，另外兩種強效溫室氣體。

In the end, it's up to us to reduce our own emissions.

最後，還是要靠我們自己來減少排放。

Because lighting lakes on fire isn't going to be enough.

因為把湖泊點燃是不夠的。