義大利冰川穿上"防晒衣"

Glacier covered with tarpaulins
義大利冰川穿上“防晒衣”

A team of conservationists has begun the process of laying vast tarpaulin sheets to cover over 100,000 sq metres of the Presena glacier in Northern Italy to prevent it from melting due to global warming.
為了防止全球變暖令冰川融化，一群環保人士近日開始在義大利北部的普雷斯納冰川上鋪設巨大的防水油布，其覆蓋面積超過10萬平方米。

The sheets, which measure 70m x 5m, are sewn together and bags of sand are placed on them to weigh them down.
一卷卷70米長、5米寬的油布被縫合在一起，然後用沙袋壓實。

The six-week process is repeated every year once the ski season is over and summer begins in full force.
每年滑雪季結束，夏季到來之時，當地都會再次展開這一為期六週的為山體覆蓋防水油布的過程。

The conservation project was first undertaken by Italian firm Carosello-Tonale in 2008 - at which time only 30,000 sq metres of the glacier was covered.
2008年，義大利一家名為卡羅塞洛-託納萊的公司首次開啟了這個環保專案，當年只有3萬平方米的冰川穿上了“防晒衣”。

The process of removing the protective tarps will begin in September, and will take another six weeks. Since 1993, the Presena glacier has lost more than one third of its volume.
移走這些防水油布的時間將從9月開始，也將持續6周時間。自1993年以來，普雷斯納冰川的體積已減少1/3以上。