松鼠是"气候变化的罪魁祸首"

北极地松鼠在气候变化过程中所起的作用比原先想象的要大。科学家们发现北极地松鼠正在加速永冻层内的温室气体的排放。位于极地的永冻层聚集了巨大容量的碳。以下是 BBC 记者 Rececca Morelle的报道：

A squirrel in the snow

Grey squirrels like this one are common in Europe and America

Arctic ground squirrels might not look like climate villains - they're small, fluffy and rather cute. But this research suggests they're speeding up the release of greenhouse gases from the Arctic permafrost, a vast frozen area that contains twice as much carbon as the atmosphere.

Research in Siberia has found that the squirrels' underground burrows are warming frozen soil and they're also disturbing vegetation. The result is that they're unlocking more greenhouse gas from the ground than had previously been accounted for.

Researchers are already worried that warmer temperatures will cause the permafrost to thaw. But now it seems the impact of wildlife should also be considered.

Glossary 词汇表 （点击小喇叭收听发音）

villains坏人，恶棍

fluffy毛茸茸的

permafrost永久冻土、永冻层

carbon碳

burrows地洞

unlocking释放

thaw解冻

wildlife野生动物