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Underneath the Greenland ice sheet lies a body of water covering an area larger than West Virginia， and until just a few years ago， scientists had no idea it existed.
First discovered in 2011， scientists now believe it covers some 27，000 square miles and contains more than 100 billion tons of liquid water.
The melt-water 1）reservoir was discovered under the ice， in a south-eastern portion of Greenland， by researchers from the University of Utah about two years ago. According to the BBC， the researchers initially expected to find waters stored in small 2）caches between the rocks. What they actually found was a massive reservoir of water trapped in the ice， kind of like the liquid in a snow-cone. Newser quotes lead study author Richard Forster saying， “we thought we had an understanding of how things work in Greenland， but here is this entire storage system of water we didn’t realize was there.”
OK， so 3）slushy water under the ice in Greenland； why is this a big deal？ Well， researchers say it could provide new clues to understanding Greenland’s ice melts and sea level rise in general. Voice of America quotes Forster saying， “of the current sea level rise， the Greenland ice sheet is the largest contributor， and it is melting at record levels， so understanding the 4）aquifer’s capacity to store water from year to year is important， because it fills a major gap in the overall equation of melt-water runoff and sea levels.” According to researchers， the water is 15 to 60 feet beneath the surface and likely stays fluid because it’s 5）insulated by snow. They’re unsure how old the reservoir is or whether it drains into the ocean.
在格陵兰岛冰盖底下，有一个面积比美国西弗吉尼亚州还要大的储水库，然而几年前，科学家对它的存在还一无所知。
这个储水库在2011年首次被发现，现如今，科学家们相信它覆盖的面积大概是2.7万平方英里（约7万平方公里），有超过1000亿吨的液态水。
这一冰川融水储水库位于格陵兰岛东南部的冰层之下，大约两年前由美国犹他州立大学的研究人员发现。根据英国广播公司的报道，研究人员原本期待能在岩石与岩石之间的小缝隙处发现水。但事实上，他们发现的却是困在冰川中的巨型水库，犹如刨冰中的液体一般。新闻网站Newser引用该项研究首席作者理查德·福斯特的话说：“我们自以为对格陵兰岛的情况有一定的了解，但如今却有这样一套储水系统，而我们以前毫不知情。”
好吧，格陵兰岛冰川下有雪水，有什么大不了呢？是这样，研究人员认为这一发现能够为解释格陵兰岛冰川融化以及海平面上升提供线索。美国之音引用福斯特的话说：“格陵兰岛冰盖正以创纪录的速度消融，而它是海平面上升的最大原因，因此了解这一蓄水层每年的储水容量很重要，因为这填补了融冰径流量与海平面这个等式中的一个重大空白。”研究者称，水是在冰面以下15到60英尺（约4.6～18.3米）处，而且由于被雪隔离，这些水可能继续以液态形式存在。他们并不确定储水库已经存在了多长时间，以及它是否注入大海。
First discovered in 2011， scientists now believe it covers some 27，000 square miles and contains more than 100 billion tons of liquid water.
The melt-water 1）reservoir was discovered under the ice， in a south-eastern portion of Greenland， by researchers from the University of Utah about two years ago. According to the BBC， the researchers initially expected to find waters stored in small 2）caches between the rocks. What they actually found was a massive reservoir of water trapped in the ice， kind of like the liquid in a snow-cone. Newser quotes lead study author Richard Forster saying， “we thought we had an understanding of how things work in Greenland， but here is this entire storage system of water we didn’t realize was there.”
OK， so 3）slushy water under the ice in Greenland； why is this a big deal？ Well， researchers say it could provide new clues to understanding Greenland’s ice melts and sea level rise in general. Voice of America quotes Forster saying， “of the current sea level rise， the Greenland ice sheet is the largest contributor， and it is melting at record levels， so understanding the 4）aquifer’s capacity to store water from year to year is important， because it fills a major gap in the overall equation of melt-water runoff and sea levels.” According to researchers， the water is 15 to 60 feet beneath the surface and likely stays fluid because it’s 5）insulated by snow. They’re unsure how old the reservoir is or whether it drains into the ocean.
在格陵兰岛冰盖底下，有一个面积比美国西弗吉尼亚州还要大的储水库，然而几年前，科学家对它的存在还一无所知。
这个储水库在2011年首次被发现，现如今，科学家们相信它覆盖的面积大概是2.7万平方英里（约7万平方公里），有超过1000亿吨的液态水。
这一冰川融水储水库位于格陵兰岛东南部的冰层之下，大约两年前由美国犹他州立大学的研究人员发现。根据英国广播公司的报道，研究人员原本期待能在岩石与岩石之间的小缝隙处发现水。但事实上，他们发现的却是困在冰川中的巨型水库，犹如刨冰中的液体一般。新闻网站Newser引用该项研究首席作者理查德·福斯特的话说：“我们自以为对格陵兰岛的情况有一定的了解，但如今却有这样一套储水系统，而我们以前毫不知情。”
好吧，格陵兰岛冰川下有雪水，有什么大不了呢？是这样，研究人员认为这一发现能够为解释格陵兰岛冰川融化以及海平面上升提供线索。美国之音引用福斯特的话说：“格陵兰岛冰盖正以创纪录的速度消融，而它是海平面上升的最大原因，因此了解这一蓄水层每年的储水容量很重要，因为这填补了融冰径流量与海平面这个等式中的一个重大空白。”研究者称，水是在冰面以下15到60英尺（约4.6～18.3米）处，而且由于被雪隔离，这些水可能继续以液态形式存在。他们并不确定储水库已经存在了多长时间，以及它是否注入大海。