Antarctica - the most remote continent in the world. Encased in glacial ice thousands of feet thick. It's still largely unexplored. And we know even less about the icy seas that bring it. Now machines are making it possible for us to catch a glimpse. A mini-submarine is taking marine biologist Doctor Susanne Lockhart down into the Antarctic deep.
Above is a land of frigid ice, below is a thriving mass of life. No light penetrates this deep. Plants can't grow. These are all animals. Then it was my turn to go down with pilot John. We drop much deeper. More than a 1,000 feet (300 metres) down we find a wall of life. Sponges and corals, sea stars, feather stars - all thriving in complete darkness.
A robot arm catches samples. Some of these species have never been filmed before. They are threatened by an increase in fishing in the region. We gathered evidence of a unique ecosystem that deserves protection.
No one could deny that this region needs protecting. But what is the best way to do it? Is a line on a map really going to make much difference? And who is going to police anything out here? The proposal to protect all these creatures and their world will be heard by the Antarctic nations in October.
南极是世界上最偏远的大陆。这片土地上覆盖着数千英尺深的冰川。直到现在，在南极仍有很多地方无人涉足。而人们对构成这些冰川的冰冷海洋更是知之甚少。如今，机械装置给我们提供了一睹这片海洋奥秘的机会。一台迷你潜水艇正载着海洋生物学家苏珊·洛克哈特博士驶入南极海洋的深处。
海平面之上覆盖着极为坚硬的冰块，而海底则蕴藏了数量庞大的生命。没有任何一种光线能够穿透并到达如此深的地方。因此植物无法在这里生长。这些全都是动物。我和驾驶员约翰一同潜入了海底。在潜到1000英尺（约300米）多深的地方时，我们可以看到一堵由海洋生物构成的墙，包括海绵生物、珊瑚、海星、海百合，它们都在一片漆黑的环境中茁壮地生长。
潜艇伸出一只用来采样的机械手臂。有一些物种在这之前从未被摄像机捕捉到过。如今，这些海洋生物受到了来自该地区捕鱼业的威胁。我们所收集到的证据表明，这个独特的生态系统应受到保护。
没人能否认我们有必要保护这片海域。但解决问题最好的方法是什么呢？难道在地图上划上一条线就能改变现状吗？此外，谁应该来监管这片地区？南极各国将在今年十月举行的一次会议上受理有关保护这些生物及其生存环境的提案。
词汇
glacial ice
冰河、冰川
icy seas
冰冷刺骨的海域
frigid ice
极为坚固的冰块
wall of life
由各种生命组成的墙状物
unique ecosystem
独特的生态系统
你知道吗？
Antarctica has the coldest land temperature recorded on the Earth of -89.2°C. The average annual temperature is around -50°C.
南极大陆创下了地球史上最冷地区的纪录，温度低达零下89.2摄氏度。这里的年均气温为零下50摄氏度左右。
问题答案
They are threatened by an increase in fishing in the region.
