W Europeans arrived on the Atlantic seaboard of North America, fish runs were plentiful beyond comprehension, described in terms that astound us today. The continent abounded with wildlife, in vast, varied habitats. Today, however, we are satisfied with a seeing a few dozen bison in a national or state park. We profess our awe at the grandeur of a mountain valley that is not bisected by a road. We offer a few paltry salmon to meet treaty obligations to Native American tribes. The Arctic today faces a similar situation, as retreating ice and increasing human presence threaten the unspoiled ecosystems and abundant populations of fish, birds, and mammals. What can we learn from past experience, to help avoid repeating the loss of natural abundance? Part of the problem is that degradation of natural landscapes and seascapes is typically a matter of small losses over Over Time in the Arctic iS to ck /s ar ko ph ot o

中文翻译：

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随着时间的推移，北极的保护和开发

W 欧洲人抵达北美的大西洋沿岸，鱼群多得令人无法理解，用今天令我们震惊的术语来描述。这片大陆拥有丰富的野生动物，栖息地广阔而多样。然而，今天，我们对在国家公园或州立公园看到几十只野牛感到满意。我们对未被公路一分为二的山谷的壮丽表示敬畏。我们提供一些微不足道的鲑鱼来履行对美洲原住民部落的条约义务。今天的北极面临着类似的情况，因为冰层消退和人类存在的增加威胁到未受破坏的生态系统和丰富的鱼类、鸟类和哺乳动物种群。我们可以从过去的经验中学到什么，帮助避免重复自然丰度的丧失？部分问题在于，自然景观和海景的退化通常是随着时间的推移在北极地区造成的小幅损失问题 iS to ck /s ar ko ph ot o