The Southern Alps in New Zealand are the latest icy region to be devastated¹ by global warming.

新西兰南阿尔卑斯山是最新遭受全球变暖重创的冰川覆盖区。

A study finds the mountains have lost up to 62 per cent of their glaciers³ since the end of the Little Ice Age, around 400 years ago.

一项研究发现，自从约400年前小冰期结束以后，该地区山脉的冰川减少了多达62%。

This, according to the study, equates⁴ to a maximum ice loss of 73 square km (30 square miles), an area half the size of Liechtenstein.

研究显示，这相当于最多损失了73平方公里的冰（30平方英里），约占列支敦士登公国面积的一半。

By contrast, Patagonia, which is home to the largest body of ice in the southern hemisphere outside of Antarctica, has seen just 11 per cent of its Little Ice Age volume vanish.

相比之下，在南半球除南极之外冰川覆盖面积最大的巴塔哥尼亚小冰期冰川面积只损失了11%。

New Zealand's Southern Alps are best known for being the set of many scenes from the Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit movies.

新西兰南阿尔卑斯山作为《指环王》和《霍比特人》的电影拍摄地而著名。

The Southern Alps is the highest mountain range in Australasia, with Mount Cook's summit standing⁵ at 12,218ft above sea level.

南阿尔卑斯山是澳大拉西亚最高的山脉，库克山峰顶海拔12,218英尺。

The study analysed volume changes in the Southern Alps for three time periods: 1600 to 1978, 1978 to 2009 and 2009 to 2019.

该研究分析了南阿尔卑斯山三个时期的冰川变化：1600年至1978年、1978年至2009年、2009年至2019年。

Data was gathered using computer simulations, physical markings and historical records. Comparison between the decades reveals ice loss has increased two-fold since the Little Ice Age, with a rapid increase in the last 40 years.

数据是通过计算机模拟、物理标记和历史记录收集的。这些时期的数据对比显示，小冰期以来，冰川融化速度翻倍，尤其近四十年在加速融化。

Up to 17 per cent of the ice that was on the mountains at the time of the Little Ice Age was lost between 1978 and 2019 alone.

仅在1978年至2019年间，小冰期山脉的冰川中就有多达17%融化了。

In 2019, only 12 per cent of ice mass remained in what was formerly⁶ the low altitude part of the Little Ice Age glacier² region.

在2019年，位于曾经小冰期冰川地区低海拔地区的冰块仅剩12%。