摘譯自2010年8月17日ENS瑞士，日內瓦報導；段譽豪編譯；蔡麗伶審校

一個成員來自189個國家的氣象組織說，俄羅斯的大火、巴基斯坦的洪水以及格陵蘭的冰山這些前所未有的極端氣候，正與科學家所預測，將發生更多更劇烈的天氣現象相符合。

世界氣象組織(WMO)在11日發表聲明說：「幾個同時發生在世界各地的天災事變，造成了人類前所未有的生命財產損失。包括了俄羅斯的大火與破紀錄的熱浪、巴基斯坦季風造成的洪水、中國大陸暴雨產生的土石流以及格陵蘭冰蓋的斷裂。」

「像是澳洲的乾旱與大火，還有美國東部破紀錄的高溫，以及今年稍早發生的其他事件，都應該列入與極端氣候相關的事件之中」，聯合國專門機構WMO說。

WMO說，「以2007年發表的第4次政府間氣候變遷委員會(IPCC)評估報告為例，這些事件幾乎都發生在同一時間，點出了對極端氣候強度與頻率之間的可能關聯。」

IPCC決策者摘要指出「我們認為極端氣候的類型、強度以及頻率與地球的氣候變遷相關，即使是小的變化也能引起極端氣候。我們已經觀察到某些類型的極端氣候事件，例如說熱浪發生的頻率與強度在增加，大雨發生機會也變高。」

「雖然需要較長的觀測時間以確定個別事件與氣候變遷有關，但目前一連串的事件符合IPCC的預測，」WMO說。

發生在俄羅斯歐洲地區的熱浪，與一個發生在2010年6月的持續性高壓脊有關。起初，這個高壓出現在亞述爾高地(Azores high)，然後一股中東來的強大暖空氣增強了他的能量。

在莫斯科，超過20日的氣溫記錄被打破，包括歷史最高溫紀錄。高溫在俄羅斯歐洲地區引發了大規模的森林和泥炭火災。有些村莊被完全燒毀，濃煙和煙霧產生不利影響，大大的影響了幾千萬人的健康和福祉。

強烈的季風雨在巴基斯坦造成了洪水。據巴基斯坦氣象局表示，36小時的瞬間降雨強度達到300毫米。強勁的季風雨使該國北部的因達斯河(Indus River)打破自1929年以來110年的最高水位紀錄。巴基斯坦中部與南部大部分地區都陷入了一片汪洋。

迄今巴基斯坦的死亡人數超過已1600人，還有600多萬人流離失所。有些報告指出，有4千萬市民受到洪水影響。

中國也正經歷數十年來最嚴重的水災。最新的統計指出，發生在甘肅省舟曲縣在8月7日的土石流，已經奪走700條人命，失蹤人數超過1000人。另外還有超過1200萬人因為最近的水災而流離失所。

2010年8月5日，美國航太總署(NASA)水衛星(Aqua satellite)上的中解析度影像光譜輻射儀(MODIS)偵測到格林蘭北部彼德曼冰川(Petermann Glacier)的崩裂，面積廣達200平方公里，是自1962年起觀測與紀錄到最大的一塊。

格陵蘭每年有數以萬計的冰山由冰川崩裂，但這次的規模非常大，大小與典型的南極冰山類似。

根據俄羅斯水文氣象與環境監測局(Roshydromet)說，根據對過去的研究顯示，俄羅斯自10和11世紀以來1000多年，從來沒有類似如此的高溫紀錄。 Extreme Weather Events Signal Global Warming to World's MeteorologistsGENEVA, Switzerland, August 17, 2010 (ENS)

Fires across Russia, record floods in Pakistan, a huge Greenland iceberg - this current unprecedented sequence of extreme weather events "matches" scientific projections of more frequent and intense extreme weather events due to global warming, says an organization of meteorologists from 189 countries.

"Several diverse extreme weather events are occurring concurrently around the world, giving rise to an unprecedented loss of human life and property. They include the record heatwave and wildfires in the Russian Federation, monsoonal flooding in Pakistan, rain-induced landslides in China, and calving of a large iceberg from the Greenland ice sheet," said the World Meteorological Organization in a statement August 11.

"These should be added to the extensive list of extreme weather-related events, such as droughts and fires in Australia and a record number of high-temperature days in the eastern United States of America, as well as other events that occurred earlier in the year," said the WMO, a specialized agency of the United Nations.

"The occurrence of all these events at almost the same time raises questions about their possible linkages to the predicted increase in intensity and frequency of extreme events, for example, as stipulated in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's Fourth Assessment Report published in 2007," the WMO said.

The 2007 IPCC Summary for Policy Makers stated that "...the type, frequency and intensity of extreme events are expected to change as Earth's climate changes, and these changes could occur even with relatively small mean climate changes. Changes in some types of extreme events have already been observed, for example, increases in the frequency and intensity of heat waves and heavy precipitation events."

"While a longer time range is required to establish whether an individual event is attributable to climate change, the sequence of current events matches IPCC projections," the WMO said.

The heatwave in the European part of the Russian Federation is associated with a persistent pressure ridge that appeared in June 2010. Initially, it was associated with the Azores high, but later was reinforced by a strong inflow of warm air from the Middle East.

More than 20 daily temperature records were broken including the absolute maximum temperature in Moscow. The high temperatures triggered massive forest and peat fires in the European part of the country. Some villages were burned completely, with smoke and smog adversely and greatly affecting the health and well-being of tens of millions of people.

The floods in Pakistan were caused by strong monsoon rains. According to the Pakistan Meteorological Department, the instant rain intensity reached 300 millimeters over a 36-hour period. The strong monsoon rains led to the highest water levels in 110 years in the Indus River in the northern part of the country, based on past records available from 1929. More areas in central and south Pakistan are affected by the floods.

In Pakistan, the death toll to date exceeds 1,600 people and more than six million others have been displaced. Some reports indicate that 40 million citizens have been affected by the floods.

China also is experiencing its worst floods in decades. The recent death toll due to the mudslide in the Zhouqu county of Gansu province on August 7, exceeded 700, with more than 1,000 people missing. In addition, 12 million people are reported to have lost their homes owing to the recent floods.

On August 5, 2010, the MODIS sensor on NASA's Aqua satellite detected calving from the Petermann Glacier in northern Greenland. The largest chunk of ice to calve from the glacier in the past 50 years of observations and data (since 1962) measures more than 200 sq. km.

Tens of thousands of icebergs calve yearly from the glaciers of Greenland, but this one is very large and because of its size more typically resembles icebergs in the Antarctic.

According to Roshydromet, Russia's Federal Service for Hydrometeorology and Environmental Monitoring, studies of the past climate show no record of similar high temperatures in Russia since the 10th and 11th centuries more than 1,000 years ago.

全文及圖片詳見：ENS報導

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