Lia Folkson-Arti

This morning its actually a relatively mild –31℃for Yakutia. The Republic of Sakha （Yakutia） proudly boasts the coldest inhabited village on Earth， the city of Oymyakon in the north of the Republic. And， indeed， some 40% of the Republic lies above the Arctic Circle and is covered by 1）permafrost.

This is a republic of extremes with temperatures ranging from on average over –40℃ up to plus 38℃in summer. It is a sharply continental here， the climate， and thats largely due to the Republics position in the most far eastern and northern part of Siberia.

This may look like a winter wonderland， but with temperatures dropping to –70℃， your 2）eyelashes frost over if you stand and stare at it for too long. Were in the coldest village on Earth， and it feels like it.

Brrr. To say its cold here is an understatement. Its like living in a freezer. My nose has gone red， my nostril hairs are frozen over， my hair has turned to ice， and even with these gloves on， I can feel my fingers starting to go numb. Im in danger of turning into an icicle， so Im gonna have to go and thaw out.

But locals seem to take this weather in their 3）stride. Tatiana tells us this is the best time of year to make a much-loved delicacy， frozen raw river fish， a kind of Yakutian sushi.

Tatiana（via translator）： This method preserves the fish so we can keep it for a long time， and it seals in the vitamins.

The spine-chilling world record of –71℃ was measured at this weather station in 1926， and placed Oymyakon firmly in the Guinness Book as the coldest inhabited settlement. 4）Meteorologist Valery tests the ice thickness on the river twice a day， a chance to taste the fresh but Arctic water. He tells us this village is in a valley surrounded by two high mountains that trap cold winter air and stop warmer air getting in. Thats what causes the big chill.

Valery Vinokourov（via translator）： I personally recorded a temperature of –63℃ a few years ago. It was so cold that my spit froze before it hit the ground.

Across Yakutia， the ground is permanently frozen all year round， a soil condition called permafrost， which covers 65% of Russia. At the Permafrost Institute in Yakutsk， were taken on a tour of the underground research lab， where scientists investigate the frozen soil. They say its as hard as concrete.

Valery（via translator）： These ice samples are marked according to their properties. This sample is a piece of permafrost. The 5）streaks of ice and soil grow according to age， like the circles in a tree 6）stump.

But back above ground in the Oymyakon region， it takes some effort to keep warm， especially as weve broken down. In this part of the world， drivers set off in pairs. Stuck alone on an isolated road is a far from pleasant prospect.

But there are some locals who are used to a life of isolation. Nicolai was sent to Yakutia as a prisoner during Soviet times. He toughened up to the cold， and since then hes stayed. And so， without electricity， sanitation or heating， Nicolai lives with the land and with his 20-year-old wife. Nicolai（via translator）： This is my love. Shes the only person who gives me joy and warms my heart.

Here its a daily challenge to defeat yet embrace the polar 7）climes， at times proving a psychological battle against the elements.

今天早上在雅庫特，氣溫比平常算是相對溫和的了，只有零下31攝氏度。薩哈（雅庫特）共和國因擁有世界上最寒冷的居住地而自豪，那就是位于這個共和國北部的奧伊米亞康市。事實(shí)確實(shí)如此，這個共和國大約有40%的土地在北極圈內(nèi)，被永久凍土層覆蓋。

這是一個有著極端氣溫的地方，它的平均氣溫跨度從冬天的零下40攝氏度到夏天的38攝氏度。這是非常典型的大陸性氣候，因?yàn)檫@個共和國地處西伯利亞的最東端和最北部。

這一切看起來像是冬天的奇妙仙境，可是，當(dāng)氣溫下降到零下70攝氏度，如果你站在室外看風(fēng)景的時間太長，你的眼睫毛都會結(jié)冰。身處世界上最寒冷的村莊，我們確實(shí)能感覺到這一點(diǎn)。

哦哦，如果只是說這里冷，那就太輕描淡寫了。這里給人的感覺就像是住在了冰箱的冷凍層里一樣。我的鼻子已經(jīng)凍成了紅色，鼻毛結(jié)了冰，頭發(fā)也變成了冰條，甚至于我雖然戴了手套，但還是能感覺得到手指在變麻木。我快變成一根冰柱了，現(xiàn)在我得去把自己解凍。

可是當(dāng)?shù)厝藚s是泰然面對這種天氣。塔提雅娜告訴我們，這里有一種類似壽司的雅庫特美食，是冰凍的河魚壽司，人人都喜愛?，F(xiàn)在正是一年當(dāng)中制作這種美味最好的時候。

塔提雅娜（通過翻譯）：這種保存的方法可以讓魚放很長時間，還能保存它里面的維生素。

1926年，這個氣象站測到了讓人聽后脊背發(fā)涼的世界最低溫度——零下71攝氏度，《吉尼斯世界紀(jì)錄大全》也因此毫無爭議地把奧伊米亞康列為世界上最寒冷的人類居住區(qū)。氣象學(xué)家瓦萊里每天兩次測量河面冰層的厚度，他可以借此嘗到新鮮但卻冰冷的北極水。他告訴我們，村子在山谷里，被兩座高山包圍。因此，寒冷的冬天氣流都被鎖在山谷里，而暖流又無法進(jìn)入。這就是這里異常寒冷的原因。

瓦萊里·維諾庫羅夫（通過翻譯）：我自己在幾年前曾經(jīng)錄到零下63度的氣溫。當(dāng)時實(shí)在是太冷了，我吐的口水還沒有落地就成冰了。

在雅庫特，土地一年到頭都是凍土，這種地質(zhì)狀況叫永久性凍土層，俄羅斯65%的土地被這種凍土層覆蓋。我們參觀了雅庫茨克的永久性凍土層研究所的地下研究實(shí)驗(yàn)室，科學(xué)家在那里對凍土進(jìn)行研究。他們說凍土就像混凝土般堅(jiān)硬。

瓦萊里（通過翻譯）：我們根據(jù)這些冰塊樣品的特性給它們作標(biāo)示。這個樣本是一塊永久凍土，上面的脈冰和土壤與它形成的時間相關(guān)，就像樹墩上的年輪一樣。

但在奧伊米亞康的地面上，要保持身體暖和還是得花點(diǎn)功夫，尤其是我們的車拋錨了。在地球上的這個角落，司機(jī)通常都是成對地出車，因?yàn)橐且粋€人被困在偏僻的路上，那可不是什么好玩的事。

不過呢，還是有些當(dāng)?shù)厝艘呀?jīng)習(xí)慣了這偏遠(yuǎn)地區(qū)的生活。尼古拉在前蘇聯(lián)時期作為罪犯被放逐到雅庫特。面對寒冷，他變得堅(jiān)強(qiáng)，此后他一直留在這個地方。于是，他與20歲的年輕妻子在沒有電力供應(yīng)、沒有衛(wèi)生設(shè)施和供熱設(shè)備的條件下，在這片土地上生活。

尼古拉（通過翻譯）：這是我的摯愛。她是惟一讓我快樂，溫暖我心靈的人。

在這里，既要戰(zhàn)勝這種極地氣候，又要欣然接受它，每天都是一場挑戰(zhàn)。有的時候，它更意味著要與大自然打一場心理戰(zhàn)。翻譯：丁一

背景小知識

奧伊米亞康的冷

奧伊米亞康是俄羅斯東北部西伯利亞山地中的一個盆地，也是一個村莊。它地處北緯63.27°的高緯度，屬于典型的亞寒帶針葉林氣候。據(jù)說，當(dāng)?shù)氐臐O民從冰面下把魚打上來后，僅需30秒鐘魚就會凍上，僵硬得如同一塊板子。一年里奧伊米亞康最盛大的活動就是慶?！昂錁O點(diǎn)節(jié)”。

為什么成為“寒極”？

緯度較高：大致位置是63°N，143°E，屬于比較偏北的地區(qū)，因此該區(qū)得到的太陽輻射少。

海拔較高：海拔在2000米以上。

寒冷中心：盆地地形，氣流不流暢，湍流交換弱。冬季地面散熱快，又處于周圍山地的環(huán)繞之中，冷氣流沿著山坡下沉至盆地底部，使盆地底部更加寒冷。