1-Arctic 北极

2-as few as 15 years 短短15年

Arctic may see ' ice-free' summers in as few as 15 years, study says.

3-take a toll on 造成损失，付出代价

Climate change is taking its toll on one of the world's coldest place.

4-essentially 本质上，大概

A study suggests that the Arctic may be essentially ice-free during summer within 15 years.

5-statistical 统计的

The study used statistical model to predict the future amount of Arctic ice.

6-a canary in a cold mine 危险的预兆

Arctic ice has long been considered a canary in a cold mine for climate scientists.

7-conducive 有助于某事

It's conducive to regulate the planet's temperature by influencing the circulation of the atmosphere and ocean.

8-erosion 侵蚀，腐蚀

The extent of Arctic ice is important to Arctic peoples, whose lands are being affected by increased coastal erosion.

9-refer to sth as sth 当作，称为

What scientists refers to as the first ice-free Arctic year will occur when the Arctic has less than 1 million square kilometers of sea ice.