VOA慢速英语--臭海藻威胁墨西哥海岸旅游业

Smelly Seaweed Threatens Mexican Coast Tourism

Vacationers visit Mexican coastal¹ towns like Cancun, Playa del Carmen and Tulum in search of sun, white sands and clear blue waters. But, recently, they have also experienced something unexpected: sargassum.

Sargassum is a kind of sea plant called “seaweed.” It smells bad and is generally unattractive.

Now, this seaweed is invading an area of Mexico’s Caribbean coast called the Riviera Maya. It is amassing² along beaches and turning the beautiful waters brown. Experts warn that this may be the new normal.

Half of Mexico’s tourism profits come from the Riviera Maya. Very little sargassum reached it before 2014. But experts say a possible combination of climate change, pollution from fertilizers and changes in ocean currents has caused the problem to worsen.

The government of Quintana Roo, a state in Mexico, says the sargassum invasion is one of the biggest issues “that climate change has caused for the world.” It said solving the problem will require a joint³ effort by many countries.

When comparing March 2018 to March 2019, tourist arrivals at the Cancun airport were up 3.3 percent. But, people fear the sargassum issue will harm the tourism trade.

When sargassum dies, it leaves a terrible egg-like smell. And, as the dead seaweed drops to the ocean floor, it can kill the coral the Caribbean is known for.

Too much of the seaweed on beaches can also harm the reproductive process of sea turtles.

Jef A. Gardner travels often to Playa del Carmen from Knoxville, Tennessee. He told the Associated Press he thinks the sargassum problem is a disaster that will badly hurt tourism and the local economy.

This year, the sargassum along parts of Mexico’s coast appears worse than it was last year. And the increased growth is not just a problem for Mexico. It affects almost all countries along the Caribbean Sea on some level.

The U.S. Gulf⁴ coast also was hit with an overload⁵ of sargassum in 2014. The seaweed invaded beaches of Florida’s eastern coast in 2018. The east coast of Florida is getting hit again this year.

The seaweed is coming from Atlantic Ocean waters past the mouth of the Amazon River.

Chuanmin Hu is a professor of oceanography at South Florida University’s College of Marine⁶ Science. He says the sargassum seems to be the result of increased nutrient⁷ flows from rivers and ocean water upwelling.

Upwelling is the process of cold seawater filled with nutrients⁸ rising up from the deep. Ocean currents then carry the seaweed to the Caribbean Sea, where it can grow further.

Hu says this process is unlikely to soon stop. He says more research is needed before definitely linking it all to human activity. But, he pointed⁹ to evidence of “increased use of fertilizer and increased deforestation” as possible causes, at least for the Amazon.

For now, business owners of Mexico’s beach resorts are trying to find solutions.

“What you have to do is stop it before it even reaches the beaches,” said Adrian Lopez, the president of Quintana Roo’s employers’ federation¹⁰.

But, as Lopez notes, trying to collect sargassum on water could harm some sea life, such as coral that live in shallow waters close to the coast.

Removal of sargassum after it hits beaches is also risky¹¹. It could harm the sea turtle eggs or young, for example. And masses of it usually return by the end of each day anyway, Lopez explains.

Other ideas for solutions are appearing, such as using it as an additive¹² to make bricks. But its usefulness as a fertilizer or animal feed is limited by the chemicals it contains, like salt, iodine¹³ and arsenic¹⁴.

In Quintana Roo, tourism industry workers make up almost all of the local population. Some are concerned about a federal government plan to establish a train line between coastal areas and Mayan ruins. They say the government is ignoring the seaweed problem.

“With Sargassum, there is No Mayan Train,” reads a sign launched by local businesses.

I’m Susan Shand.

And I’m Alice Bryant.

Words in This Story

tourism – n. the activity of traveling to a place for pleasure

fertilizer – n. a substance (such as manure¹⁵ or a special chemical) that is added to soil to help the growth of plants

coral – n. an invertebrate¹⁶ sea animal that forms reefs

brick – n. a small, hard block of baked materials that is used to build structures and sometimes to make streets or paths

ruins – n. the remaining pieces of something that was destroyed, especially from ancient civilizations

1 coastal   

adj.海岸的，沿海的，沿岸的

参考例句：

• The ocean waves are slowly eating away the coastal rocks.大海的波浪慢慢地侵蚀着岸边的岩石。
• This country will fortify the coastal areas.该国将加强沿海地区的防御。

2 amassing   

v.积累，积聚( amass的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The study of taxonomy must necessarily involve the amassing of an encyclopaedic knowledge of plants. 分类学研究一定要积累广博的植物知识。 来自辞典例句
• Build your trophy room while amassing awards and accolades. 建立您的奖杯积累奖项和荣誉。 来自互联网

3 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

4 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

5 overload   

vt.使超载；n.超载

参考例句：

• Don't overload the boat or it will sink.别超载，否则船会沉。
• Large meals overload the digestive system.吃得太饱会加重消化系统的负担。

6 marine   

adj.海的；海生的；航海的；海事的；n.水兵

参考例句：

• Marine creatures are those which live in the sea. 海洋生物是生存在海里的生物。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

7 nutrient   

adj.营养的，滋养的；n.营养物，营养品

参考例句：

• Magnesium is the nutrient element in plant growth.镁是植物生长的营养要素。
• The roots transmit moisture and nutrient to the trunk and branches.根将水分和养料输送到干和枝。

8 nutrients   

n.（食品或化学品）营养物，营养品( nutrient的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a lack of essential nutrients 基本营养的缺乏
• Nutrients are absorbed into the bloodstream. 营养素被吸收进血液。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

10 federation   

n.同盟，联邦，联合，联盟，联合会

参考例句：

• It is a federation of 10 regional unions.它是由十个地方工会结合成的联合会。
• Mr.Putin was inaugurated as the President of the Russian Federation.普京正式就任俄罗斯联邦总统。

11 risky   

adj.有风险的，冒险的

参考例句：

• It may be risky but we will chance it anyhow.这可能有危险，但我们无论如何要冒一冒险。
• He is well aware how risky this investment is.他心里对这项投资的风险十分清楚。

12 additive   

adj.附加的；n.添加剂

参考例句：

• Colour is often an additive in foods.颜料经常是各种食物中的添加物。
• Strict safety tests are carried out on food additives.对食品添加剂进行了严格的安全检测。

13 iodine   

n.碘，碘酒

参考例句：

• The doctor painted iodine on the cut.医生在伤口上涂点碘酒。
• Iodine tends to localize in the thyroid.碘容易集于甲状腺。

14 arsenic   

n.砒霜，砷；adj.砷的

参考例句：

• His wife poisoned him with arsenic.他的妻子用砒霜把他毒死了。
• Arsenic is a poison.砒霜是毒药。

15 manure   

n.粪，肥，肥粒；vt.施肥

参考例句：

• The farmers were distributing manure over the field.农民们正在田间施肥。
• The farmers used manure to keep up the fertility of their land.农夫们用粪保持其土质的肥沃。

16 invertebrate   

n.无脊椎动物

参考例句：

• Half of all invertebrate species live in tropical rain forests.一半的无脊椎动物物种生活在热带雨林中。
• Worms are an example of invertebrate animals.蠕虫是无脊椎动物的一个例子。