VOA慢速英语--通过苏伊士运河到达地中海的入侵动物

Invasive Animals Passing Through Suez Canal to Mediterranean¹ Sea

Not long ago, Egypt marked the 150th anniversary of the opening of the Suez Canal.

The canal connects the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean. It helped speed world trade between the East and the West.

But the man-made waterway has also helped speed the rise of other things, such as invasive non-native species.

Scientists say the invasive creatures have damaged the Mediterranean's environment and caused native species to disappear.

The number of non-native creatures has risen since the Suez Canal was widened in 2015. The "New Suez Canal" has raised concerns in Europe and brought criticism from many Mediterranean countries.

The main critic has been Israel, Egypt's neighbor.

Bella Galil is an Israeli biologist who has studied the Mediterranean for over 30 years. She says much of the environmental damage cannot be repaired. She said urgent action is needed to ease the effects of the invasive fish and other sea life.

Galil works at Tel Aviv University's Steinhardt Museum of Natural History.

She noted² that the widening and deepening of the Suez Canal has created a "moving aquarium³" of species. These creatures could make coastal⁴ waters almost unusable for human beings.

Galil believes the number of invasive species has reached 400. That is two times the number from 30 years ago. She said this is a "historic example of the dangers of unintended consequences."

Affecting the whole Mediterranean

Israel is now dealing⁵ with huge numbers of poisonous jellyfish that affect coastal power centers and keep people from visiting the seashore.

Other poisonous species, such as the lionfish and silver-cheeked toadfish, are also appearing.

The invasion of new species has reached as far as Spain in the west. Many European countries on the Mediterranean are paying attention. The issue is expected to be discussed later this month at the United Nations meeting on ocean science in Venice, Italy.

Galil said the problems of invasive species can be compared to those of climate change, pollution and over-fishing. She argues that the new species have caused a major "restructuring" of the environment. This has endangered native species like mussels, prawns⁶ and red mullet.

Israel's Environmental Protection Ministry⁷ said it is concerned because its coast is the "first stop" for invasive species in the Mediterranean. But it noted that Israel cannot fight the problem alone.

Lebanese scientists at the American University in Beirut have written about threats to the environment linked to the canal's expansion. The Associated Press reports that scientists in eastern Mediterranean countries from Turkey to Tunisia share these concerns.

A possible way to fix the problem

Some experts have suggested that increasing salt levels in the canal itself could create a barrier that would keep invasive species out.

Desalination⁸ centers are currently being built, with money from Qatar, near the canal. They will make fresh water out of seawater. The first such plant is expected to open later this year.

Bella Galil said that if salt from the desalination centers could be put in the canal, it could create a "salinity⁹ barrier" to protect the Mediterranean. The Great and Litter Bitter Lakes, which are linked to the canal, once provided a salty barrier to animals that might pass through. But the lakes have become less salty because of the widening of the Suez Canal and agricultural wastewater.

Egypt does not consider the environmental concerns as urgent. The country has been at peace with Israel since 1979 and recently signed a huge agreement to supply Israel with natural gas.

Some Egyptians do not think the invasive species are a problem at all. Moustafa Fouda is an advisor¹⁰ to Egypt's environment minister. He said invasive species can be helpful by "replacing species that are overfished." He said only five percent of the invaders¹¹ are a problem.

Some Egyptian experts also deny that the widening of the canal is responsible for the increase in invasive species. They say that rising water temperatures and wastewater from ships are to blame.

The Suez Canal Authority is the government agency that operates the canal. It says the environmental concerns are overstated. The agency said the widening of the canal has increased water flow into the Mediterranean by only four percent.

Canal officials say they are closely watching the movements of sea creatures. They say they are requiring ships to take measures to avoid carrying species from one side of the canal to the other. And they are trying to keep salt levels high in the Bitter Lakes as a barrier.

Galil, however, questions whether these measures will be enough to serve as a barrier against invasive species.

"One day we will wake up to a complete and irreversible change and know that there was something we could have done about it, if only it had been done on time," she said.

Words in This Story

species – n. a group of animals or plants that can produce young and are closely linked

aquarium – n. a container to keep fish

unintended – adj. not planned as a purpose or goal

consequences – n. the result of some action or decision

irreversible – n. something that cannot be changed back

1 Mediterranean   

adj.地中海的；地中海沿岸的

参考例句：

• The houses are Mediterranean in character.这些房子都属地中海风格。
• Gibraltar is the key to the Mediterranean.直布罗陀是地中海的要冲。

2 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

3 aquarium   

n.水族馆，养鱼池，玻璃缸

参考例句：

• The first time I saw seals was in an aquarium.我第一次看见海豹是在水族馆里。
• I'm going to the aquarium with my parents this Sunday.这个星期天，我要和父母一起到水族馆去。

4 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。

5 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

6 prawns   

n.对虾，明虾( prawn的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Mine was a picture of four translucent prawns, with two small fish swimming above them. 给我画的是四只虾，半透明的，上画有两条小鱼。 来自汉英文学 - 现代散文
• Shall we get some shrimp and prawns? 我们要不要买些小虾和对虾？ 来自无师自通 校园英语会话

7 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

8 desalination   

n.脱盐(作用)

参考例句：

• Crops can be grown on this land after desalination. 这片土地经过脱盐就可以种植庄稼了。
• One source is by desalination-taking the salt out of salt water to make it drinkable. 淡水的来源之一是使水淡化--把含盐的水中的盐份去掉，使之能够饮用。

9 salinity   

n.盐分；咸度；盐浓度；咸性

参考例句：

• In the sea water sampled the salinity is two parts per thousand.在取样的海水中，盐度为千分之二。
• In many sedimentary basins the salinity of the formation water increases with depth or compaction.在许多沉积盆地中，地层水的含盐量随深度或压实作用而增高。

10 advisor   

n.顾问，指导老师，劝告者

参考例句：

• They employed me as an advisor.他们聘请我当顾问。
• The professor is engaged as a technical advisor.这位教授被聘请为技术顾问。

11 invaders   

入侵者，侵略者，侵入物( invader的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• They prepared to repel the invaders. 他们准备赶走侵略军。
• The family has traced its ancestry to the Norman invaders. 这个家族将自己的世系追溯到诺曼征服者。