VOA慢速英语2019 厄尔尼诺现象致干旱 巴拿马运河航运受影响（在线收听）

Drought Affects Panama Canal Shipping

This year’s El Nino weather pattern brought a drought to Panama. The lack of rain has lowered the level of the country’s Gatun Lake, a major part of the Panama Canal.

今年的厄尔尼诺气候模式使巴拿马遭遇旱灾。缺少雨水使得该国加通湖的水位下降，该湖是巴拿马运河的一个主要部分。

El Nino is a repeating weather pattern. During El Nino years, warm ocean temperatures in the Pacific lead to dry conditions in some areas, and wet conditions in others.

厄尔尼诺是一种反复的天气模式。发生厄尔尼诺现象期间，太平洋温暖的海洋温度导致某些地区发生干燥情况，其他地区变得潮湿。

Recently, Panama’s Canal Authority put limits on ships moving through the waterway’s locks.

最近，巴拿马运河管理局对通过船闸的船舶进行限制。

The Canal Authority’s move restricts how deeply ships can reach below the surface. That means large ships, mainly from the United States and China, must pass through with less cargo.

运河管理局的举动限制了船舶的吃水深度。这意味着主要来自美国和中国的大型船舶必须减轻载货量。

The canal charges shipping companies based on the size of the ship and how much cargo it carries. So, lighter ships mean less profit for everyone.

运河根据船舶的大小以及载货量向轮船公司收费。因此，更轻的船只意味着各方的利润都会减少。

Carlos Vargas is the vice president of environment and water for the Canal Authority. He said recently that Gatun — one of the largest artificial lakes in the world – was 1.4 meters below normal levels for this time of year. It has dropped more than 0.2 meters since early April. A smaller lake that also supplies the waterway, Alajuela, was 2.2 meters below usual.

卡洛斯·巴尔加斯是运河管理局环境和水利部门的副总裁。 他最近表示，加通湖，作为世界上最大的人工湖之一，今年比以往这个时候的正常水位低1.4米。自4月初以来，该湖水位已下降超过0.2米。还有一条较小的湖泊，阿拉胡埃拉湖，也提供水道，它比平时水位下降了2.2米。

“These low levels in the Panama Canal are the product of four or five months of almost zero precipitation,” Vargas told The Associated Press. “It really has been the driest dry season we’ve had in the history of the canal. The flow of rivers to the lake is down 60%.”

“巴拿马运河的这些低水位源于四到五个月几乎为零的降水，”巴尔加斯告诉美联社，“这真的是这条运河经历的史上最干旱季。流向湖泊的河流量减少了60％。”

This is not the first time the Canal Authority has faced extreme weather patterns. A dry season in 2015-2016, also linked to El Nino, cost some $40 million in earnings.

这并不是运河管理局第一次遇到极端天气模式。2015-2016年的旱季也与厄尔尼诺相关，耗费约4,000万美元的收入。

And the drought is affecting more than shipping. Water supplies and profits from tourism are two other concerns.

干旱不仅影响航运，还产生另外两个问题：影响供水和旅游业的收益。

Steve Paton is with the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute. He says drinking water will likely not be a problem this year, but he does not know about the future. Weather events are becoming increasingly extreme, he notes.

史蒂夫· 佩顿是史密森热带研究所的成员。他表示，今年饮用水可能不会成为问题，但他不知道将来会怎样。他指出，天气事件正变得越来越极端。

Telvinia Tascón is an artist in San Antonio Wounaan on the Gatun River. Tascon said tourists usually visit every day to buy handmade goods, but lately the motorboats are having trouble moving in the channels. She says this is the strongest drought she can remember. “For me it’s sad,” she adds.

泰尔维尼亚· 塔斯孔是一位艺术家，她住在加通河上的圣安东尼奥吴南。塔斯孔表示，游客通常每天都会去购买手工制品，但最近汽艇却很难在河道上行进。她说这是记忆中最严重的干旱现象。她补充道：“我对此感到难过。”

Relief could come by late May or mid-June, when rains from the wet season fill the lakes.

5月下旬或6月中旬，雨季降雨将会补给湖泊，情况可能会得到缓解。

Words in This Story

drought – n. a long period of time during which there is very little or no rain

lock – n. an area in a canal or river that has gates at each end which are opened and closed to control the level of the water in different sections of the canal or river as boats move through it

artificial – adj. not happening or existing naturally : created or caused by people

precipitation – n. water that falls to the ground as rain, snow, etc.