解释性报道——阿联酋沿海漏油事件可能如何影响海水淡化厂？路透社迪拜10月29日电——阿联酋沿海发生的一起漏油事件导致捕鱼活动和多个海滩的进入受到临时限制，这引发了人们对环境污染风险的担忧，以及对海水淡化厂潜在影响的质疑。主要的环保担忧是什么？
Explainer - How could the oil spill off the UAE coast affect desalination plants? By Federico Maccioni DUBAI, Oct 29 - An oil spill off the United Arab Emirates that has prompted temporary restrictions on fishing and on access to several beaches has raised concerns over the risk of environmental contamination and questions about the potential impact on desalination plants. WHAT ARE THE MAIN ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS?
这起漏油事件源于一艘船只。航运消息人士确认该船为“宝石2号”（Gem No.2）原油油轮，他们称该船上个月在哈伊马角酋长国阿尔杰济拉（Al Jazeera）以西13海里处遭到不明弹丸袭击。
The spill is coming from a vessel that shipping sources have identified as crude oil tanker Gem No.2, which they said had been struck by an unidentified projectile last month 13 nautical miles west of Al Jazeera, in the Ras Al Khaimah emirate. Residents in some northern emirates had posted on social media about strange odours, but authorities said last week that those posed no health risks.
北部一些酋长国的居民曾在社交媒体上发布关于奇怪气味的消息，但当局上周表示，这些气味不会对健康造成风险。
On Wednesday, authorities in Sharjah were the latest to close all beaches as a precaution.
沙迦当局于周三采取预防措施，关闭了所有海滩，这是最新采取此类行动的地区。
Repeated attacks on commercial vessels since the start of the US-Israeli war with Iran have heightened fears over the conflict's environmental fallout.
自美国和以色列与伊朗的战争爆发以来，针对商船的连环袭击加剧了人们对冲突环境后果的担忧。
The incident off the UAE has also raised questions about what impact oil spills can have on desalination plants, which crowd the Emirati coastline and, just like in other Gulf countries, are a key supplier of water.
阿联酋沿海的这起事件也引发了人们的疑问，即漏油会对海水淡化厂产生什么影响。阿联酋海岸线密布着海水淡化厂，它们和海湾其他国家一样，是关键的供水来源。
In the UAE, desalinated water accounts for more than 80% of potable water. Major plants include those at Dubai's Jebel Ali industrial port, and at Taweelah between Abu Dhabi and Dubai.
在阿联酋，淡化水占饮用水总量的80%以上。主要的海水淡化厂包括位于迪拜杰贝阿里（Jebel Ali）工业港的海水淡化厂，以及位于阿布扎比和迪拜之间的塔韦拉（Taweelah）海水淡化厂。
Gulf desalination plants had already come under threat from direct hits in the conflict earlier this year. Maritime intelligence firm Windward said on Sunday that the leak was threatening the seawater intake of the Naqa'a desalination plant at the border between Umm Al Quwain and Ras Al Khaimah.
今年早些时候，海湾地区的海水淡化厂在冲突中已经面临直接打击的威胁。
Footage verified by Reuters showed that the oil slick had reached a location in Ras Al Khaimah about 2 km away from the plant.
海事情报公司温沃德（Windward）周日表示，漏油事件正威胁着乌姆盖万与哈伊马角交界处的纳卡阿（Naqa'a）海水淡化厂的海水取水口。
Water experts told Reuters that it was currently hard to assess the potential impact on desalination plants without more information on the extent of the spill.
经路透社核实的画面显示，这片漏油已到达哈伊马角距离该厂约2公里的位置。
There have been no shutdowns of plants announced in the UAE so far.
水务专家告诉路透社，在没有关于漏油规模的更多信息之前，目前很难评估对海水淡化厂的潜在影响。截至目前，阿联酋尚未宣布任何海水淡化厂关停。
The UAE Ministry of Climate Change and Environment, Ras Al Khaimah Media Office and the Naqa'a plant did not immediately respond to requests for comment. WHAT'S THE LEVEL OF RISK FROM THIS SPILL?
阿联酋气候变化与环境部、哈伊马角媒体办公室以及纳卡阿海水淡化厂没有立即回应置评请求。此次漏油事件的风险水平如何？
Any oil spill has the potential to impact the environment, but the extent of the damage depends on the type of oil and the volume, said Simon Boxall, a senior lecturer at the University of Southampton. Satellite technology can help identify oil slicks floating on the sea's surface but does not provide an indication of how thick that layer is, he noted.
南安普顿大学高级讲师西蒙·博克斯all（Simon Boxall）表示，任何漏油事件都有可能对环境产生影响，但破坏程度取决于石油的类型和数量。
"Crude oil in particular is a natural product.
他指出，卫星技术有助于识别浮在海面上的油膜，但无法显示该油层的厚度。
And so crude oil will break down in the marine environment, particularly in the warm waters such as the Gulf, within a matter of a few weeks," he said.
他说：“尤其是原油，它是一种天然产物。因此，原油会在海洋环境中，特别是在海湾等温暖水域中，在几周内分解。”
"A thicker spill obviously carries more oil, and when it hits the beaches, when it hits the marine environment, both at sea, on the seabed, and on the coast, then it has a potential to cause more damage.
“更厚的漏油显然含有更多的石油，当它冲击海滩、冲击海洋环境（无论是在海上、海床还是海岸上）时，就有可能造成更大的破坏。它最终会分解，但这确实需要时间。”对海水淡化厂的潜在威胁是什么？
It will eventually break down, but that does take time." WHAT'S THE POTENTIAL THREAT TO DESALINATION PLANTS?
博克斯all说，一旦石油接近海水淡化厂，必须立即关停工厂，以避免污染。
Plants need to be shut down as soon as oil gets anywhere near them to avoid contamination, said Boxall.
纽约大学阿布扎比分校水研究中心主任尼达尔·希拉尔（Nidal Hilal）表示，即使石油没有实际接触到海水淡化厂本身，漏油也会对海水淡化厂构成威胁，其中主要的脆弱环节是海水取水口，该取水口将未经处理的海水抽入设施进行处理。
Nidal Hilal, director of New York University Abu Dhabi's Water Research Center, said oil spills can threaten desalination plants even when the oil does not physically reach the plant itself, with the principal vulnerability being the seawater intake, which draws raw seawater into the facility for treatment.
他对路透社说：“对于将海水淡化作为饮用水安全基石的阿联酋而言，一个核心担忧是石油是否会到达海水取水口并危及处理过程。”n他说，区分水质威胁、工厂临时关停以及设施的实际物理损坏是很重要的。可以采取什么措施来防止损害以及维修需要多长时间？最有效的策略是建立多层防护，而不是依赖单一的干预措施。
"For the UAE, where desalination is a cornerstone of drinking-water security, a key concern is whether the oil could reach seawater intakes and compromise the treatment process," he told Reuters. It is important to make a distinction between a threat to water quality, a temporary shutdown of a plant, and actual physical damage to the facility, he said. WHAT CAN BE DONE TO PREVENT DAMAGE AND HOW LONG DO REPAIRS TAKE? The most effective strategy is to establish several layers of protection rather than rely on a single intervention.
希拉尔说：“对于当前的事件，当务之急应该是防止石油到达海水淡化取水口、保护处理设备，并维持安全可靠的饮用水供应。”
"For the current incident, the priorities should be to prevent oil from reaching desalination intakes, protect treatment equipment, and maintain a safe and reliable drinking-water supply," said Hilal.
他说，通常情况下，恢复时间取决于受污染的海水是否进入了工厂，以及该事件是否会导致持续的污垢积聚和设备损坏，他同时列举了工厂设计以及石油的类型和数量等也会发挥作用的因素。过去发生过类似事件吗？
Generally, recovery time depends on whether contaminated seawater entered the plant and if the incident causes persistent fouling and equipment damage, he said, listing plant design and the type and quantity of oil among factors that can also play a role. HAVE SIMILAR INCIDENTS HAPPENED IN THE PAST?
希拉尔说，技术研究和以往的事件表明，石油污染会打乱海水淡化运营，甚至损坏处理设备。
Technical studies and previous incidents have shown that oil contamination can disrupt desalination operations and even damage treatment equipment, said Hilal.
1991年海湾战争期间发生的一起重大漏油事件最终成为历史上规模最大的漏油事件之一，导致沙特阿拉伯和科威特的多家海水淡化厂关停，并造成大面积海岸线污染。
A major spill in 1991 during the Gulf War ended up being one of the largest in history, leading to several desalination plant shutdowns in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait and causing extensive shoreline contamination.
博克斯all说：“几十年后的今天，我们依然能看到那场特定事件带来的污染问题。”
"Decades on, we are still seeing problems with pollution from that particular incident," said Boxall.
然而，他指出，那次事件以及2010年墨西哥湾漏油事件的规模要大得多，并指出阿联酋的漏油事件“根本达不到那种规模”。
However, that spill and the one in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010 were much larger, he said, noting that the UAE spill was not "anything of that scale".