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All that movement of water generates a lot of energy, and one way to harness that energy is by building a structure called a barrage there.
水体的所有运动会产生很多能量，而利用这些能量的一个方法就是在那里建造一个叫做拦河坝的建筑物。
A barrage is basically a large low dam that’s built across an estuary.
拦河坝基本上就是建在入海口上的一个很大的低坝。
When the tides go in and out, the moving water flows through tunnels in the barrage.
当潮汐进进出出时，移动的水会流过拦河坝里的隧道。
So you have huge amounts of water trying to flow through these relatively small tunnels and that turns turbines that generate electricity.
所以会有巨大量的水流试图流过这些相对较小的隧道，而这推动了发电的涡轮。
Now, these estuaries are important because of their high level of biological productivity, they are home to lots of birds, fish and other marine life.
这些入海口之所以很重要是因为它们高水平的生物生产力，它们是很多鸟类、鱼类和其他海洋生物的家园。
So when you propose to construct a barrage, you have lots of issues to consider, for example, it would change the existing water levels in the estuary.
所以当你提出要建造一个拦河坝时，你有很多问题需要考虑，比如它会改变入海口现有的水位。
Since a lot of water is getting held up by the barrage, the incoming tides won’t go as high, but they wouldn’t be as low during low tide, either.
因为很多水被拦河坝拦住了，流入的潮汐水位就没有那么高了，但它们在低潮时也不会降到那么低。
This might help prevent flooding, but it would also affect the mudflats.
这也许有助于防洪，但它也会影响泥滩。
Those areas of mud that normally are exposed when the tide recedes.
退潮后，那些泥滩一般是暴露在外的。
But don’t lots of birds rely on exposed mudflats for food? I mean don’t they eat tiny animals that live in the mud?
但是不是很多鸟类都依赖那些暴露在外的泥滩进食吗？我是说它们不是以生活在泥里的微小动物为食吗？
And what about those tiny animals? What would happen to them if the mudflats were endangered?
那些微小动物呢？如果泥滩受到了危害它们会怎么样呢？
So you are seeing some of the potential problems with the barrage.
所以你看到了拦河坝带来的一些潜在问题。
But consider this, right now, the water in an estuary is very cloudy.
但是你想啊，现在入海口的水非常浑浊。
The tidal currents are constantly churning up the sediments that rivers deposit in the estuary.
潮汐的水流不断地搅动河水沉积在入海口的沉淀物。
