The most lightning-struck place on Earth - Graeme Anderson

翻译人员: Tianshu Wang 校对人员: Jenny Yang

The epic poem "La Dragontea"

史诗《德雷克海盗》

describes how English explorer Sir Francis Drake

描述了英国探险家 弗朗西斯·德雷克爵士

sailed across the Gulf of Venezuela in 1595.

在1595年 穿过委内瑞拉海湾的航行。

He was aiming for the nearby Lake Maracaibo,

他本来的目的地 是附近的马拉开波湖，

home to a colony of Spanish settlers he planned to overthrow.

意图摧毁西班牙殖民者的老巢。

But as Drake moved towards the mouth of the lake under cover of darkness,

可是当爵士想趁着黑夜 驶入这个湖口时，

his plot was suddenly and magnificently foiled.

他的计划突然被彻底破坏了。

Huge flashes of lightning illuminated the landscape,

巨大的闪电照亮了四处，

exposing the fleet as if it were daytime,

让整个舰队如同暴露在白天一样，

which warned the Spanish about his approach.

西班牙人也由此发现了他们。

Lake Maracaibo is the stormiest place on the planet.

马拉开波湖是地球上 风暴最多的地方。

The massive body of water at over 13,000 square kilometers

超过13,000平方公里的巨大湖面上，

is a place of almost perpetual storming.

常年风暴不断。

Thunderstorms rage above it for up to 200 days of the year,

每年有近200次的雷暴在此发生。

each earsplitting event lasting for several hours.

这震耳欲聋的盛事 总会持续数小时。

Like everywhere else on Earth,

和地球上其他的地区一样，

lightning at Lake Maracaibo is the result of opposing electrical charges

马拉开波湖的雷电 也是正负电荷作用的结果。

that steadily build up inside storm clouds.

在乌云中，这些电荷会稳定地形成。

Once there's a large enough difference between charges either within the cloud

一旦电荷差已经足够大—— 无论是在云层中，

or between the clouds and the Earth below,

还是云层和地表之间——

it forms a spark that becomes a lightning bolt.

就会产生火花，并成为闪电。

Lightning strikes the earth about 350 million times per year,

地球上每年会发生3.5亿次闪电，

averaging out to eleven strikes a second.

平均每秒11次。

We know that thanks to satellites up in space and sensors on the ground.

通过太空卫星和地面接收器，

We can also measure the Earth's lightning density,

我们能测量地面闪电的密度，

which is the frequency with which lightning flashes in a square kilometer.

就是每平方公里闪电的频率。

Knowing where lightning strikes and how often

闪电的地点和频率

reveals the most lightning-rich places on Earth.

揭示了地球上闪电最多的那些地方。

In the polar regions,

在两极地区，

there may only be one strike per several square kilometers each year.

数平方公里的地面上 一年可能也只有一次闪电。

Meanwhile, lightning density at the equator

同时，赤道地区的闪电密度

averages out to tens of flashes per square kilometer

能达到每平方公里会数十次，

on account of the sun providing more heat to drive storms.

因为太阳提供了更多热量 来形成暴风雨。

Yet nowhere can quite compare with Lake Maracaibo,

但是没有一个地方 可以和马拉开波湖相提并论，

where lightning strikes an average 250 times per square kilometer,

那儿的闪电的次数 达到每平方公里250次，

giving it the highest lightning density of any place on Earth.

是地球上闪电密度最高的地方。

A number of factors converge to create the lake's seemingly everlasting storms.

几个条件的共同作用导致了 这个湖泊似乎永不停歇的暴风雨。

Firstly, Lake Maracaibo lies just ten degrees north of the Equator,

首先，马拉开波湖只有区区北纬10度，

so there's a wealth of solar energy available to fuel the storms.

所以有足够的太阳能为风暴提供动力。

Thunderstorms also require a supply of water vapor to feed on,

雷暴也需要水蒸汽的供应，

and having the warm waters of the Caribbean so close by

而这儿非常靠近加勒比的温暖水域，

provides an endless supply.

可以持续提供水蒸汽。

Finally, the lake's southern and western edges

最后，湖的南边和西边

are bordered by two massive mountain ranges,

有两条巨大的山脉阻隔，

and as cool winds surge down these slopes,

使冷风可以汹涌直下，

they force up warm air,

推高热空气，

destabilizing the atmosphere and causing storm clouds to form.

使大气失稳，形成乌云。

Together, these ingredients combine

以上因素一起作用，

to give rise to the most awe-inspiring thunderstorms on the planet,

促成了地球上最令人生畏的雷暴，

a true sight to behold.

一个真正的自然奇观。

Centuries ago, Sir Francis Drake may have cursed the lake's intense illumination,

几个世纪以前，弗朗西斯·德雷克爵士 也许诅咒过湖上的强光，

but today, sailors actually embrace this phenomenon.

不过现在的水手很喜欢这个奇景。

They call it the Maracaibo Beacon,

他们称之为马拉开波灯塔，

and use it as a natural lighthouse to illuminate their path across the seas.

并把它作为一个 照亮航道的天然灯塔。