A guide to the energy of the Earth - Joshua M. Sneideman

地球能量指南 - Joshua M. Sneideman

翻译人员: Winter Wei 校对人员: Xiaoou Chen

Energy is all around us,

我们周围充满了能量，

a physical quantity that follows precise natural laws.

一种严格遵循自然规律的物理质量。

Our universe has a finite amount of it;

宇宙中的能量是有限的；

it's neither created nor destroyed

能量不会产生也不会毁灭，

but can take different forms,

但能以不同形式存在，

such as kinetic or potential energy,

如动能和势能，

with different properties and formulas to remember.

有不同的性质和公式要记。

For instance,

比如，

an LED desk lamp's 6 Watt bulb

一个LED（发光二极管）灯的6瓦灯泡

transfers 6 Joules of light energy per second.

每秒转移6焦耳的光能。

But let's jump back up into space

但让我们回到宇宙空间

to look at our planet, its systems, and their energy flow.

看一看我们的星球，它的系统，及其能量流。

Earth's physical systems include

地球的物理系统包括

the atmosphere, hydrosphere,

大气层，

水圈

lithosphere, and biosphere.

岩石圈，

和生物圈。

Energy moves in and out of these systems,

能量在这些系统之间出入流动，

and during any energy transfer between them,

能量在它们之间转换的时候，

some is lost to the surroundings,

有些在周围事物间流失了，

as heat, light, sound,

比如热、光、声、震动，或活动。

vibration, or movement.

Our planet's energy comes from internal and external sources.

我们星球的能量来自于

内部和外部的能源；

Geothermal energy from radioactive isotopes

地热能来自于放射性同位素

and rotational energy from the spinning of the Earth

以及地球自转时产生的旋转能，

are internal sources of energy,

这些是内部能源。

while the Sun is the major external source,

而太阳则是最主要的外部能源，

driving certain systems, like our weather and climate.

影响了一些如

天气和气候的系统。

Sunlight warms the surface and atmosphere in varying amounts,

阳光不同程度地

温暖着表面与大气层，

and this causes convection,

这就引起了对流，

producing winds and influencing ocean currents.

引起了风并影响了海洋气流。

红外线辐射，从地球温暖的表面

Infrared radiation, radiating out from the warmed surface of the Earth,

散发出来

gets trapped by greenhouse gases and further affects the energy flow.

被温室气体笼罩住

从而进一步影响能量流动。

The Sun is also the major source of energy for organisms.

太阳也是一个主要的能源

对于有机体而言。

Plants, algae, and cyanobacteria

植物、海藻类，和蓝细菌

use sunlight to produce organic matter

用阳光从二氧化碳和水中

from carbon dioxide and water,

产生有机物质，

powering the biosphere's food chains.

为生物圈的食物链提供能量。

We release this food energy using chemical reactions,

我们由化学反应

释放食物中的能量，

like combustion and respiration.

比如氧化和呼吸。

At each level in a food chain, some energy is stored

在食物链的每一层，

一些能量都被储存于

in newly made chemical structures,

新产生的化学结构中，

but most is lost to the surroundings,

但大部分能量都流失在周遭了，

as heat, like your body heat,

一些成为热量，如你身体散发的热量，

released by your digestion of food.

在你身体消化食物的时候被释放出来。

Now, as plants are eaten by primary consumers,

当植物被主要消费者吃掉的时候，

only about 10% of their total energy is passed on to the next level.

全部能量中只有大概10%

被传输到下一层。

Since energy can only flow in one direction in a food chain,

由于在食物链里

能量只向一个方向流动，

from producers on to consumers and decomposers,

从生产者到消费者再到分解者，

an organism that eats lower on the food chain,

吃食物链中比之低级的生物，

is more efficient than one higher up.

比高层的效率更高。

So eating producers is the most efficient level

所以动物得到能量的方式中，

at which an animal can get its energy,

吃生产者是效率最高的。

but without continual input of energy to those producers,

但如果生产者

不能持续得到能量供应，

mostly from sunlight,

主要是从阳光中，

life on Earth as we know it would cease to exist.

我们所知的地球生命

将不复存在。

We humans, of course, spend our energy doing a lot of things besides eating.

我们人类用我们的能量

做许多吃东西以外的事情。

We travel, we build, we power all sorts of technology.

我们旅行，我们做东西，我们发明各种科技。

To do all this,

为了做这些事，

we use sources like fossil fuels:

我们使用矿物燃料：

coal, oil, and natural gas,

煤炭、石油，和天然气，

which contain energy

这些都含有能量

that plants captured from sunlight long ago

是常年从阳光中

所吸取的能量

and stored in the form of carbon.

并以碳的形式保存着。

When we burn fossil fuels in power plants,

当我们在动力厂燃烧矿物燃料时，

we release this stored energy

我们就释放出这些保存的能量

to generate electricity.

用来发电。

To generate electricity,

在发电过程中，

heat from burning fossil fuels is used to power turbines

燃烧矿物燃料产生的热量

用来给涡轮发电

that rotate magnets,

涡轮旋转磁铁，

which, in turn, create magnetic field changes

这样就产生了相对于线圈的

relative to a coil of wire,

磁场变化，

causing electrons to be induced to flow in the wire.

于是在电线里产生电子。

Modern civilization depends on our ability

现代文明依赖于我们

to keep powering that flow of electrons.

持续为供电提供能量。

Fortunately, we aren't limited to burning non-renewable fossil fuels

幸运的是，我们并不局限于

燃烧不可再生的矿物燃料

to generate electricity.

来发电。

Electrons can also be induced to flow

电子也可以被促使流动

by direct interaction with light particles,

当直接与光子接触当时候，

which is how a solar cell operates.

这也是太阳能电池的操作原理。

其他的可再生能量资源，

Other renewable energy sources,

such as wind, water,

比如风能、水能、地热能，和生物燃料

geothermal, and biofuels

can also be used to generate electricity.

都可以用来发电。

地球对能源对要求在增长，

Global demand for energy is increasing,

but the planet has limited energy resources

但地球上只有有限的资源

to access through a complex energy infrastructure.

是可通过复杂的资源结构得到的。

As populations rise,

当人口在增长，

alongside rates of industrialization and development,

工业的发展也在随之增长，

our energy decisions grow more and more important.

我们对于能源的决定也变的越发重要。

Access to energy impacts health, education,

得到能源

影响着健康、教育、政权，和社会经济的处境。

political power, and socioeconomic status.

If we improve our energy efficiency,

如果我们能提高能源效率，

we can use our natural resources more responsibly

我们就能更可靠的使用天然资源

and improve quality of life for everyone.

并提高每个人的生活质量。