Solar energy is the energy generated by the continuous nuclear fusion reaction process of sunspots within or on the surface of the sun. The average intensity of solar radiation in Earth's orbit is 1367 W/㎡. The circumference of the Earth's equator is 40,000 km, so we can calculate that the energy obtained by the Earth can reach 173,000 TW. The standard maximum intensity at sea level is 1 kW/m2, and the 24-hour average annual radiation intensity at a certain point on the Earth's surface is 0.20 kW/m2, which is equivalent at 102,000 TW of energy. to survive, including all other forms of renewable energy. Renewable energy (except geothermal energy resources), although the total amount of solar energy resources is equivalent to more than 10,000 times the energy currently used by humans, the energy density of solar energy is low. , and it varies fromplace to place and from time to time. It is the development and use of solar energy. These characteristics of solar energy will limit its role in the entire integrated energy system.
Although the energy radiated by the sun in the earth's atmosphere is only 2.2 billionth of its total radiation energy, it reaches 173,000 TW, which means that the sun shines every second.
< p>In thriller novels or porn, we can see that the murderer attached heavy objects to the remains of the deceased and threw them into the sea in order to destroy the remains. Let's not talk about how the medical examiners solve the case. From a natural perspective, what changes will occur when human remains fall to the seabed 300 meters deep?
Underwater experiments
Since human experiments require various examinations, Simon Fraser University atCanada used pork remains instead of human remains. The reason pigs were chosen is that their body structure and gut flora are similar to humans. It is much more convenient to put pig remains in the seabed than to put human remains in the seabed.
Simon Fraser University in Canada chose the seabed of the Strait of Georgia as an experimental site and placed the remains of two pigs in the spring and fall, one of which was placed in one metal cage and the other One of them was exposed outside the cage.
The seabed of the Strait of Georgia is approximately 300 meters deep. Scientists call the ocean with a depth of less than 200 meters a shallow sea and the ocean with a depth of less than 200 meters a deep sea. This dividing line is not a standard set by humans, but it is the limit value of the sun's capacityto illuminate the seabed. The ocean with a depth of more than 200 meters will not receive sunlight at all, which also means that. plants living here cannot produce energy through photosynthesis. They can only live on "snowfall" that falls from the ocean, so compared to the shallow sea, the deep sea always seems too desolate.
On the first day, the remains of the pigs were at the bottom of the sea at a depth of 300 meters, the remains of both pigs were covered in sea lice, as well as an amphipod called "lyssianassid ".
On the second and third days, the number of these creatures began to increase exponentially. They gnawed back and forth on the meat and cartilage of the pigs. In the spring they only used 5 -after six. days, only the bones are left, but in the fall, in the test, it only took 3 days to break down the pork into bones.
Once all the viaThe pig's mouth was chewed, it attracted slightly larger shrimp, and even an octopus tried to grab a piece of food through the iron cage. Compared to meat, bones decompose very slowly and their presence is still visible for the next 6 months or more.
The strange thing is that when the pig remains were underwater at a depth of 300 meters, they were rarely attacked by fish. Even the sharks only stayed for a certain amount of time and left the cage without eating.
So what’s going on?
Why aren't sharks interested in pig remains?
For sharks, pig remains are also a source of energy. They don't throw away pig remains, but they do throw sea lice and other scavengers back onto the pigs.
Sharks are not noble and disdain to compete with sea lice for food, but in highly oxygenated waterses, the sea lice will continue to consume the surrounding oxygen as the sharks decompose, causing the oxygen content near the pigs to change. Low, which is very unfavorable for the survival of large creatures because they have a greater demand for oxygen, so the shark will linger for a while near the pig remains and then move away.
Once the pig's muscles are broken down, only the white bones remain. The white bones are difficult for small scavengers to decompose, so they will leave here and look for the next corpse to sink onto the pig. sea bottom.
After they leave, the oxygen content around the pig remains will gradually increase, but at that time the only food left for sharks and fish is indigestible bones, so there will be very few sharks to visit here.
An oasis of life under the sea
For deep-sea creatures, pork scraps are like une oasis of life under the sea. Indeed, there are very few energy sources in the deep sea, which makes it difficult for deep-sea creatures to survive. However, whenever large creatures die above the ocean, their remains become oases of underwater life, like whale falls.
Pig remains, like whales, contain a lot of energy, but pigs are much smaller than whales and can provide less energy to marine life. The remains of a whale can last longer, which is why whale falls are also a key research object for oceanographers.
Compared to pigs, the process of falling whales is more complicated. This is because when they die, the density of their body is less than the density of sea water. They will float above the ocean. Sharks and other large fish will then feed on them.
As the fat content increasesse and muscle in their body continues to decrease, their density will gradually become higher than that of sea water, and then they will slowly sink into the sea water and become food for benthic organisms. According to research, a whale's nest can maintain the local ecological environment for about 100 years, before benthic organisms search for another whale's nest.
Nowadays, as the number of whales decreases, the number of whale falls also decreases, which seriously threatens benthic organisms that rely on whale falls for their livelihood. Perhaps in the future we will really have to rely on humans to regularly release pig remains to ensure their survival.