Passive Energy Sources. Food Chains
This essay examines the energy involved in the Food Chain systems of the Earth.
It does not cover renewable sources of energy since these have been covered in other essays as shown in references at the end of this article.
Earth Surface Area
The surface area of the Earth = 510.1 trillion m²
Source: https://www.google.co.uk/?gws_rd=ssl#safe=strict&q=surface+area+of+earth+in+m2&spf=1499337611726
External Passive Energy Sources
The Sun
The Moon
Biomass
Food Chains
Sun and Moon
The net energy from the Sun and Moon is negligible per m².
They do however determine if life exists on the Earth or not.
Therefore the preservation of this small energy balance is a vital component in any Architecture on the Earth.
Sun = 0.9 w / m² net energy absorbed.
Moon = 0.0000034167 w/ m2
Total = 0.9000034167 w/ m2
Source: https://sites.google.com/site/architecturearticles/home/article-210---passive-energy-sources-sun-and-moon
Biomass
Biomass is a measure of the amount of food available to the next feeding level.
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/science/add_gateway_pre_2011/greenworld/energyflowrev1.shtml
Energy Distribution in the Total Biomass.
Allowing for the surface are of the Earth to be 510.1 trillion m²
Source: https://www.google.co.uk/?gws_rd=ssl#safe=strict&q=surface+area+of+earth+in+m2&spf=1499337611726
Allowing for the total live biomass on Earth to be 560 billion tons of Carbon.
Allows for 1 ton of Carbon biomass over 910 m² of surface area.
Allowing for the total annual primary production of Carbon biomass to be 100,000,000,000 tons Carbon/year.
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biomass_(ecology)
Allows for 1 tons of Carbon biomass production over 5101 m² of surface area per year.
The Food Chain Groups in the Biomass
The Biomass can be subdivided into Food Chain groups.
Photoautotrophs (such as green plants) take in sunlight and fix it to Carbon.
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phototroph#Photoautotroph
Herbivores consume the Photoautotrophs and get 10% of the energy available.
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herbivore
Carnivores consume Herbivores and get 1% of the energy available.
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carnivore
Decomposers break down Carnivores, Herbivores and Photoautotrophs into primary energy units.
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Energy_flow_(ecology)
Energy Distribution in Biomass Food Chain Groups.
If the 0.9 w/ m² net energy absorbed from the Sun and Moon is taken as the external energy input to the Earth food chain then.
Photoautotrophs get 0.9 w/m².
Herbivores get 0.09 w/m².
Carnivores get 0.009 w/m²
Combined Energy levels
Combining the results from the Earth Surface Area, External Passive Energy Sources, Energy Distribution in the Total Biomass, The Food Chain Groups in the Biomass and the Energy Distribution in Biomass Food Chain Groups.
Photoautotrophs
Exist as 1 ton of Carbon biomass over 910 m² of surface area for 0.9 w/ m² absorbed energy.
Produce 1 ton of Carbon biomass over 5101 m² of surface area per year for 4591 w/ m² of absorbed energy per year.
Herbivores
Exist as 1 ton of Carbon biomass over 910 m² of surface area for 0.09 w/ m² absorbed energy.
Produce 1 ton of Carbon biomass over 5101 m² of surface area per year for 4131 w/ m² of absorbed energy per year.
Carnivores
Exist as 1 ton of Carbon biomass over 910 m² of surface area for 0.009 w/ m² absorbed energy.
Produce 1 ton of Carbon biomass over 5101 m² of surface area per year for 3718 w/ m² of absorbed energy per year.
Decomposers
Exist as 1 ton of Carbon biomass over 910 m² of surface area for 0.0009 w/ m² absorbed energy.
Produce 1 ton of Carbon biomass over 5101 m² of surface area per year for 3346 w/ m² of absorbed energy per year.
Humans and the Biomass
Allowing for 16 Kg of Carbon in a 70kg human being.
Source: http://web2.airmail.net/uthman/elements_of_body.html
Allowing for the human population of the Earth to be 7,347,000,000.
Sources include: World Bank, via. Goole Search.
Allows for approx. 7,347,000,000 x 0.016 tonnes of Carbon.
Allows for approx. 117,552,000 tons of Carbon in the total human population.
Allowing for the total live biomass on Earth to be 560 billion tons of Carbon.
The human population accounts for 0.02% of the total live biomass on Earth.
Allowing for the human birth rate to be 131,400,000 extra humans a year,
Allowing for the human death rate to be 55,334,000 humans a year.
Source: www.ecology.com/birth-death-rates/
Allows for a net gain of 76,066,000 humans a year.
This is a net gain of 76,066,000 x 0.016 tons. Approx. 1,217,056 tons of Carbon per year.
Allowing for the total annual primary production of Carbon biomass to be 100,000,000,000 tons Carbon/year.
The increase in the human population accounts for 0.001% of the total annual primary production of biomass Carbon per year.
Humans account for a total of 0.021 % of the total biomass on Earth each year.
Comparison with Human Energy Consumption Levels.
Allowing for the surface area of the Earth as 510.1 trillion m²
Allowing for the total live biomass on Earth to be 560 billion tons of Carbon.
Allowing only the net absorbed energy of the 0.9 w/ m² from the Sun and Moon.
Allows for 1 tonne of Carbon; biomass; over 910 m² of surface area for 819 watts of solar energy.
Allowing for the total annual primary production of Carbon biomass to be 100,000,000,000 tons Carbon/year.
Allows for 1 tonne of Carbon; biomass; production as biomass over 5101 m² of surface area per year for 4,591 watts of energy per year.
This when compared to the energy required to run 1 human house for a year in the UK at 4,600 kWh (4,600,000 watts) then the efficiency ratio between the biomass energy flow and human being technology is about 1 to 1000.
Humans are 1000 times less efficient than the biomass on the Earth at using energy.
Source: http://shrinkthatfootprint.com/average-household-electricity-consumption
Conclusions
The energy flow in the food chain processes are constant and overlapping. However by examining them as individual groups the following key relationships can be extracted.
That the whole food chain energy flow is based on a very small amount of passive input energy absorption from the Sun and Moon.
That changes to the climate will change the net absorption of energy from the Sun and Moon.
That the available energy from the total surface area as Carbon biomass or Carbon biomass production per year reduces with each food group.
That the Photoautotrophs group has to be the simplest in form, lowest in energy requirement and largest in number to survive.
That each group in the food chain is dependent on the original Photoautotrophs group.
That each food group has to predate on the previous group to obtain enough energy to survive.
That the timescale for energy flow between food chain groups increases as the groups evolve from simplicity to complex organisms.
That decomposition is only able to reduce the organism to a chemical level.
That billions of years are required to reduce any organism in any part of the food chain to an energy level again to allow it to be naturally recycled.
The relationship of humans to the energy flow in the food chain also indicates some key relationships.
Humans are omnivores in that they eat both plant and animal matter.
They obtain this energy through the natural method of predation on other food groups.
This natural method only allows them access to a maximum of 0.9 w/ m² of absorbed input energy from the Sun and Moon.
Humans have however increased beyond the levels that the natural system can support their evolution and so they have developed Artificial Evolutionary methods to adapt nature to support an increasing human population.
The data indicates that there are limits to the ratios of the natural Carbon biomass and the production of Carbon biomass to the surface area of the Earth and so humans will have to find new Artificially Evolved; designed; sources of energy and food if they move beyond these ratios.
Humans account for 0.021 % of the total Carbon biomass and Carbon biomass production on Earth each year even discounting all of their artificially evolved; designed; artefacts.
Humans are however 1000 times less efficient than the natural system of Carbon biomass and Carbon biomass production on the Earth at using energy.
Since humans are 1000 times less efficient than the Carbon biomass on the Earth at using energy their influence even though they are a very small part of the Carbon biomass is a significant issue in relation to the total energy available to the whole Earth and also the formation and replenishment of the Carbon biomass.
Humans threaten the Earth, the Biomass, the Food Chain, Photoautotrophs, Herbivores, Carnivores and Decomposers and themselves by using Artificially Evolved energy production and consumption.
Ian K Whittaker
Websites:
https://sites.google.com/site/architecturearticles
Email: iankwhittaker@gmail.com
07/07/2017
14/10/2020
1524 words over 4 pages
Additional references.
Towards an Architecture without manufacturing web site.
Source: https://sites.google.com/site/architecturearticles/home
Source: https://sites.google.com/site/architecturearticles/home/article-027---human manufacturing related to global warming
Source: https://sites.google.com/site/architecturearticles/home/article-028---the cost of solar energy
Source: https://sites.google.com/site/architecturearticles/home/article-031---the problem with wind energy
Source: https://sites.google.com/site/architecturearticles/home/article-047--- The Potential Energy of the Earth
Source: https://sites.google.com/site/architecturearticles/home/article-049--- The Role of Human Beings in relation to the Bio-Sphere of the Earth
Source: https://sites.google.com/site/architecturearticles/home/article-051--- Human Passive Energy Systems – Breathing
Source: https://sites.google.com/site/architecturearticles/home/article-052--- Human Passive Energy Systems – Temperature Control
Source: https://sites.google.com/site/architecturearticles/home/article-053--- Human Passive Energy Systems – Light
Source: https://sites.google.com/site/architecturearticles/home/article-054--- Human Passive Energy Systems – Oxidation
Source: https://sites.google.com/site/architecturearticles/home/article-056--- Human Passive Energy Systems Photosynthesis to Leaf Fall
Source: https://sites.google.com/site/architecturearticles/home/article-121---human-potential-energy-gain-and-energy-output
Source: https://sites.google.com/site/architecturearticles/home/article-133---the-inefficient-sun