HIROKO TABUCHI2026年7月8日“Uchimizu”是一种日本习俗，即向地面泼洒冷水，具有降温效果。 The Yomiuri Shimbun, via Associated PressLong before air-conditioning, people around the world came up with ingenious ways to beat the heat. But, really — wear dark, billowing robes? And drink tea?空调问世之前很久，世界各地的人们就想出了各种巧妙的方法来防暑降温。不过，真的吗？穿深色的宽松长袍？还有喝茶？The science can be surprising. As big chunks of the United States and Canada roast through the weekend, some of these ideas might be worth a closer look.这其中的科学原理有时会出人意料。随着美国和加拿大的大部分地区在周末饱受酷暑煎熬，其中一部分想法可能值得我们仔细研究一番。Water That Sidewalk给人行道洒点水In Japan’s sweltering summer months, you might see storekeepers with a bucket of cold water, dousing hot pavement outside their stores.在日本，闷热的夏季日子里，你可能会看到店主提着一桶冷水，泼洒在店外滚烫的柏油路面上。The practice, called uchimizu, grew out of Japan’s tea ceremony tradition. It was originally a purifying ritual and an act of welcome for guests. But uchimizu also has an effect on temperature thanks to what’s known as evaporative cooling — when water evaporates, it pulls heat out of the hot ground.这种被称为“泼水”(uchimizu)的做法源于日本的茶道传统。它最初是一种净化仪式，也是对客人表示欢迎的举动。但由于所谓的蒸发冷却效应，泼水对温度也会产生影响——当水蒸发时，会从滚烫的地面上带走热量。A 2018 study in the journal Water found that uchimizu caused air temperatures to drop by as much as 10 degrees Fahrenheit near the ground, even with small amounts of water.2018年发表在《水》(Water)期刊上的一项研究发现，泼水能使靠近地面的气温下降多达约5.5摄氏度，即使水量很少也能见效。According to Shigenori Asai, director of the Japan Water Forum, the more neighbors join in and douse the pavement, the more effective it is. “You might even feel a cooling breeze,” he said. His group is sponsoring a global Uchimizu Day on Aug. 1.据日本水论坛主任浅井重范（音）介绍，参与泼水的邻居越多，人行道上的泼水范围越广，效果就越好。“你甚至可能会感觉到一阵凉爽的微风，”他说。他的团队正在赞助8月1日的全球“Uchimizu日”。Hang Screens of Fragrant Grass挂上香草帘Before air-conditioning, people in some of the hottest parts of India survived intense heat waves by weaving screens made from the spongy roots of a sorghumlike grass called vetiver.在空调问世之前，在印度一些最热的地区，居民会用一种名为香根草、类似高粱的植物的绵软根部编织成帘子，以此抵御酷暑。The screens are kept wet and hung over doors and windows facing the wind for another version of evaporative cooling. Hot air blowing through is stripped of some of its heat. The grasses also smell good.这些帘子被保持湿润，悬挂在迎风的门窗上，这是另一种形式的蒸发冷却。吹过的热空气会因此被带走部分热量。这种草还会散发香气。The process works so well, especially in dry environments, that some modern data centers are turning to a variation of this idea called indirect evaporative cooling.这个方法非常有效，尤其是在干燥的环境中，就连一些现代数据中心也开始采用这种理念的一种变化形式——间接蒸发冷却。If old-fashioned technologies like this can make a dent in the expected surge in air-conditioning use in India and other countries, that would bring great benefits, said Liza Raju Subhadra, an architect in Kerala, India, who works with alternative materials.在印度喀拉拉邦从事替代材料研究的建筑师莉扎·拉朱·苏巴德拉说，如果这样的传统技术能够缓解印度及其他国家预计出现激增的空调使用量，那将带来巨大的好处。“It’s not just energy-intensive — when a neighbor uses an air-conditioner, the hot air gets passed onto me,” she said. “It makes a big difference if we can passively cool our homes.”“空调不仅耗能巨大——而且当邻居使用时，热空气还会传给我，”她说。“如果我们能通过被动方式为房屋降温，那将带来很大的改变。”Wear Dark, Flowing Robes (or Seersucker)穿深色的宽松长袍（或泡泡纱）It may seem counterintuitive to wear heavy, dark clothing in the desert, but communities in the Middle East and North Africa have done so for centuries.在沙漠中身穿厚重的深色衣服似乎有违直觉，但中东和北非的社区几个世纪以来一直是这样做的。A study published in Nature in 1980 found that dark robes can indeed create a cooling effect when worn in loosefitting ways. The robe absorbs heat and warms the air inside the garment, but as that hot air expands and rises rapidly, it escapes through the top. The upward flow acts like a pump, drawing cooler air from the bottom of the robe.1980年发表在《自然》杂志上的一项研究发现，身穿宽松的深色长袍确实可以产生降温效果。长袍吸收热量，并使衣服内部的空气变暖，但随着这些热空气膨胀并迅速上升，它会从顶部逸出。向上的气流就像一个泵，从长袍底部吸入较为凉爽的空气。几个世纪以来，贝都因人一直穿着深色衣服。“The additional heat absorbed by the black robe was lost before it reached the skin,” the authors concluded. “黑袍吸收的额外热量在到达皮肤之前就散失了，”作者总结道。For a different look, try seersucker. In the hot, humid summers of the American South, linen and seersucker, the thin, puckered cotton fabric, are staples.如果想要一种不同的装扮，可以试试泡泡纱。在美国南部炎热潮湿的夏天，亚麻和泡泡纱（一种轻薄、起皱的棉织物）是常备的主打衣物。Seersucker is woven in a way that causes some threads to bunch together, giving the fabric its distinct wrinkled texture. That prevents it from flattening and sticking to sweaty skin. It also creates tiny pockets that aid air circulation and cooling.泡泡纱的编织方式会使一些线束聚集在一起，赋予织物独特的起皱纹理。这可以防止衣物变平、粘在出汗的皮肤上。它还能形成微小的气囊，有助于空气流通和降温。Eat Spicy Food, Drink Tea吃辣、喝茶It might also seem counterintuitive to eat spicy food during a heat wave. But chili peppers contain a chemical compound, capsaicin, that binds to receptors on the tongue that detect heat and pain.在热浪来袭时吃辛辣食物似乎也有违直觉。但辣椒含有一种叫做辣椒素的化合物，能与舌头上感知热量和疼痛的受体结合。This tricks the brain into thinking the body is overheating, creating a cooling reflex. Blood vessels dilate to flush heat to the skin, and sweat glands open to cool the body rapidly via evaporation.这会欺骗大脑，让它误以为身体过热，从而产生降温反射。血管扩张，将热量导向皮肤，汗腺张开，通过蒸发迅速为身体降温。It’s one reason that many hot places, such as India, Thailand and Mexico, have spicy cuisines.许多炎热的地方（如印度、泰国和墨西哥）都有辛辣美食，这也是原因之一。Drinking an ice-cold, sugary soda, on the other hand, can have the opposite effect. It makes the brain lower natural sweat reflexes in response to the intake of cold liquid. And the body has to work to break down the sugar, generating internal heat.另一方面，喝冰镇的含糖汽水可能会产生相反效果。当摄入冷饮时，大脑会降低自然的出汗反射。而且，身体必须消耗能量来分解糖分，从而产生体内热量。In parts of Asia, people instead drink slightly chilled, unsweetened teas steeped from plants like barley. They hydrate and can also improve blood flow, allowing it to circulate near the skin to release heat.在亚洲部分地区，人们饮用略加冰镇、不含糖的茶，这些茶是用大麦等植物冲泡而成。它们可以补充水分，还能促进血液循环，使血液流向皮肤表面，以便散热。What about a cold beer, you ask? It is tempting, but alcohol can cause dehydration and make it harder for the body to regulate its internal temperature.你可能会问，喝杯冰啤酒怎么样？这很诱人，但酒精会导致脱水，并使身体更难调节其内部温度。西班牙托莱多的一座公园。在西班牙、意大利和希腊等国，午睡曾是一种更为普遍的现象。Take a Siesta午休Siestas, the midday breaks once more common in Southern European nations like Greece, Spain and Italy, have reportedly been on a decline.据报道，午休这种在希腊、西班牙和意大利等南欧国家曾经十分普遍的休息习惯，如今已经逐渐减少。That’s a shame, some experts say. The human body generates heat simply by moving around and processing energy. Engaging in physical labor during especially high temperatures can cause heat exhaustion.一些专家认为，这很遗憾。人体仅通过活动和能量代谢就足以产生热量。在气温特别高时从事体力劳动会导致热衰竭。In recent years, as Europe has grappled with increasingly scorching summers, officials in countries including Germany have started extolling the virtues of a midday break.近年来，随着欧洲努力应对日益炎热的夏季，包括德国在内，一些国家的官员开始大力宣传午休的好处。“We should follow the work practices of southern countries during heat,” Johannes Niessen, then the chairman of Germany’s leading national association of doctors, told the news outlet RND in 2023.“在酷热天气下，我们应该效仿南方国家的工作方式，”时任德国主要全国医生协会主席约翰内斯·尼森在2023年对新闻机构RND表示。Hiroko Tabuchi是时报污染和环境问题记者。她在东京和纽约从事新闻工作超过20年。翻译：晋其角点击查看本文英文版。