Abstract：
As the U.S. military became embroiled in \"jungle warfare\" across the Pacific during World War II, it was caught off guard by the rapid deterioration of materials and equipment in the tropics, where the air was hot, humid, and teeming with fungal spores. This article tells the story of how American scientists and engineers understood the \"tropical deterioration\" of portable radios and electronics and developed techniques to counteract it. Examining scientific efforts to prevent tropical decay reveals how exposure to tropical conditions during World War II shaped the development of portable electronics. Contributing to envirotech history and environmental media studies, this article uncovers the importance of climate proofing to the history of electronics miniaturization. Tropical deterioration, furthermore, provides a technology-focused lens for enriching our historical understanding of the tropics as an environmental imaginary.
摘要：
由于美军在第二次世界大战期间卷入太平洋的“丛林战争”，热带地区材料和设备的迅速恶化使它措手不及，那里的空气很热，潮湿,到处都是真菌孢子.这篇文章讲述了美国科学家和工程师如何理解便携式收音机和电子产品的“热带恶化”，以及如何开发抵消它的技术。检查防止热带腐烂的科学努力揭示了第二次世界大战期间暴露于热带条件如何影响便携式电子产品的发展。为环境技术历史和环境媒体研究做出贡献，这篇文章揭示了气候防护对电子产品小型化历史的重要性。热带恶化，此外，提供了以技术为中心的镜头，以丰富我们对热带地区作为环境想象的历史理解。
