| Sep 5, 2006 @ 3:08 PM |
Let's brainstorm how to diminish a hurricanes' destructive potential!
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Renee647
Posts: 4
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As I sat last year, watching Katrina traverse the Gulf, I heard one person after another speak to Katrina's strength increasing as she passed through warmer water. My problem solving skills are pretty elementary and simple. If warmer water increases the destructive potential, simpy chill the water. Makes sense to me.
This notion of course, usually draws a hearty belly laugh. When confronted with such a difficult endeavor, I always lapse into, "If we can go to the moon, we can....".
So this is my idea. I have named my contraption the "Ice Bullet". It is an un-manned, aquatic drone, with a temperature-controlled skin. Lowering the temperature of the water shouldn't harm the aquatic life. Gotta keep those conservationist in mind. Of course, numerous Ice Bullets would be needed. But just think. Direct a bunch of Ice Bullets to the Atlantic. Have them form a longitudinal line just to the west of the hurricane, and force it to stay in the Atlantic, so it can peter out somewhere in the middle of the North Atlantic. Just have the Ice Bullets follow the thing north. Viola'.
My other idea, which may upset the conservationists, would be to pump the colder deep water to the top, as the relative heat of the water increases the closer one gets to the surface. This would also require some type of un-manned drone.
If any knows any scientists or inventors, please pass along my ideas.
Also, please share you ideas. Thanks, Renee
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| Sep 5, 2006 @ 11:41 PM |
Let's brainstorm how to diminish a hurricanes' destructive potential! |
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iniota
Posts: 5
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Hurricanes are a vital part of our planet's eco-system. So much so, that man has barely begun to understand it's true values. But ..... In keeping with the thread, I say we petition the congress and the house to have the laws of nature changed. I'm sure they could come up with an amendment or maybe even a clause that would make such geological forces against the laws of nature. But (again) if I may for a moment be my own Devil's Advocate ...... If we look around us, we will see many things already happening that are against the laws of nature, so there is no guarantee, even if the petition is successful, that it would work.
So there my 2 cents worth. LOL
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| Nov 29, 2006 @ 12:14 AM |
Let's brainstorm how to diminish a hurricanes' destructive potential!
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Harper427
Posts: 1
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Renee, do you hve any concept of what you are talking about? Do you realize that a hurricane actually is a mechanism to cool the water and the planet itself? What is supplying the cooling capacity of the skin of this contraption you are proposing? Freon? Ammonia? To cool that volume of water would take a device of huge proportions. Lowering the temperature of the water would harm the aquatic life as well. It would be easier to the population of earth to Mars than what you propose. Maybe you should try inventing something smaller, like a new corkscrew to open up another bottle of whatever it is that you are drinking.
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| Nov 29, 2006 @ 9:04 AM |
Let's brainstorm how to diminish a hurricanes' destructive potential! |
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Murphdawg20
Posts: 2
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I've had sort of the same idea for a while now. What I'm thinking is we send cargo planes up and drop tons of ice in the path of an approaching hurricane to cool off the waters and weaken the storm. 
Of course, I was drinking when I came up with this plan.
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| Dec 5, 2006 @ 1:31 AM |
Let's brainstorm how to diminish a hurricanes' destructive potential!
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Hurikane72
Posts: 1
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I'm a storm chasing photographer, so I've done a lot of research on weather and do have a good understanding of how the system works. As crazy as it sounds your idea does have potential. The technology exist to make it happen. There are drawbacks though. It is a very dangerous idea when you look at the big picture. Nature works as a balance or like the most basic of scientific laws: for every action, there is an equal but opposite reaction. As mentioned in an earlier post, hurricanes are vital to the overall temperature balance of the planet. While it would be possible to dimish them, that's an action mother nature would have to react to. There would be that equal but opposite reaction on the other side of the balance. We do not know enough to understand what that would be. It could be severe global warming, maybe not hurricanes but more powerful storms in other areas such as thunderstorms and tornado outbreaks, or it could mean that mother nature would simply comensate by making more powerful hurricanes. Eventually in this struggle, the storm would become so large and powerful, that nothing humans have to offer could slow them down. The scary thought is, that they would make storms like Ivan and Katrina look like a walk in the park.
It basically just comes down to personal choice. We will not stop earthquakes, tornadoes, or hurricanes. We just have to make decisions. Here for example, if you want live in the mild, sub-tropical climate of the Gulf Coast, hurricanes are the price you'll pay. The only true way to escape it, would be to move to an area that isn't threatened by them. Me personally, even after Katrina, I like Louisiana. Be it ever so humble, it is home. I live on the north shore of Lake Ponthcartrain, but I've been all over the state, and the people here are good people. They're also a scrappy bunch. I wouldn't trade the people around me for any place.
I don't want to be a party pooper on your thread, so I will toss an idea out there for you to chew on. Since we can't, and in reality don't want to do away with hurricanes, why not come up with a system that would allow them to perform their funcion in nature, but steer them away from the coast, keeping them out at sea......just a thought.
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| Dec 10, 2006 @ 8:27 PM |
Let's brainstorm how to diminish a hurricanes' destructive potential! |
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Captpappy
Posts: 28
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Earth Science class 101
I am not saying that your idea has no validity, but rather that you may not understand all that's involved with the making and killing of a hurricane.
To reduce the temperature of an ocean:
1. A single normal ice cube aprox .7" x .7" will reduce the temperature of a one gallon volume of water by 1/1000 of a degree C. (.001 deg C) - It would take nearly 1/10 of the Arctic ice pack to reduce the volume of water in the Gulf of Mexico during the late summer months the 20 or so degrees necessary to achieve the effect you are seeking. This fact only applies if the Gulf of Mexico were a "standing" body of water. It is not!
This is a CONSTANT. It takes 1 horsepower or 750 jeules to raise a 1 cu ft volume of water (aprox 7.5 gal) 1 deg Celsius. An ice cube actually absorbs heat so this calculation must be worked in reverse or worked out as; how much warm water would it take to melt a volume of ice at a given temperature.
I am unaware of any refrigerant or cooling system capable of absorbing the billions of horsepower stored in the Gulf of Mexico in the form of solar heat during the summer months. Sorry Hurikane72, I don't believe this technology exist - yet!
Think about it Murphdawg20; it takes at least 50% of the glass filled with ice to lower the temperature of your Scotch n' Soda by about ten to fifteen degrees. How big the glass is the Gulf of Mexico basin?
What is a hurricane - REALLY
2. An hurricane is a low pressure weather system, the same as a large line of thunderstorms that lead a low pressure front. The warmer waters of the Gulf will indeed help to decrease the barometric pressure within ANY weather system and therefor increase the strength of a low pressure system. ALL low pressure systems rotate (counter clockwise in the northern hemisphere) including the ones that march across the US and never become hurricanes, who's rotation can be several thousand miles in diameter.
Because a low pressure system is usually surrounded by higher atmospheric pressure (high preassure systems), it will contract into a tight negative "bubble" as the difference in pressure increases and therefore increase it's rotational speed.
This is why a hurricane that covers a small amount of geography is usually much more intense than one that is spread out over half the Gulf. The only reason the low pressure "bubble" doesn't collapse in on itself (implode) is the outward centrifugal force of the rotating air mass.
3. An hurricane is a weather system and as such is not a solid body. To physically "block" or barricade a weather system would take a brick wall that literally reached beyond earth's atmosphere or at least about 25 to 30 thousand feet. Except for the very thin wispy vale like clouds made of ice crystals called Stratus clouds that appear at about 25 to 35 thousand feet most other clouds and weather systems form below 25 thousand feet - but this is NOT a constant.
4. This is THE MOST IMPORTANT thing to consider when designing your hurricane bullet. WARM WATER MEARLY FEEDS THE LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM. A hurricane is STEERED and directed by other weather systems that surround it and upper level air currents that have very little to do with local surface temperatures. Your bullet may (if you could make one big enough) effect the strength of the storm, but if conditions in the upper atmosphere dictate that it will eventually hit New Orleans - it WILL eventually hit New Orleans; cold water or no!
If you wish to drive a hurricane in a different direction you must have the ability to steer all the weather systems across America at the time of the storm. If you can come up with a device that will do that - you will find yourself the wealthiest and most celebrated person on Earth because you will have discovered how to control mother nature her self!
Some science-fiction movies we watch on TV can be exciting and wonderful when the hero gets the device to finally work and end with a happy ending, but remember what you are watching - Science Fiction. It's a wonderful idea that would save many lives and the disruption of others, but unfortunately because of the lack of proper technology, it remains in the realm of science fiction.
I agree with Hurikane72 To live in this country one must decide if they want to live with the constant threat of earth quakes on the west coast, volcanic eruptions (well overdue) in the north west, summer tornados throughout the mid west and central US, disastrous spring flooding down the Mississippi Valley, crippling ice and snow storms throughout the north east, or hurricane threat along the south east and gulf coast states. When it happens, one picks up, rebuilds and continues life. The best thing to do is know the threat to your home and fortify against that threat.
iniota: I believe that there has been an "anti-disaster" amendment in the house for some years to over-ride certain laws of nature, originally written in stone. They keep shelving the proposal because no one can come up with a feasible plan to create the special forces needed to police the new laws!!!
[Edited on 12/10/2006 9:30 PM]
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