Can We Control Hurricanes with Current Technology?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the feasibility of controlling hurricanes using current technology, exploring various methods proposed for influencing these powerful weather systems. Participants examine theoretical and practical approaches, including the use of nuclear weapons, chemical compounds, and other techniques, while considering the immense energy involved in hurricanes.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation

Main Points Raised

  • One participant suggests that using hydrogen bombs to control hurricanes is akin to curing a cold with fire, implying that the method would be excessively destructive.
  • Another participant asserts that hurricanes possess energy levels thousands of times greater than that of hydrogen bombs, questioning the effectiveness of such an approach.
  • There is a proposal that steering hurricanes away from populated areas might not require the same energy as the storm itself, suggesting alternative methods could be explored.
  • Some participants mention the potential use of biodegradable compounds to prevent evaporation and influence hurricane paths, noting that while previous efforts have failed, the idea is still under consideration.
  • One participant expresses skepticism about the ability to influence hurricanes at all, citing the overwhelming power and scale of these weather systems.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants do not reach a consensus on the feasibility of controlling hurricanes, with multiple competing views presented regarding the methods and their potential effectiveness.

Contextual Notes

Limitations include the lack of definitive evidence supporting any proposed methods, the dependence on various assumptions about energy requirements, and the unresolved nature of previous attempts to influence hurricanes.

No-where-man
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...a hurricane with hydrogen bombs?
Also,Ivan said that Eastland has calculated for weather to be controlled is needed energy of 100 gigawatts-youre underestimating the power of an hurricane,and weather system:
Here is what I've been found on this subject:
They tried to influence hurricane with:
Silver Iodide and failed.it's on this website:
http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd/tcfaq/C5a.html

Placing a substance on the ocean surface:
http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd/tcfaq/C5b.html

Adding water absorbing substances:
http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd/tcfaq/C5d.html

Nuking them(it didn't happen,it only shows what would an nuke do to a hurricane and environment):
http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd/tcfaq/C5c.html

Cooling the water with icebergs or deep ocean water:
http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd/tcfaq/C5e.html

Other means:
http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd/tcfaq/C5f.html

Any thoughts from physicists/meteorologists?
That's why I don't see how can we influence an hurricane at all?How can we affect an entire weather system that creates all hurricanes since it's too big and too powerful?
Thanks!
 
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Perhaps you could stop a hurricane with a H-bomb (I'm not sure), but IMO it would be very much like curing a cold with fire. Lots of fire, for a long time.
 
Umm, I'm pretty sure Hurricanes are at least thousands times more energetic than H-Bombs.

I'm learning atmospheric physics, but oddly this question hasn't popped up.
Hurricanes are cyclonic around low pressure regions. I don't think the H-bomb is going to affect this region much at all, it's too big.

I will try to research it more.
 
I think the idea is to steer the systems away from population centers. So the means to control these storms may not necessarily require the total energy of the weather system.

No, we don't want to use H-bombs to control the weather. Aren't you aware of the fallout from nuclear detonations?

Compounds to prevent evaporation and steer hurricanes are apparently still discussed as potentially viable. I know that at least one team or person is claiming that a biodegradable compound is being developed, or maybe that one already exists, that may work. So this approach may not be dead yet. Apparently there have been previous failed efforts using this idea.
 

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