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February 20, 2005

Can We Stop Hurricanes?

Hurricane

A good question on stopping hurricanes from a CNN viewer.

Q: Why don't they destroy or weaken hurricanes when they threaten land?

A: The basic problem is the size and intensity of hurricanes. They cover tens of thousands of square miles even when they are just beginning. They draw their energy from air over hundreds of thousands of square miles of ocean. Cooling the water over this large area or finding a way to prevent evaporation of water would reduce hurricanes' strength. But, all of the dry ice in the world would be quickly absorbed in a small part of the ocean near a hurricane. Also, the hurricane would quickly move away from the cooled water or water covered with something to prevent evaporation.

The National Hurricane Center notes that a hurricane releases heat energy at a rate of 50 trillion to 200 trillion watts. (trillion here is used in the U.S. and French sense: a number followed by 12 zeros) This is the equivalent of a 10-megaton nuclear bomb exploding about every 20 minutes.

 

Posted on February 20, 2005 11:37 AM by Weathe28.
Filed in Hurricane! under weather news and science.
Permalink permalink | Comments (11)

Comments

How about this, hurricane lose their power when they hit land, why dont we build a plataform in the middle of atlantic so when the hurricane pass it will lose its power until it disappear, so this plataform, will activate only when there is a hurricane alert and through its path... i know it sounds crazy!, but im good a crazy stuff

Posted by: Lacun at September 4, 2008 01:49 PM

if you shoot a bullet of electricity at a hurricane, would it stop it, or move it off track, or will it do nothing.

Posted by: devonte at August 31, 2008 11:28 AM

I don't know about the bomb thing but I think what about b4 every hurricane season starts why can't they throw big huge chunks of ice in the gulf I know that it would melt because of the sun but I mean its a start to keep the water a lot cooler then what it is I feel if we got billions and trillions of dollars to go to iraq I think we should have enough money for some huge ice chunks to be thrown inside the gulf to cool down the water maybe that won't work though but I mean its a start nobody listened to al gore when he first started going on about global warming and now its catching up to us I just pray to god that it don't hit my hometown new orleans and it don't hit houston where I live now either cuz I'm tired of running from hurricanes after what happend in 2005 with katrina

Posted by: phil at August 27, 2008 06:36 PM

I would suggest hurricane prone areas post no tresspassing signs. Inexpensive, problem solved! Next?

Posted by: Einstein at May 24, 2008 06:41 AM

ISNT HURRICANES CREATE BY A TROPICAL WAVE AND I F WE DROPED A NUCLEAR BOMB WOULDT WE JUST BE MAKING ANOTHER TROPICAL WAVE BECAUSE THE FORCE OF THE NUCLEAR BOMB AND ABOUT THE ICE BOMB HOW WOULD THE WATER UNFREEZE AND HOW IS IT POSSIBLE TO DROP ISNT TO BIG AND WATER MELTS ICE SO IT WOULDNT WORK

Posted by: JUSTIN.E at April 16, 2008 06:52 PM

I THINK THE NUCLEAR BOMB PART IS DUMB BECAUSE WOULDNT JUST MAKE A BIGGER WAVE THAT CAN HIT THE PLACE.


IM 10 SO I MIGHT BE WRONG K

Posted by: cristiano at April 16, 2008 06:47 PM

this is good info

Posted by: kate at April 1, 2008 10:26 PM

I POSE THE SAME QUESTION WITH ALL THE KNOWLEADGE WE HAVE TODAY '' I WOULD THINK THAT WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO EXPLODE SOME TYPE OF ICE BOMB OR SOMTHING THAT WOULD INSTANTLY FREEZE THE EYE OF THE STORM THUS SLOWING IT DOWN OR CAUSING IT TO DISAPATE , OR PERHAPS COULD THE GOVERNMENT BE AFRIAD THAT BY EXPOSING THIS TYPE KNOW HOW MIGHT CREATE A BACKLASH OF PARANOIA AMONG HUMANS ABROD.

Posted by: TONY SIBLEY at August 20, 2007 11:16 AM

"I UNDERSTAND THAT A HURRICANE STRECTHES OVER MILES MILES BUT WHY COULDNT WE WHEN IT STARTS CREATE A POWER ENOUGH BOMB NOT A NUCLEAR OR ATIM JUST A BIG BOMB AND IF WE WOULD EITHER DROP IT IN THE FRONT OR A PORTION OF IT WOUNLT THE MUSHROOM SPRAY AND THE EXPLOSION OF THE BOMB WOULDNT THAT DO ANY KIND OF SERPARATING OF THE HURRICANE AND MAYBE EVEN SOMEWHAT DISSIPATE THE THING IF NOT WHY."

Sometimes when it starts we dont even know until it is too late. Also the "mushroom" that you are referring too, Is in fact an atomic bomb. The nuclear substances used create the mushrom cloud. Now as far as a bomb dissipating it, if the bomb were to go off in the wrong area that could even stand a chance of helping the hurricane to spin even faster and creating either a larger hurricane or get it to land faster. A hurricane is caused from air pressure partially. So any pressure added to it could have dangerous effects. The only real thing that we can do is let nature take it's course and if you are that worried about a hurricane I wouldn't suggest living near the coast.

Posted by: Claud Beck at August 18, 2007 05:23 PM

Bombing a hurricane would only add heat to the warm-cored weather system. That is why it would not work. You would need a gigantic bomb to have the slightest effect anyways.

Posted by: Franz at February 7, 2006 10:27 PM

I UNDERSTAND THAT A HURRICANE STRECTHES OVER MILES MILES BUT WHY COULDNT WE WHEN IT STARTS CREATE A POWER ENOUGH BOMB NOT A NUCLEAR OR ATIM JUST A BIG BOMB AND IF WE WOULD EITHER DROP IT IN THE FRONT OR A PORTION OF IT WOUNLT THE MUSHROOM SPRAY AND THE EXPLOSION OF THE BOMB WOULDNT THAT DO ANY KIND OF SERPARATING OF THE HURRICANE AND MAYBE EVEN SOMEWHAT DISSIPATE THE THING IF NOT WHY .

Posted by: TERRY GERTZ at September 1, 2005 07:33 AM

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