Busting Hurricanes with ocean cooling pumps

by MarkFlax Former Forum moderator Mar 11, 2010 1:55AM PST

It's a video;
http://www.smartplanet.com/people/video/busting-hurricanes-with-ocean-cooling-pumps/402178/

It may cost hundreds of millions of dollars, but if it saves human lives and billions of dollars, would it be worth it?

Or would we be 'meddling' with nature which could have unforeseen effects?

Mark

Discussion is locked

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Meddling with nature, IMO. Don't even think about it.

by Steven Haninger Mar 11, 2010 2:28AM PST

I remember in the '50 even reading talk of possibly busting these be dropping nuclear bombs into the middle of them. I was a kid then so I don't know whose bright idea that was. Can you imagine talk of that now. Though I can't say expressly what these are, in my thinking, hurricanes begin as some sort of natural imbalance that needs to be neutralized. We also know that devastating forest fires also serve a purpose in that they give way to new growth and re-nourishment of the land. Volcanoes do as well. We don't own the earth....it owns us.

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Interesting idea, but...

by EdHannigan Mar 11, 2010 4:37AM PST

The premise that hurricanes are getting stronger (because of global warming?!) is somewhat suspect. 2009 was a rather quiet hurricane season.

I find the name Caldeira interesting in view of the topic.

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Also, if his pumps work...

by EdHannigan Mar 11, 2010 4:39AM PST

"global warming" would be solved, no? No need for cap & trade or other oppressive programs! Hooray!

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RE: because of global warming?!

by JP Bill Mar 11, 2010 4:53AM PST

Did the article mention global warming as the reason, or are you releasing your own weather balloon?

Ken Caldeira is developing ocean cooling pumps to cool waters in areas where hurricanes occur. These powerful storms are fueled by warm water

I think it's a fact that when hurricanes go over warmer water they intensify and colder water they dissipate.

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Yes...

by J. Vega Mar 11, 2010 8:00AM PST

Yes, it was mentioned 30 seconds into the video in the OP. Did you watch it?

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Did you watch it?

by JP Bill Mar 11, 2010 10:07AM PST

No.

I've been watching the weather for years, and have heard it mentioned many times that warm water increases the intensity of hurricanes and cold water dissipates hurricanes.

I've heard this, years before "global warming/climate change were hot topics.

How bout you, have you heard the same thing?

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"Massing with nature" is nothing new

by Angeline Booher Mar 11, 2010 5:16AM PST

And we have paid and are paying the price.

There are those who have questioned the wisdom of s dam building. When Florida saw the damage of having diverted water from the Everglades, the began undoing it. Some areas are badly scarred from strip mining. A huge insult to weather patterns could be the cutting of the Rain Forest. Fish kills from dumping, declining populations of some fish due to over fishing.... on and on.

No, I don't think our record is that stellar when it comes to messing with nature.

Angeline

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Right....

by EdHannigan Mar 11, 2010 5:24AM PST

that fire, sanitation and agriculture stuff just never worked out.

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Right....don't monkey around with mom nature

by Steven Haninger Mar 11, 2010 7:52AM PST

If you don't mess with her, you're still going to die but if you do mess with her you're going to take innocent victims with you.

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It's not nice to fool Mother Nature

by James Denison Mar 11, 2010 8:21AM PST

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XaX3kPOfwk0

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Well, I tend to agree.

by MarkFlax Former Forum moderator Mar 11, 2010 7:27PM PST

It makes me feel uncomfortable that we could consider preventing hurricanes at all.

Who knows what effects it will have on the global weather system? I mean, in the Atlantic alone there is the Gulf Stream that may depend on the force of the hurricanes, and even the Jet Stream, in some way.

Not saying they will be affected, but do these scientists know that they will not?

Mark

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Thought...

by J. Vega Mar 11, 2010 7:29AM PST

Would the water pumped upwards be able to freely penetrate the thermocline? AIR, normally the waters above and below the thermocline do not tend to freely mix.

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There's too much something for nothing, or billions for the

by Ziks511 Mar 11, 2010 11:20AM PST

investment of mere millions in this for me to trust it. That said, diminishing El Nino events and hurricane activity is attractive. I just don't see the economics being as favourable as they are portrayed. Besides, what about navigation? How do ships avoid these "pumps" when their GPS system fails in a storm?

Too much wishful thinking and impracticality. And I'm the liberal optimist.

Rob

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Yep good idea

by squidie Mar 12, 2010 2:32AM PST

Defiantly sounds like a good idea in parts of the world like that.

Busting Hurricanes with ocean cooling pumps

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