Hurricanes Aren't All Bad

I considered entitling this blog post "Some People Are Idiots", but decided the folks described in MSN's article on schemes to stop or mitigate hurricanes possibly weren't idiots, just misguided. I was aware that the US government had funded research on storm control. However, ideas like spreading a sort of oil slick on the ocean are just plain stupid. Even if the idea wasn't ecologically devastating, it's like some people don't grasp the scale of the storms. After all, how much of a substance would be required to cover an area the size of the state of Texas? Then there is the notion of throwing super-absorbent powder at the storm. Or maybe a nuclear detonation. Sigh...

Ron Word's MSN article is amusing, but I think the concept of hurricane seeding is probably closer to reality than the half-baked schemes that he mentions. Even so, hurricane seeding has political ramifications in addition to its environmental effects. As some of you know, I am a big fan of the great storms and I live in an area where I get to view them up close. True, hurricanes cause a lot of damage, but they are also implicated in rejuvenating the oceanic food chain (basically supporting planetary life) aid pollination, promote forestation, and contribute to other terrestrial events. The massive energy transfer of the tropical storms impacts weather on a global scale. My opinion: if you live in an area prone to hurricanes, deal with it. They come with the territory. Resources are better spent in an effort to prepare for the storms than in seeking ways to avoid them.
Environmental Chemistry | Water Chemistry