<h2>It <em>might</em> be possible but hasn't been done in practice</h2>
<p><a href="https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn14988-invention-hurricane-pacifier/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">One idea</a> is that <strong>smoke could be introduced into the hurricane</strong> and, because the smoke is heavier than air, the <strong>wind speeds could be reduced</strong>.</p>
<p>The smoke would also cause <strong>water vapour to condense at lower altitudes</strong> and hamper <a href="https://www.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/nves.sci.earth.hurricane/water-vapor-fuels-hurricanes/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">the heat cycle</a> within a hurricane. <strong>When the water evaporates it carries with it the energy</strong> needed to heat it to that point. The water vapour is lighter than air and will rise but once it condenses it falls - releasing the energy it gained from rising (like if you pushed a ball up a hill), this energy adds to the air currents within the hurricane. If the water condenses at a lower altitude it doesn't have as much energy.</p>
<p>There are other ideas such as <a href="https://usatoday30.usatoday.com/weather/research/2009-07-15-gates-hurricanes_N.htm" rel="nofollow noreferrer">using fans to blow in cool air</a> and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Stormfury" rel="nofollow noreferrer">seeding clouds with silver iodide</a> (link makes for an interesting read but ultimately failed), these ideas may also have some potential but one of the problems with altering complex weather systems is that the side effects are not necessarily well understood. This makes carrying out practical tests difficult on both a moral and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Stormfury#Project_Cirrus" rel="nofollow noreferrer">legal level</a>.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-09-10T09:17:17.790Z
2017-09-13T09:35:18.870Z
2020-06-18T08:25:19.090Z
Lio Elbammalf
<p>I know nothing significant about meteorology and definitely not a science guy so this will probably seem naive...</p>

<p>But today I am wondering if there is any existing science or methods a government (with enough funds) could employ, through science, to lessen the force of a hurricane?</p>

<p>I vaguely remember something about them being affected by air temperatures, so couldn't something be done to somehow inject heat or refrigeration into the area? Or something to counteract against it's speed increases?</p>

<p>What approaches would one consider in such an endeavor?</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-09-06T15:38:00.913Z
Possible duplicate of https://earthscience.stackexchange.com/questions/2541/how-much-energy-is-needed-to-alter-the-path-of-a-hurricane
jeffronicus
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-09-06T15:40:41.067Z
So I guess altering the path is just one approach.  My question is, what approaches would be feasible today (and not exactly how one of those would work in detail)
GWR
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-09-06T21:01:37.493Z
Related question here:   https://worldbuilding.stackexchange.com/questions/45440/stopping-hurricanes-cyclones-with-liquid-nitrogen?noredirect=1#comment270272_45440   I have little doubt it's discussed, because solutions to 100 billion dollar problems should be discussed, but I don't think anything is close.
userLTK
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-09-07T18:43:30.060Z
I read about that. Issue was that it wouldn't come close to having enough effect, and the negative consequences could potentially be worse than the devastation of the hurricane itself
GWR
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-09-07T23:49:27.643Z
The Nuclear bomb is a bit of a hair-brain scheme, but I think the idea is to use the bomb to create wind sheer to end the tropical depression.   It's theoretically possible (er, I think).  One problem is, there's 100 tropical depressions a year and most of them don't become hurricanes.   That's a whole lot of nukes to set off.
userLTK
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2017-09-08T15:40:15.210Z
Since cyclone formation and strength is related to sea-surface temperatures (Irma is currently crossing 30-degree C waters), I think your best bet would be to dramatically cool the surface of the ocean ahead of the storm. Unfortunately, the best way to do that is with a cyclone...
jeffronicus
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-09-08T21:24:49.790Z
I read that it's the temperature of the top 200 feet of the ocean that drives the Hurricane.   200 feet x dozens if not hundreds of square miles - probably not an option, even if circulated from below and not cooled, that's a huge volume of water   http://www.atmo.arizona.edu/students/courselinks/fall15/atmo336/lectures/sec2/hurricanes_energetics.html  Granted you wouldn't need to cool all 200 feet, but it's still a huge volume. (link says 200 meters, I'm sure I read 200 feet in the past - whichever, that's still a huge volume)
userLTK
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-09-09T08:11:13.650Z
@gansub  LOL.   That approach had never occurred to me, so, props.   Towing (throwing?) iceburgs isn't easy though.  They're bulking and they melt.
userLTK
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-09-09T19:55:09.927Z
@gansub I doubt it too. But it would be fun to calculate how large an iceburg might disrupt a tropical depression or small tropical storm.   Then there's the problem of getting it there in time (tugging an iceberg isn't easy) and how much of it melts on the way.
userLTK
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-09-12T07:52:39.710Z
Possible duplicate of [Could we cool the ocean by reflecting away sunlight to influence hurricanes?](https://earthscience.stackexchange.com/questions/12265/could-we-cool-the-ocean-by-reflecting-away-sunlight-to-influence-hurricanes)
daniel.heydebreck
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-09-17T11:08:43.447Z
Possible duplicate of [How much energy is needed to alter the path of a hurricane?](https://earthscience.stackexchange.com/questions/2541/how-much-energy-is-needed-to-alter-the-path-of-a-hurricane)
410 gone
<meteorology><tropical-cyclone><geoengineering>
Ways, Through Science, to Counteract Hurricane Forces?
GWR
# Ways, Through Science, to Counteract Hurricane Forces?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2017-09-06)

I know nothing significant about meteorology and definitely not a science guy so this will probably seem naive...

But today I am wondering if there is any existing science or methods a government (with enough funds) could employ, through science, to lessen the force of a hurricane?

I vaguely remember something about them being affected by air temperatures, so couldn't something be done to somehow inject heat or refrigeration into the area? Or something to counteract against it's speed increases?

What approaches would one consider in such an endeavor?

**Tags:** meteorology, tropical-cyclone, geoengineering

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Possible duplicate of https://earthscience.stackexchange.com/questions/2541/how-much-energy-is-needed-to-alter-the-path-of-a-hurricane  
> **username_0**: So I guess altering the path is just one approach.  My question is, what approaches would be feasible today (and not exactly how one of those would work in detail)  
> **username_2**: Related question here:   https://worldbuilding.stackexchange.com/questions/45440/stopping-hurricanes-cyclones-with-liquid-nitrogen?noredirect=1#comment270272_45440   I have little doubt it's discussed, because solutions to 100 billion dollar problems should be discussed, but I don't think anything is close.  
> **username_0**: I read about that. Issue was that it wouldn't come close to having enough effect, and the negative consequences could potentially be worse than the devastation of the hurricane itself  
> **username_2**: The Nuclear bomb is a bit of a hair-brain scheme, but I think the idea is to use the bomb to create wind sheer to end the tropical depression.   It's theoretically possible (er, I think).  One problem is, there's 100 tropical depressions a year and most of them don't become hurricanes.   That's a whole lot of nukes to set off.  
> **username_1**: Since cyclone formation and strength is related to sea-surface temperatures (Irma is currently crossing 30-degree C waters), I think your best bet would be to dramatically cool the surface of the ocean ahead of the storm. Unfortunately, the best way to do that is with a cyclone...  
> **username_2**: I read that it's the temperature of the top 200 feet of the ocean that drives the Hurricane.   200 feet x dozens if not hundreds of square miles - probably not an option, even if circulated from below and not cooled, that's a huge volume of water   http://www.atmo.arizona.edu/students/courselinks/fall15/atmo336/lectures/sec2/hurricanes_energetics.html  Granted you wouldn't need to cool all 200 feet, but it's still a huge volume. (link says 200 meters, I'm sure I read 200 feet in the past - whichever, that's still a huge volume)  
> **username_2**: @gansub  LOL.   That approach had never occurred to me, so, props.   Towing (throwing?) iceburgs isn't easy though.  They're bulking and they melt.  
> **username_2**: @gansub I doubt it too. But it would be fun to calculate how large an iceburg might disrupt a tropical depression or small tropical storm.   Then there's the problem of getting it there in time (tugging an iceberg isn't easy) and how much of it melts on the way.  
> **username_3**: Possible duplicate of [Could we cool the ocean by reflecting away sunlight to influence hurricanes?](https://earthscience.stackexchange.com/questions/12265/could-we-cool-the-ocean-by-reflecting-away-sunlight-to-influence-hurricanes)  
> **username_4**: Possible duplicate of [How much energy is needed to alter the path of a hurricane?](https://earthscience.stackexchange.com/questions/2541/how-much-energy-is-needed-to-alter-the-path-of-a-hurricane)  

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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_5 on 2017-09-10. Score: 2 | Accepted answer

## It *might* be possible but hasn't been done in practice

[One idea](https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn14988-invention-hurricane-pacifier/) is that **smoke could be introduced into the hurricane** and, because the smoke is heavier than air, the **wind speeds could be reduced**.

The smoke would also cause **water vapour to condense at lower altitudes** and hamper [the heat cycle](https://www.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/nves.sci.earth.hurricane/water-vapor-fuels-hurricanes/) within a hurricane. **When the water evaporates it carries with it the energy** needed to heat it to that point. The water vapour is lighter than air and will rise but once it condenses it falls - releasing the energy it gained from rising (like if you pushed a ball up a hill), this energy adds to the air currents within the hurricane. If the water condenses at a lower altitude it doesn't have as much energy.

There are other ideas such as [using fans to blow in cool air](https://usatoday30.usatoday.com/weather/research/2009-07-15-gates-hurricanes_N.htm) and [seeding clouds with silver iodide](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Stormfury) (link makes for an interesting read but ultimately failed), these ideas may also have some potential but one of the problems with altering complex weather systems is that the side effects are not necessarily well understood. This makes carrying out practical tests difficult on both a moral and [legal level](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Stormfury#Project_Cirrus).


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