Storm Experts Make Cloud Vanish

ianchaos writes: "According to an article in New Scientist, storm experts in the U.S. have made a cloud vanish from the sky for the first time. They achieved the feat by sprinkling a water-absorbing powder over the cloud, making it disappear from sight and weather station radar screens. They hope the powder will one day dry up deadly hurricanes and tropical storms."

Comments

Won't Somebody PLEASE Think of the Children!

[Zaphod B]

First of all, let's just make clear that the scalability of this project will be a problem. Just because you make one little cloud disappear does not mean you get to take away hurricanes.

Next let's discuss the climate issues. Water is recycled on this planet. Any fourth grader can tell you about the rain cycle. Start mucking about with chemicals trying to absorb water and you will eventually muck about with the world's water. A better solution would be for people not to live in places very prone to hurricanes, or for people to adapt dwellings, etc. to withstand them.

Third, let's talk about the physical uselessness of this project. Hurricanes are extreme low-pressure areas. Anyone who's taken high school physics can tell you that the natural movement of anything (atoms, etc.) is from an area of high-pressure to an area of low-pressure (this is why champagne corks pop and why they tell you not to puncture aerosol cans). You may be able to withdraw the moisture from the atmosphere (see the second point above), but that will not necessarily remove the area of low-pressure. Water (in the form of clouds) will continue to gravitate toward the low-pressure, thus patching up all the "holes" that this ridiculous powder would be creating.

Fourth, the price of sporting events is high enough already without having to pay for cloud dispersal services.

Fifth, we already have something that absorbs water and moisture. It's called silica gel, it's horrendously poisonous, and it comes in packets in every box of electronics shipped on this planet.

Zaphod B

Re:Won't Somebody PLEASE Think of the Children!

[return 42]

It's called silica gel, it's horrendously poisonous...

What have you been smoking? Silica gel isn't even slightly poisonous. Breathing a lot of it can cause lung problems, but that's true of any dessicant, for obvious reasons.

Hurricanes have uses, too.

[martyb]

First off, let me say that my heart goes out to those who have suffered damage or the loss of the life of a loved one because of a hurricane.

As an example: Years ago when hurricane Gloria came through my area, I was without power for 4 days and had friends who had no power for a week. Many roads were closed because of fallen trees. It was a real mess.

But, I noticed something else. For the next few years, the usual storm-related power outages ceased. The big storm cleaned out all the deadwood hanging over power lines. Only the really strong and healthy trees and branches remained.

I like to take walks in the woods. I noticed that the fallen tress and branches became natural habitats for wildlife. There were also great openings in the canopy where trees had once been -- this brought more light down to ground level and caused an outburst of low-level shrubs and the like. It seemed like Darwin's Theory of Evolution at work on a grand scale - a wholesale wiping out of the weakest leaving only the strong to survive.

The point I'm trying to make from these few examples is that I caught a glimpse of what I believe to be long-term cycles at work. I suspect these huge storms are as important to our ecosystem as regular storms are.

Won't Somebody PLEASE Mod This Down!

[Rick the Red]

Enough with the hysteria! The chemical they use absorbs moisture from the cloud, becomes very heavy, and drops from the sky. It rains down into the ocean where the salt water breaks it down. So the water cycle is not harmed in any way (as if it could be) -- the water ends up in the ocean, as before.

As for hurricanes, their theory has yet to be proven, but the idea is to drop this stuff in a straight line from the eye out to the edge, thus disrupting the hurricane enough to turn it back into a tropical storm -- maybe even a tropical depression. Yes, the low pressure area will remain, but the theory is that the high winds will not (the high winds are not caused by high pressure air rushing radially into the low pressure storm).

And finally, this is not silica gel. Just because "we already have something that absorbs water and moisture" doesn't mean anything else that absorbs water is worthless. Do you wipe up coffee spills with silica gel? No. Do you pack electronics in paper towels? No. Do you read the damn articles before you post? Apparantly Not.