Stop a Cyclone in Its Tracks: Strategies and Insights for Battling Nature’s Fury

Back in the 1960s, the US explored a project called Stormfury. It aimed to use cloud seeding with silver iodide to disrupt hurricanes. This sparked curiosity and concern, particularly from Cuban leader Fidel Castro. While the project showed some promise in weakening hurricanes, it ultimately came to an end.

Today, researchers are revisiting these ideas. Many international scientists are eager to study cyclones in Australia, where there are no neighboring countries to complicate their work. However, this research isn’t without its challenges. Some ecosystems, including marine life, forests, and agricultural areas, rely on the rainfall that comes from cyclones. This raises important ethical questions about whether we should intervene.

Current research focuses on the early stages of cyclones, known as embryonic cyclones. These are low-pressure systems with a developing vortex. The goal is to stop them before they grow stronger. According to Associate Professor Roslyn Prinsley from the ANU Institute for Climate, Energy and Disaster Solutions, this method is less costly and requires less effort than trying to intervene in fully formed storms. The catch? It’s tough to predict which embryonic cyclones will escalate into dangerous storms.

“Intervening in a cyclone that remains out at sea or one that is unlikely to cause harm isn’t helpful,” Prinsley said. “Identifying the right storms to target is a significant challenge.”

With climate change, the intensity of cyclones is becoming unpredictable. They can now gain strength more rapidly, and they are moving further inland and south, bringing powerful winds and heavy rains to areas that weren’t previously threatened. Buildings in places like Brisbane and northern NSW, which are not designed to withstand cyclones, may need to be updated to handle future storm threats.

Cyclones, also called hurricanes or typhoons depending on where they occur, form in tropical regions. They gather energy from warm ocean waters, spin up, and release that energy as they approach land.

Some researchers are even looking into cooling ocean waters to weaken cyclones since these storms thrive on warm temperatures. In 2009, Bill Gates and climate scientist Ken Caldeira patented a plan to use turbines or machinery to bring cooler water to the surface, potentially lowering cyclone intensity.

Moreover, a Norwegian startup named Ocean Therm aims to use fleets of ships with special pipes to release cold water from the deep ocean as bubbles. Their “dream scenario” is to weaken a category 3 or 4 hurricane into a much lighter tropical storm.

However, Prinsley cautions that this method may be more expensive and slower than other techniques, like using aerosols.