Skies Will Be Falling: Future Technologies and Techniques for the Disruption and Diminishment of Self-Sustainment Cycles in Tropical Cyclonic Systems

摘要

Tropical cyclones, or hurricanes, are massive chaotic systems that have threatened coastal populations for millennia. The destructive power of these systems kills thousands every year and causes billions of dollars of damage. Hurricane Katrina alone claimed more than 1,800 lives and caused over $125 billion in damage. With an increasing percentage of the world's population living near coastlines, tropical cyclones present an ever-greater threat to life and property. In addition, nearly half of all U.S. military bases are within sixty miles of a coastline directly threatened by tropical cyclones. What can be done to mitigate this threat. This paper will examine three possible weather modification technologies and techniques to disrupt and diminish the destructive power of tropical cyclones in the 2030 timeframe: specifically tuned microwaves from space-based solar power stations, biodegradable monomolecular surface materials ('monolayers'), and moisture- absorbing materials. Various scenarios along with analysis of several experiments and simulations will reveal that the basic technology exists today for hurricane modification within in the next thirty years. This paper will also discuss enabling technologies such as improved computer modeling, better forecasting, and more precise data collection. Finally, substantial issues regarding liability, international treaties, and domestic politics must be addressed in order for this possible future to become a reality. Yet, more than anything, the most essential requirement for future success is a recommitment to research and experimentation that has all but been abandoned over the last forty years. Put simply, we have to be willing to try. Future generations may not forgive us if we don't.