If we can get rid of clouds using silver oxide, why don’t we use that method on hurricanes?

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This article does not mention silver oxide, but regardless of what chemicals are used why don’t we attempt to weaken catastrophic storms in any way?

[https://www.theguardian.com/science/2004/jun/24/thisweekssciencequestions3](https://www.theguardian.com/science/2004/jun/24/thisweekssciencequestions3)

In: Planetary Science

20 Answers

Anonymous 0 Comments

The primary condition that causes hurricanes is warm ocean surface temprature. Huge amounts of water evaporate into the air- millions of tons of water. That water also carries heat- energy. Cloud seeding can shift the balance between conditions where a cloud can almost form and when a cloud forms. And under certain conditions, that can cause it to turn into a rain cloud. But the input of water and heat pouring off the ocean in the conditions that lead to a hurricane is enormous. There is not a subtle balance to shift, there is a torrent. All the water that dumps torrential floods across hundreds of miles of land *rises up from the ocean first*. Making it rain slightly earlier isn’t going to help, it is dumping millions of tons of rain into the ocean while it is still intensifying.

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