Meteorological modification method and apparatus CIP

Abstract

A method and apparatus for inhibiting or weakening the development of tropical cyclones by detecting the onset of tropical cyclonic activity using at least one storm tracking weather satellite and using at least one submerged modified nuclear powered submarine to pump cool subsurface water to cool the surface water in the area of such activity. The method and apparatus contemplate moving the submarine with the movement of the tropical cyclone as tracked by satellite with the objective that cooling activity is optimally positioned and unrelenting.

Description

RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] The present application is related to provisional application Ser. No. 60 / 220,186, filed Jul. 24, 2000 and utility application Ser. No. 09 / 901,717, filed Jul. 11, 2001 and claims the priority dates of those applications as to the common subject matter.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] 1. Field of the Invention [0003] The present application relates to a meteorological modification method and apparatus for the alteration of certain meteorological phenomena. It particularly relates to a method and apparatus for inhibiting or even weakening the development of tropical storms or tropical cyclonic activity that often lead to the formation of hurricanes, typhoons, cyclones and the like. Incidentally, these are substantially identical meteorological phenomena that are given different names in different parts of the world. In the Atlantic Ocean and eastern Pacific Ocean and adjoining land masses, they are called hurricanes, in the western Pacific Ocean and adjoi...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0020] A further object of the invention is to make use of inexpensively modified and presently obsolete nuclear powered submarines that have an almost infinite power source and can stay submerged for months to achieve the socially worthy goal of inhibiting or weakening the development of tropical cyclones in their infancy.

[0022] In accordance with a primary aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of inhibiting or weakening the development of tropical cyclones comprising the steps of detecting the onset of tropical cyclonic activity in a region of open warm water using storm tracking weather satellites, positioning one or more submerged modified nuclear submarines beneath surface of the ocean from which the incipient cyclonic activity is drawing its strength, i.e., the very warm ocean water surface, having the submarine pump cold subsurface water to the surface thus cooling the surface to inhibit or weaken the development of a tropical cyclone in its infancy, continuing to track any movement of the incipient cyclonic activity, and moving the submarine accordingly so that its ocean surface cooling activity is optimally positioned and unrelenting. Alternatively, the cold subsurface water can be sprayed into the tropical cyclone eye, eye wall and inner feeder bands to cool them.

[0024] The U.S. Navy has a number of nuclear submarines which have been retired from active duty and which could be inexpensively modified for use to inhibit or weaken the development of tropical cyclones in their infancy. Thus, the use of such submarines would enable implementation of the invention at relatively low cost and at a relatively early date.

[0026] The use of nuclear powered submarines for this purpose provides a number of advantages. They are now available, at least those that have become strategically or tactically obsolete. They would require relatively little cost and time to retrofit them for this purpose, they can be used for long periods of time without refueling, they can stay submerged for long periods of time and they are highly maneuverable so that the submarine can move with storm, or if a plurality of disturbances each indicating the onset of tropical cyclones in their infancy are detected within a short period of time, the submarines can be maneuvered as required to immediately act to inhibit or weaken the development of the tropical cyclones according to the above-described method.

Problems solved by technology

The first of these is that cyclonic storms are susceptible to minor changes in their initial conditions, such as ocean temperature.

. . is highly sensitive to initial conditions, so that seemingly insignificant, arbitrary inputs can have profound effects that lead quickly to unpredictable consequences.

However, these efforts were unsuccessful or at least inconclusive, and the project was discontinued.

Similarly, the western south Atlantic adjacent to Brazil has never experienced hurricanes because the sea temperature there is too cold for the formation of storms.

While the development of a tropical cyclone can be detected in “real time” on weather satellites as early as when it becomes a tropical depression, to the present time there has been no practical way by which a relatively small input of energy will be effective to inhibit or weaken the development of a tropical cyclone.

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