WO2006104809A2

WO2006104809A2 - Method of controlling and modulating hurricanes

Info

Publication number: WO2006104809A2
Application number: PCT/US2006/010429
Authority: WO
Original assignee: Engel, Marc
Priority date: 2005-03-28
Filing date: 2006-03-22
Publication date: 2006-10-05
Also published as: WO2006104809A3

Abstract

A method to modulate/control hurricanes is described comprising the steps of identifying a body of water in the vicinity of an existing/developing hurricane, adding nutrients in said identified region to fertilize growth of vegetation in said body of water, wherein the added nutrients increase the growth of vegetation. Increased growth of vegetation decreases CO2 content above the body of water and the decreased CO2 content decreases the pressure and temperature of the identified body of water. Decreased pressure and temperature of the identified body of water decreases the intensity of a hurricane passing above the region.

Description

METHOD OF CONTROLLING AND MODULATING HURRICANES

RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/665,890 filed March 28, 2005, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention is directed to controlling of hurricanes and more particularly to a method of controlling the intensity and/or the direction of hurricane movement.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Huge rotating storms making enormous winds are typical across tropical seas and shorelines. These roiling tempests are called hurricanes in the Atlantic, typhoons in the Western Pacific, and cyclones in the Indian Ocean. Hereinafter, all of these will be generally referred to a "hurricanes". Such hurricanes strike at heavily populated areas and have been know to kill thousands and costs billion of dollars of property damages.

There have been many studies to determine the physical phenomenon, which causes the increase in intensity and severity of hurricanes. Such studies have generally concluded that the hurricane wind and intensities are increased by warmth. Such can occur over warm ocean waters as described in "Controlling Hurricanes" by Ross N. Hoffman, in the Scientific American, September 27, 2004. Likewise, it has been identified that an increase in CO₂ also causes additional warmth which causes such storms to be more intense. This has been demonstrated in "Simulated Inquires of Hurricane Intensities in a CO₂- Warmed Climate" by Thomas R. Kuntson, Robert E. Tuleya and Yoshi Kurihara in Science, volume 279, February 13, 1998. The presence of "warm core rings" where warm water extends to great depths, have also pointed to increase in intensities of hurricanes as published in Miami Scientist Links Ocean 'Fuel Injectors' to Sudden Hurricane Intensification" from the University of Miami, November 1, 1999. The increase in intensity as result of the increased presence of carbon dioxide has also been studied by the American Association For The Advancement of Science as announced in a press release of February 17, 2003 entitled "Computer Models Forecast Sharp Increase In Temperature If Heat - trapping Emissions Continue To Rise."

As a result of such studies, there have been various attempts to control hurricanes through cloud seeding and other approaches as described the above

Scientific American article. Most of these efforts recognize that the warmer the conditions, the more severe the intensity of the hurricane. However, none of the approaches have been successful in controlling the temperature in order to successfully reduce the severity of the hurricanes or attempt to redirect the direction of travel of such hurricanes.

Whatever the precise merits, features, and advantages of the above cited references, none of them achieves or fulfills the purposes of the present invention.

DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION The present invention proposes to make use of the increasing the phytoplankton content of waters by adding suitable fertilizer to the water in order to increase such phytoplankton. It is known that phytoplankton in the waters serve to extract the carbon dioxide from the atmosphere above the waters. In doing so it also lowers the temperature of the water and likewise as it removes the carbon dioxide it also lowers the pressure. Through such lowering of pressure and temperature the intensity and/or direction of hurricanes can be controlled.

The present invention provides for a method to modulate the intensity of a hurricane comprising the steps of: identifying a body of water (e.g., a region in an ocean, a region in a sea, or a region in any large body of water) proximate to an existing/developing hurricane; adding nutrients (e.g., iron sulfate) to said identified body of water to fertilize growth of vegetation (e.g., phytoplankton) in said body of water, whereby the added nutrients increase the growth of vegetation in the identified body of water and the increased growth of vegetation decreases CO₂ content above the body of water. Decreased CO₂ content, in turn, decreases the pressure and temperature of the identified body of water, whereby the decrease in pressure and temperature of the identified body of water decreases the intensity of a hurricane that passes above the identified body of water.

The present invention also provides for a method to control the path of a hurricane comprising the steps of: identifying a path associated with a existing/developing hurricane; identifying a body of water (e.g., a region in an ocean, a region in a sea, or a region in any large body of water) in the identified path of an existing/developing hurricane; adding nutrients (e.g., iron sulfate) to the identified body of water to fertilize growth of vegetation (e.g., phytoplankton) in the body of water, whereby the added nutrients increase the growth of vegetation, and the increased growth of vegetation, in turn, decreases CO₂ content above the body of water. The decreased CO₂ content, in turn, decreases pressure and temperature of the identified body of water, whereby the decrease in pressure and temperature of the identified body of water changes the path of the existing/developing hurricane. The present invention also provides for a method to modulate the intensity of a hurricane comprising the steps of: identifying a high nutrient and low chlorophyll region in a body of water proximate to an existing/developing hurricane; adding fertilizer in identified region to increase phytoplankton growth, whereby the added nutrients increase phytoplankton growth and the increased phytoplankton growth, in turn, decreases CO₂ content above the identified region. The decreased CO₂ content, in turn, decreases the pressure and temperature of the identified region and the decreased pressure and temperature, in turn, decreases the intensity of a hurricane passing above the region. The present invention also provides for a method to control the path of a hurricane comprising the steps of: identifying a path associated with a existing/developing hurricane; identifying a high nutrient and low chlorophyll region in an body of water in the path of existing/developing hurricane; adding fertilizer (e.g., iron sulfate) to the body of water (e.g., a region in an ocean) to increase phytoplankton growth, whereby the added nutrients increase phytoplankton growth and the increased phytoplankton growth, in turn, decreases CO₂ content above the identified region. The decreased CO₂ content, in turn, decreases the pressure and temperature of the identified region and the decreased pressure and temperature, in turn, decreases the intensity of a hurricane passing above the region. The present invention also provides for a system to modulate hurricanes comprising the steps of: means for identifying a region in an ocean in the vicinity of an existing/developing hurricane; means for adding nutrients (e.g., iron sulfate) in said identified region to fertilize phytoplankton growth in said body of water (a region in an ocean), whereby the added nutrients increase phytoplankton growth and the increased phytoplankton growth, in turn, decreases CO₂ content above the region. The decreased CO₂ content, in turn, decreases pressure and temperature of the region and the decreased pressure and temperature, in turn, decrease the intensity of a hurricane passing above the region in the ocean.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figure 1 illustrates an embodiment of the present invention's method to modulate the intensity of a hurricane.

Figure 2 illustrates an embodiment of the present invention's method to control the path of a hurricane.

Figure 3 illustrates another embodiment of the present invention's method to modulate the intensity of a hurricane.

Figure 4 illustrates another embodiment of the present invention's method to control the path of a hurricane.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION While this invention is illustrated and described in a preferred embodiment, the method may be implemented in many different configurations. There is depicted in the drawings, and will herein be described in detail, a preferred embodiment of the invention, with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the principles of the invention and the associated functional specifications for its construction and is not intended to limit the invention to the embodiment illustrated. It should be noted that throughout the specification and the claims, the terms "hurricane", "cyclones", and "typhoons" can be used interchangeably. Those skilled in the art will envision many other possible variations and equivalents within the scope of the present invention. As described in the background of the invention, although it is well known that warmth aids in the increase of hurricane intensity, thus far there has been insufficient capabilities to control such warmth and reduce the temperature. It is known that when the hurricane moves over the warm waters onto the cold land the intensity decreases. However, to decrease the temperature while the hurricane is still over the water has not been successfully achieved.

In an unrelated field of technology it has been known that the presence of phytoplankton in water reduces the presence of carbon dioxide. Areas of water that lack phytoplankton had increased presence of carbon dioxide, which presents green house problems. IQ order to increase the presence of phytoplankton there have been successful operations of fertilizing those large areas of water with chemicals which will increase the phytoplankton. hi the past this has been done using iron in a soluble state which has resulted in a large phytoplankton growth, hi an article entitled "A Massive Phytoplankton Bloom Induced by Ecosystem-Scale Iron Fertilization Experiment in the Equatorial Pacific Ocean", published by Kevin H. Coale, et al, in Nature, Volume 383, October 10, 1996, there is reported the results of the so-called the Ironex experiment, hi this experiment they found that a small fertilization of iron sulfate (50 parts per trillion) resulted in removal of about 2,500 tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere due to the resulting bloom of phytoplankton. The increase in phytoplankton and the resulting reduction in carbon dioxide has been further supported by other published studies such as that conducted by the University of California, Santa Barbara, as announced in their press release dated April 20, 2004 entitled "Marine Researchers Fertilize Southern Oceans to Study Climate Changes". The fertilizing of the water with iron sulfate achieved such increases in phytoplankton which resulted in a reduction in carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. A concurrent result of such removable of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere was a noted decrease in the temperature at the surface of the water. In the aforementioned article published in Nature, it was documented that a drop in ocean temperature was recorded in the original Ironex experiment. This decrease in temperature took place over the course of a short time span, measured in several days, and continued up to a few weeks. As shown in graphs contained within the article, such temperature changes occurred in the area of fertilization and even in distances extended from it.

Such evidenced change in the temperature also was noted in the aforementioned University of California, Santa Barbara article, which also noted that the increases in temperature currently being noted as part of the global warming is resulting from the presence of carbon dioxide. It is suggested that removal of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere would have helped cooled the earth during the ice age, because such removal does lower the temperature. At the same time, the removal of carbon dioxide from the surface atmosphere also lowers the pressure at the atmosphere as carbon dioxide is removed.

Accordingly, based upon the results of such phytoplankton fertilization, there results a lowering in the pressure above the water, a removal of the carbon dioxide above the water, and a lowering of the temperature above the water. It is therefore a method of the present invention to fertilize the surface of the water adjacent to the presence or upcoming presence of a hurricane in order to remove the carbon dioxide, thereby resulting in the lowering of the temperature and thus lowering the intensity of the hurricane. Furthermore, by fertilizing the water in areas adjacent to the hurricane and lowering the pressure and temperature in those adjacent areas it is possible to steer or guide the hurricane away from populated areas. Such fertilization can be done not only with iron sulfate but can also be done by any other form of compound including but not limited to the three major plant nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium), the secondary plant nutrients (calcium, sulfur, magnesium), and trace elements (or micronutrients) with a role in plant nutrition: boron, manganese, iron, zinc, copper and molybdenum as nutrients for growing phytoplankton by themselves or in compounds with other substances.

The area of fertilization, the extent of fertilization, the composition of the compound, the time spent, etc., would be based upon the strength and size of the storm. This can result in reducing the intensity of the storm or redirecting the storm to steer it in desired directions.

Figure 1 illustrates an embodiment of the present invention's method 100 to modulate the intensity of a hurricane. Method 100 comprises the steps of: step 102 - identifying a body of water (e.g. a region in an ocean) proximate to an existing/developing hurricane; step 104 - adding nutrients (e.g., iron sulfate) to the identified body of water to fertilize growth of vegetation (e.g., phytoplankton) in said body of water, whereby, in step 106, the added nutrients increase the growth of vegetation in the identified body of water and the increased growth of vegetation decreases CO₂ content above the body of water. Decreased CO₂ content, in turn, decreases the pressure and temperature of the identified body of water, whereby the decrease in pressure and temperature of the identified body of water decreases the intensity of a hurricane that passes above the identified body of water.

Figure 2 illustrates another embodiment of the present invention's method 200 to control the path of a hurricane comprising the steps of: step 202 - identifying a path associated with a existing/developing hurricane; step 204 - identifying a body of water (e.g., a region in an ocean) in the identified path of an existing/developing hurricane; step 206 - adding nutrients (e.g., iron sulfate) to the identified body of water to fertilize growth of vegetation (e.g., phytoplankton) in the body of water, whereby, in step 208, the added nutrients increase the growth of vegetation, and the increased growth of vegetation, in turn, decreases CO₂ content above the body of water. The decreased CO₂ content, in turn, decreases pressure and temperature of the identified body of water, whereby the decrease in pressure and temperature of the identified body of water changes the path of the existing/developing hurricane.

Figure 3 illustrates yet another embodiment of the present invention's method 300 to modulate the intensity of a hurricane comprising the steps of: step 302 - identifying a high nutrient and low chlorophyll region in a body of water proximate to an existing/developing hurricane; step 304 - adding fertilizer in said body of water to increase phytoplankton growth, whereby, in step 306, the added nutrients increase phytoplankton growth and the increased phytoplankton growth, in turn, decreases CO₂ content above the identified region. The decreased CO₂ content, in turn, decreases the pressure and temperature of the identified region and the decreased pressure and temperature, in turn, decreases the intensity of a hurricane passing above the region.

Figure 4 illustrates another embodiment of the present invention's method 400 to control the path of a hurricane comprising the steps of: step 402 - identifying a path associated with a existing/developing hurricane; step 404 - identifying a high nutrient and low chlorophyll region in an body of water in the path of existing/developing hurricane; step 406 - adding fertilizer (e.g., iron sulfate) to the body of water (e.g., a region in an ocean) to increase phytoplankton growth, whereby, in step 408, the added nutrients increase phytoplankton growth and the increased phytoplankton growth, in turn, decreases CO₂ content above the identified region. The decreased CO₂ content, in turn, decreases the pressure and temperature of the identified region and the decreased pressure and temperature, in turn, decreases the intensity of a hurricane passing above the region.

The present invention also provides for a system to modulate hurricanes comprising the steps of: means for identifying a region in an ocean in the vicinity of an existing/developing hurricane; means for adding nutrients (e.g., iron sulfate) in said identified region to fertilize phytoplankton growth in said body of water (a region in an ocean), whereby the added nutrients increase phytoplankton growth and the increased phytoplankton growth, in turn, decreases CO₂ content above the region. The decreased CO₂ content, in turn, decreases pressure and temperature of the region and the decreased pressure and temperature, in turn, decrease the intensity of a hurricane passing above the region in the ocean.

CONCLUSION

A system and method has been shown in the above embodiments for the effective implementation of a method to modulate the intensity and control the path of hurricanes. While various preferred embodiments have been shown and described, it will be understood that there is no intent to limit the invention by such disclosure, but rather, it is intended to cover all modifications and alternate constructions falling within the spirit and scope of the invention, as defined in the appended claims. For example, the present invention should not be limited by the body of water, the type of vegetation, or the specific material or fertilization method used to promote the growth of vegetation in a body of water.

Claims

CLAIMS What is claimed is:

1. A method to modulate the intensity of a hurricane comprising the steps of: identifying a body of water proximate to an existing/developing hurricane; adding nutrients to said identified body of water to fertilize growth of vegetation in said body of water, said added nutrients increasing growth of said vegetation, said increased growth of vegetation decreasing CO₂ content above said body of water, said decreased CO₂ content decreasing pressure and temperature of said identified body of water, said decreased pressure and temperature of said identified body of water decreasing intensity of said hurricane when it passes above said identified body of water.

2. A method to modulate the intensity of a hurricane, as per claim 1, wherein said vegetation is phytoplankton.

3. A method to modulate the intensity of a hurricane, as per claim 1, wherein said fertilization is done using any of, or a combination of, the following: nitrogen compounds, phosphorous compounds, potassium compounds, calcium compounds, sulfur compounds, magnesium compounds, trace elements or micronutrients, boron compounds, manganese compounds, iron compounds, zinc compounds, copper compounds, molybdenum compounds, or iron sulfate.

4. A method to modulate the intensity of a hurricane, as per claim 1, wherein said body of water is a region in an ocean, a region in a sea, or a region in a large body of water.

5. A method to control the path of a hurricane comprising the steps of: identifying a path associated with a existing/developing hurricane; identifying a body of water in said identified path of existing/developing hurricane; adding nutrients to said identified body of water to fertilize growth of vegetation in said body of water, said added nutrients increasing growth of said vegetation, said increased growth of vegetation decreasing CO₂ content above said body of water, said decreased CO₂ content decreasing pressure and temperature of said identified body of water, said decreased pressure and temperature of said identified body of water changing said path of said existing/developing hurricane.

6. A method to control the path of a hurricane, as per claim 5, wherein said vegetation is phytoplankton.

7. A method to control the path of a hurricane, as per claim 5, wherein said fertilization is done using any of, or a combination of, the following: nitrogen compounds, phosphorous compounds, potassium compounds, calcium compounds, sulfur compounds, magnesium compounds, trace elements or micronutrients, boron compounds, manganese compounds, iron compounds, zinc compounds, copper compounds, molybdenum compounds, or iron sulfate.

8. A method to control the path of a hurricane, as per claim 5, wherein said body of water is a region in an ocean, a region in a sea, or a region in a large body of water.

9. A method to modulate intensity of a hurricane comprising the steps of: identifying a high nutrient and low chlorophyll region in a body of water proximate to an existing/developing hurricane; adding fertilizer in said identified region to increase phytoplankton growth, said added nutrients increasing phytoplankton growth, said increased phytoplankton growth decreasing CO₂ content above said identified region, said decreased CO₂ content decreasing pressure and temperature of said identified region, said decreased pressure and temperature of said identified region decreasing intensity of a hurricane passing above said region.

10. A method to modulate intensity of a hurricane, as per claim 9, wherein said fertilization is done using any of, or a combination of, the following: nitrogen compounds, phosphorous compounds, potassium compounds, calcium compounds, sulfur compounds, magnesium compounds, trace elements or micronutrients, boron compounds, manganese compounds, iron compounds, zinc compounds, copper compounds, molybdenum compounds, or iron sulfate.

11. A method to modulate intensity of a hurricane, as per claim 9, wherein said body of water is a predefined area in an ocean.

12. A method to control the path of a hurricane comprising the steps of: identifying a path associated with a existing/developing hurricane; identifying a high nutrient and low chlorophyll region in an body of water in said path of existing/developing hurricane; adding fertilizer in said body of water to increase phytoplankton growth, said added nutrients increasing phytoplankton growth, said increased phytoplankton growth decreasing CO₂ content above said identified region, said decreased CO₂ content decreasing pressure and temperature of said identified region, said decreased pressure and temperature of said identified region decreasing intensity of a hurricane passing above said region.

13. A method to control the path of a hurricane, as per claim 12, wherein said fertilization is done using any of, or a combination of, the following: nitrogen compounds, phosphorous compounds, potassium compounds, calcium compounds, sulfur compounds, magnesium compounds, trace elements or micronutrients, boron compounds, manganese compounds, iron compounds, zinc compounds, copper compounds, molybdenum compounds, or iron sulfate.

14. A method to control the path of a hurricane, as per claim 12, wherein said body of water is a region in an ocean, a region in a sea, or a region in a large body of water.

15. A system to modulate hurricanes comprising the steps of: means for identifying a region in an ocean in the vicinity of an existing/developing hurricane; means for adding nutrients in said identified region to fertilize phytoplankton growth in said body of water, said added nutrients increasing phytoplankton growth, said increased phytoplankton growth decreasing CO₂ content above said region, said decreased CO₂ content decreasing pressure and temperature of said region, said decreased pressure and temperature of said region decreasing intensity of a hurricane passing above said ocean.

16. A system to modulate/control hurricanes, as per claim 15, wherein said fertilization is done using any of, or a combination of, the following: nitrogen compounds, phosphorous compounds, potassium compounds, calcium compounds, sulfur compounds, magnesium compounds, trace elements or micronutrients, boron compounds, manganese compounds, iron compounds, zinc compounds, copper compounds, molybdenum compounds, or iron sulfate.