Can We Control the Weather? Maybe
Aug. 3, 2005 — -- Ancient mariners apparently had it right. A little oil on a stormy sea can calm troubled waters, according to new research out of the University of California, Berkeley.
That reaffirmation of an old proverb could play a significant role in a slightly expanding effort to realize one of humanity's oldest dreams. Instead of just talking about the weather, as Mark Twain once observed, why don't we do something about it?
The Berkeley research is significant because it suggests -- and at this point it only suggests -- that it may be possible to literally take the wind out of hurricanes by simply pouring something like soapy water on the seas in front of an approaching storm.
Even the head of that research program admits he doesn't know if that would really work, but computer modeling indicates it would. And that fits nicely with the work of a few scientists who have been studying ways to change weather patterns to produce more rain in drought stricken areas, more warmth in frigid regions, and take the fury out of hurricanes that cause billions of dollars in damages every year and can claim thousands of lives.
Some ideas for modifying the weather are surprisingly simple, but some sound more like Star Wars.
The history of the science of weather modification has been clobbered by the winds of change repeatedly during recent years. As the National Academy of Sciences noted in a recent report, the subject has never really been addressed adequately.
Too many charlatans, too many unrealistic promises, too little scientific scrutiny, and changing attitudes about human impact on the planet have undermined the field.
Yet the Academy noted that our understanding of the weather has improved dramatically in recent years due to technological advances ranging from weather satellites to computer modeling. So just as it had in 1964, in its first such report, the Academy recommended a major, coordinated effort to answer some basic questions before we attempt a large-scale weather modification program.
