Hurricane Prevention Might Be Possible through Bubble Nets

According to the team of scientists, a storm could be slowed or avoided altogether by using a technique that goes like this: a long, thin, and flexible pipe that is moored below the surface would produce a massive stream of bubbles.

This would create a stream of bubbles, thus creating a frothy current that rises to the surface. You might be asking what they would accomplish with such a thing, and in order to understand that, you need to know that hurricanes love warm surface waters.

The upward current of bubbles would push cooler water to the surface, thereby making the hurricane less powerful. OceanTherm CEO Olav Hollingsæter stated, "If we were able to avoid the water being so hot, the hurricanes won’t be able to build such strength. They all disappear when they come into colder water."

Their bubble net technology is currently at use in Norway, however, works rather in reverse to keep ice away from two power plants located along the water's edge, per Wired. Moreover, it is currently being deployed to collect plastic junk from rivers, fjords, and canals. 

You can watch a field test demonstrating how OcearnTherm makes use of the underwater pipe. The warmer water floating to the surface and the resulting temperature differences can be seen through the drone images.

While the idea hasn't been tested on a hurricane and the formation of hurricanes still remain vastly unknown, it might still be worth exploring. Hollingsæter says, "We can foresee a fleet of 20 ships with compressors and generators would be able to prevent a warm current from fueling the hurricane.

"When hurricanes are large like Laura, they are very difficult to manage. But they are small in the beginning. If we are there and we can see a hurricane coming into a large area with hot water, we can work slowly over a period to stop the water from being so hot. Then maybe then the hurricane will maybe be more of a low-pressure system coming in."