Bonnie's+Ideas

Tornadoes

The Problem:

The tornado itself, and the destruction it causes.

The Solution:

Weaken the tornado, or, better yet, stop it completely.

There are multiple ways suggested to destroy a tornado:

a. missiles/bombs b. flying a jet through the cyclone c. microwave transmission from satellites or blimps d. nanobots e. lasers f. deflect the wind

Options a and b suggest disrupting the air flow to stop the spinning, which in turn stops the tornado.

Options c and d are based on air temperature. Warm up the tornado or cool it down. Either way, this eliminates the tornado, as there won’t be warm air and cool air to mix.

Option e and f aren’t very pheasible. There’s nothing for the lasers to focus on. and we don’t have that technology in such a large size yet. Deflecting the wind is complicated and can turn the tornado into something worse.

Our best choice in c. We don’t have advanced nanobots yet (although this would be my second option), and a jet would be a danger to citizens if the jet crashes. Also, missed missiles would have bad consequences, and bombs as well. Besides, it would be hard to position the bomb in exactly the right place, as tornados travel at at least 100 mph.

To elaborate:

Recent research indicates that in order to form, a tornado needs both a cold, rainy downdraft and a warm updraft. To stop a tornado from forming, just heat this cold downdraft until it's cold no longer. And how would one do this, you ask? Simple: Blast it with beams of microwaves from a fleet of satellites. The satellites would collect solar energy, transform it into microwaves, and send a beam down to Earth. The beams would be focused on cold downdrafts, heating them like last night's leftovers. The European Space Agency has funded initial studies on building this type of satellite, though it hopes to use the satellites as high-altitude solar-power stations, not as weather modifiers.

What we’d have to do is design a prototype satellite/blimp which can absorb sun energy, then convert it into microwave energy. Afterwards, find a way to focus the satellite/blimp on the tornado, so that the satellite/blimp disappates the tornado without baking the surrounding areas.

[|__http://www.popsci.com/scitech/article/2003-07/how-destroy-tornado__] [|__http://curiosity.discovery.com/question/why-tornadoes-stop-spinning__] [|__http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jCUp0c_68Yo__] [|__http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HsLf39h2WBc__] [|__http://www.smartplanet.com/blog/savvy-scientist/tomorrows-nanobots-today/441__]

Hurricanes

The Problem:

Hurricanes are the most devastating natural disaster, effecting thousands of people each year. During each hurricane season, innocent people are injured, property is demolished, and money is forever lost. Hurricanes cause damage in a variety of ways, including strong winds, storm surges, flooding, tornadoes, and rip tides. The strong winds of a hurricane are most often associated with the widespread damage from a hurricane. The rapidly moving winds can uproot trees, throw cars, and level buildings. A storm is first classified as a hurricane when its winds exceed 74 miles per hour, though many reach as dangerously high as 200 miles per hour. Hurricanes also cause storm surges, the rising of the sea level caused by low pressure, high winds, and high waves. These are characteristic of hurricanes as they reach land. Storm surges cause significant flooding and being caught in one is almost certain death. Flooding is caused by the storm surges and the heavy rainfall associated with the storm. Even when the hurricane moves inland and begins to deteriorate, there still may be a tremendous amount of rainfall. Many people are unaware of tornadoes that form during hurricanes. These tornadoes are found relatively close to the eye wall of a hurricane where the conditions are ideal for their formation. The tornadoes occur in heavy areas of rain, making them extremely difficult to track. Rip tides are the final source of damage from hurricanes. Rip tides are very powerful sea currents moving outward from the shore when a strong storm is nearby. Winds from tropical cyclones push waves up against the shoreline even if the storm is hundreds of miles away, making rip tides the first indications of an approaching hurricane. Rip tides are so powerful that a person physically cannot overcome the pull of the tide.

The Solution:

Weaken the hurricane, invent a satellite, that, when it sees a hurricane, will notify the affected areas immediately, broadcasting on all radios, televisions, and computers immediately. The broadcast will appear over all programs, no matter how important.

There are multiple ways suggested to weaken/stop a hurricane:

1. Hurricane Pacifier In 2008, [|Daniel Rosenfeld and colleagues at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem] proposed that injecting smoke into the lower regions of a hurricane would start a chain reaction that would condense water vapor and form tiny water droplets that, rather than fall as rain, would be frozen on the outer edges of the storm, ultimately resulting in lower wind speeds. 2. The Bill Gates Strategy According to [|a 2009 article from USA Today], five patents put forward by Microsoft founder Bill Gates and colleagues included initiatives "not limited to atmospheric management, weather management, hurricane suppression, [|hurricane prevention] , hurricane intensity modulation, hurricane deflection" to manage storms." One strategy conjured up by the computer nerds concluded that pumping huge quantities of chilly water into the eye of hurricane will make the storm fizzle out. 3. The Giant Ice Cube  Sure, you could combat a hurricane with a massive -- really massive -- block of ice from one of the poles, but as this [|USA Today] explains, "As with most hurricane modification ideas, this one is much easier said than done." Potential complications include measuring just how much ice is necessary and pin pointing where exactly to drop that ice. 4. Nuclear Weapons It's never a good idea to drop a nuclear bomb, but that doesn't mean it couldn't stop a hurricane. [|A theory that suggests] dropping a nuke into the eye of the storm would heat the cool air and disrupt the convection current, thus subsiding the storm.

In my opinion, the best choice is number two, the Bill Gates strategy. It’s simple, but pretty effective. After all, it’s Bill Gates! Choice number one would be second on my list.

[|__http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/08/26/how-to-stop-a-hurricane_n_938357.html__] [|__http://library.thinkquest.org/03oct/00758/en/disaster/hurricane/damage.html__]

Sinkholes The Problem:

Sinkholes appear suddenly and with little warning, taking people and buildings with them. We have to find a way to prevent this from happening. A sinkhole usually forms by erosion caused by frequent exposure to water. It comes down to the type of rocks underlying the soil (as opposed to the soil above called the overburden). Most sinkholes occur in areas where the bedrock is formed from soft minerals and rocks like salt, gypsum, limestone, dolomite or others belonging to the evaporate or carbonate classes of rocks. Sinkholes typically develop slowly as bedrock is whittled away by water turned acidic from absorbing carbon dioxide and interacting with plants. Rainwater obviously plays a role, but unseen water also matters. As the acidic water dissolves rock, it carves out conduits, or underground passages, for water. These conduits in turn help to develop underground basins known as recharge areas. Recharge areas contribute to the formation of sinkholes as water flowing to and from them and into the subsurface (the earth overhead) erodes bedrock. When water floods a developing sinkhole, some of the topsoil and other material can be caught in the conduits, further trapping water and limiting its ability to flow outward. A lack of water can contribute to sinkholes, too. In some underground cavities, water may actually be holding up a thin overhang of earth. If that water level falls, the overhang has no support and collapses. Sinkholes appear all over the [|__United States__]. [|__Florida__], with its frequent rains and marshy terrain, is usually id­entified with sinkholes, but they're also prominent in [|__Alabama__] , [|__Kentucky__] , [|__Missouri__] , [|__Pennsylvania__] , [|__Tennessee__] and Texas.

The Solution:

a. Redirecting or Blocking Water b. Treating Underground Limestone c. Construction Measures d. Avoid Construction on Wetlands e. Seawater Treatment Facilities f. Recycling Grey Water Run-off

Redirect or Block Water Some people argue that instead of treating immense stretches of stone, perhaps redirecting or blocking the surface water is the answer to Florida’s sinkhole crisis. Correctly designed manmade drain systems can direct surface water away from structures. A construction company or homeowner should have an engineer survey the land and make recommendations before installing drain systems, as a misdirected water can be the source for a sinkhole.

Ancient Egyptian Pyramids Impervious Qualities Geologists have tested the pyramid stones in Egypt to determine the reason for the longevity of the pyramids. The pyramids are constructed with 95 percent limestone, yet the stones are impervious to water and acid rain. The ancient Egyptians developed a process to alter the limestone to make it siliceous.

Treating the Underground Limestone Research has unveiled the methods utilized by the Egyptians and scientists believe this may be the answer to reducing Florida’s sinkhole occurrences. An inexpensive process can treat the underground limestone to withstand the harmful waters. The technology to treat the limestone will operate under water. Specially treated rock barriers may be constructed to halt or redirect underground water. Engineers can design decorative fountains and waterways to disguise the rock barriers.

Construction Measures Consideration may be given to adding codes to building requirements to reduce the risk of sinkhole damage to structures. The following preventive measures can alleviate some of the expense and damage caused by sinkholes. Soil Testing – Soil tests are available to determine the existence of a sinkhole cavern on a property prior to construction. If a sinkhole is discovered, the sinkhole may be filled in with concrete ore or the construction company and owner may decide not to build on the property. New Foundation Construction – Construction methods are available to lessen the possibility of sinkhole damage; however, these construction methods may add $10,000 to $20,000 in additional construction costs to an average size home. Many developers prefer to cut costs on foundations and place the added money on granite counter tops, hardwood floors and other upgrades.

Construction on Wetlands Draining or filling wetlands for construction purposes is a bad choice for several reasons. Contaminating Ground Water Supply – Municipals, industry and agriculture depends on ground water as a major water supply. Surface water can contaminate underground aquifers during the building process. Sinkholes are often utilized as storm drains and are a direct link to underground aquifers, steadily contaminating ground water resources. The plugging of sinkholes may result in flooding due to redirected ground and surface water. Filling in Wetlands for Construction Purposes – New developments often rely on the anticipation of additional transportation infrastructure. Building highways and other structures on previous wetlands often results in sinkhole damage.

Seawater Treatment Facilities A process called desalination can turn seawater into fresh water. Nature performs a solar desalination process by producing fresh rainwater from seawater. California, Florida, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Libya and Algeria are currently utilizing desalinated water. Many people predict less Florida sinkholes, if the state constructed additional seawater treatment facilities, instead of draining the aquifers of ground water.

Recycling Gray Water Run-off Gray water run-off recycling is the harvesting of rainwater, bath water and other waste-water for the purpose of watering lawns and gardens. Collection barrels may be placed at the bottom of roof gutter downspouts. The gray water run-off should not be drank or utilized in food preparation due to bacteria and other pathogens.

All of these can be done. I think we should focus on one and develop a machine or program to make it easier.

[|__http://science.howstuffworks.com/nature/natural-disasters/sinkhole.htm__] [|__http://www.heliconfoundationrepair.com/six-steps-to-prevent-or-diminish-sinkholes/__]