The Australian National University has proposed a scientifically grounded approach to preventing hurricanes even at the stage when they are beginning to form. Special aerosol particles, dispersed over the ocean right at the start of a storm’s development, can create a cold layer near the water’s surface. This helps block the supply of warm air that feeds the cyclone, allowing the storm to weaken and preventing it from reaching destructive scales.
Computer models showed that the intervention could be effective for storm radii up to 200 km, using about 4 tons of particles per hour. The development is based on strict physical models and is not presented as a threat to people, because the particles used are similar in composition to sea aerosols—tiny droplets of seawater that form over the ocean when wind and waves “whip up” the surface. The researchers plan to conduct initial tests off the coast of Western Australia.
With the number of hurricanes increasing due to climate change, such a technology could become a real layer of protection for coastal regions and help reduce billion-dollar losses. For now, researchers describe it as a working and safe tool that could prevent disasters before they begin.
