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US Seeks to Weaken Hurricanes
Scientists propose techniques to modify the weather
By Matt Cantor
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Posted Aug 2, 08 1:42 PM CDT
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(Newser)
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The Department of Homeland Security is hoping that weather-altering techniques can lessen the devastation caused by hurricanes, the Daily Telegraph reports. A hurricane reduction program likely to begin in October will devote $64 million to efforts such as spreading tiny salt particles in the storms to drain them of much of their rain before they hit land.
Another idea is to place a layer of oil on the ocean in a storm’s path to cut evaporation from the sea, keeping the hurricane from getting too hot and thus more powerful. But weather’s mechanisms are poorly understood, and critics fear unintended consequences.