Suppose we spot an Atlantic hurricane very early. How much energy should we expend to alter its track:
- with nuclear detonations (let's forget about the side effects for the moment)?
- with a large orbital geostationary mirror illuminating say, the subtropical ridge?
- by any other means (microwave heating in the troposphere?)
##References on these and other methods from the NOAA Hurricane FAQ:
- Silver iodide
- Aerosols/surface modification
- Nukes, specifically:
A fully developed hurricane can release heat energy at a rate of $5-20\centerdot10^{13}$ watts and converts less than 10% of the heat into the mechanical energy of the wind. The heat release is equivalent to a 10-megaton nuclear bomb exploding every 20 minutes. According to the 1993 World Almanac, the entire human race used energy at a rate of $10^{13}$ watts in 1990, a rate less than 20% of the power of a hurricane.
- Water absorbing substances
- Surface cooling with icebergs
- Expending hurricane's energy
- High altitude particulate seeding
- Hygroscopic particle seeding
- Miscellaneous means
##Why the above-mentioned FAQ isn't enough
- It's incomplete (doesn't include heating/illumination from satellites)
- Doesn't include a fully-developed nuclear scenario
- Has no formula linking time since hurricane formation, energy applied and cross-track difference at landfall on the East Coast