• Klear@quokk.au
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    11
    ·
    edit-2
    14 hours ago

    The second question here points to a response by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and then notes:

    It makes me happy that an arm of the US government has, in some official capacity, issued an opinion on the subject of firing nuclear missiles into hurricanes.

    Aged like milk.

    • Bronzebeard@lemmy.zip
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      9
      ·
      12 hours ago

      A fully developed hurricane can release heat energy at a rate of 5 to 20×10^13 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.

      So a nuke would do squat to the hurricane, but kill us all from flinging the rads everywhere