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Sure it's a great way to prevent hurricanes. But let's not forget hurricanes are natural and I'm not sure it's a good idea to mess with oceans on such a large scale like this. These temperature changes in the ocean have wider implications than just occasionally creating hurricanes.

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I much prefer the giant ice cube method, solving the problem ONCE AND FOR ALL!

>> ^Hybrid:

Sure it's a great way to prevent hurricanes. But let's not forget hurricanes are natural and I'm not sure it's a good idea to mess with oceans on such a large scale like this. These temperature changes in the ocean have wider implications than just occasionally creating hurricanes.


sure, it's large scale geo-engineering, but it can only lead to greater knowledge of how such systems work, and maybe greater control of them. presumably the hundreds of salter sinks will have temperature monitors as well, and could be used to actually test hypotheses, instead of just waiting for events.

How does it perform when covered with crude oil?

>> ^Crake:

sure, it's large scale geo-engineering, but it can only lead to greater knowledge of how such systems work, and maybe greater control of them. presumably the hundreds of salter sinks will have temperature monitors as well, and could be used to actually test hypotheses, instead of just waiting for events.

Yeah, great. Let's just cool the surface of the ocean enough to disrupt weather patterns and see what happens. Are you seriously suggesting that's a good idea?

Bear in mind that the heat transferred away from the surface isn't disappearing. This could actually end up being a more efficient way of getting heat into the ocean, leading to more heat energy in the oceans and all the fun and games that would go with that.

^yes, I'm definitely suggesting exactly that. Poke the system and see how the changes propagate. Excellent way to learn more.

So when you learn that this creates more hurricanes and tens of thousands of people die and hundreds of thousands are homeless, you'll have the warm glow of knowledge. Good for you.

^so if we never get more knowledge, tens of thousands of people will die, again and again, forever. But at least you'll have the warm glow of untouched, mystical, unknowable nature. Good for you.

This seems like a good system to try. Furthermore it would bring colder more nutrient bearing water to the surface resulting in more plankton production and more CO2 capture. The rings would also provide good habitat for many sea creatures.
You should keep an eye on the Gulf Stream though, if you cool the surface too much it might reduce the flow too much.
The good thing about this system is that you can slowly assemble it and easily dismantle it if any problems show up.

I can really recommend SuperFreakonomics.

Directly manipulating the system is not the only way to learn about it, though. As computing power increases, so does our ability to simulate large systems. Also, I would like to see a more balanced view of the output of this proposition. Preventing hurricanes is one possible outcome. What are the others?

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I'm concerned this might anger the Earth Goddess, Gaia.

Testing is part of the scientific method. No testing, no science. No science, no learning, no progress.

These look to me like the safest possible way to test the way heat affects oceans and weather. If things go poorly, they could be dismantled. I don't see how they could possibly cause long term harm, but if someone had a good argument, I'd listen. Because I'm a scientist.

On the other hand, this is not a long term solution to ocean warming problems, and should not be considered as such.

Every since she started liking other planets, she's gone by the name gaya.
>> ^chilaxe:

I'm concerned this might anger the Earth Goddess, Gaia.

freakonomics was the worst book i've ever read

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