This is Bill Gates, billionaire owner of Microsoft.  His work makes it possible for the existence of this site.  Who could not admire, almost revere, this extraordinary man.



                                                 

        Here he is being knighted by Queen Elizabeth.  His work has truly changed the world.


                         


        Here is a younger Bill Gates when he first came on to the computer horizon.  A playful Gates, unburdened by billions of dollars.  A burden indeed.  What do you do with the power to change the world?
        


                                       

        A college-age Bill Gates in an embarrassing position.  He doesn't seem fazed by the experience here but perhaps  there was a different expression the next morning.


               WHAT IS BILL GATES DOING NOW?

        Earlier this week news agencies reported that Mr. Gates, perhaps bored or maybe emboldened by his extraordinary accomplishments, imbued by an almost God-like power, aided by immense amounts of money, has obtained patents for a process to stop formation of hurricanes.      

                                                           

        The picture above describes sea-surface temperature measurements following the passage of a hurricane along the east coast of the United States.  The blue color indicates a swath of cooler water brought up by the passing of Hurricane Bonnie.  The cool water appeared to weaken another hurricane following in its' wake, hindering its' development.  

                                        

        This phenomenon got some folks thinking of how to stop the formation of future hurricanes as shown in the picture above.  In short, fueled by huge amounts of money and perhaps ego Mr. Gates, et al, propose anchoring a number of barges in the Gulf of Mexico containing devices that would siphon cool deep water to the surface, mimicking the phenomenon shown by the passage of hurricane Bonnie.  The result would be  similar to removing most of the gas stations along an interstate highway, thus stopping the passage of cars.  No fuel, no movement. 

                            IS THIS A GOOD IDEA?  

        On surface it may appear to be.  By removing the threat of coast wise damage by approaching storms, insurance rates would go down, people would be less disturbed, Bill Gates would be even more revered.   This scheme is similar perhaps to a video game on a grand scale.  Should we differentiate between games and real life?


                               

                                  BILL GATES IS A GAMER
                           
        But what would happen in the wake of this massive temperature change in the Gulf?  Would weather patterns be altered, along with hurricanes?  Would rainfall along the Gulf Coast be altered, diminished?  Are hurricanes all bad?  Do hurricanes perform a useful function?


                                         Well yes, read on.


                 CHICKEN SOUP AND HURRICANES

                                                                          L
                                                       

        Life can exist on Earth because it has a temperature range suitable for its development.  Parts of Nature’s ingenious plan to provide this ideal mix include: an appropriate distance from the Sun, Earth’s rotation, a tilt of the Earth’s axis creating the seasons, and tropical cyclones, called hurricanes in the North Atlantic Ocean.

        Water can exist as liquid or gas.  Transforming water to its’ gaseous form (vaporization) requires large amounts of heat from it’s’ surroundings.  When water vapor shifts back to rainwater (condensation) that heat-energy is released. 

        Hurricanes move immense amounts of heat-energy from tropical waters to cool temperate zones through these physical changes and also convert salt water to drinkable rainwater for a thirsty world.  These storms can cause great damage but pay for their keep by stirring the atmospheric soup.

        Hurricanes originate as tropical waves pouring off African deserts; a new one appears about every three days in the height of the hurricane season.  They become tropical depressions when the mass of hot-moist air shaped like a three hundred-mile long fat cigar, squashed as if stepped on, begins rotating in a counterclockwise direction, often in mid-ocean but anywhere favorable conditions occur.  Opposing winds in the migrating Inter Tropic Convergence Zone (ITCZ) begin turning it, aided by the Coriolis Effect. As the growing storm rotates it draws water vapor from an ocean whose temperature must be at least 79-degrees Fahrenheit and becomes self-sustaining.  When winds reach 40-miles per hour (34-knots) the tropical depression becomes a tropical storm and grows into a hurricane when they reach 75-miles per hour (64 knots.)   

        To learn more start with those italicized concepts above.  Do you have a different view of hurricanes now?  Perhaps not if you live in a hurricane zone but without them life might not thrive on Earth as it does now.  


        Don't mess with Mother Nature.  If momma ain't happy, nobody happy.



                              That's that for this.


                                  TAKE CARE,


                                         JB