An array of submerged "propeller towers" are stationed off the coast of Peru/Equador landward of the deep sea trench. These towers would turn slowly, propelling cool water from about 1000' deep to the surface, thereby cooling some of the surface water and reducing the effects of future El Ninos.

Each tower would be electrically powered from shore and would be about 500' high with about one propeller every 50 feet. Each propeller would be 20 feet in radius and would turn at a few rpm at max. The highest propeller would be about 50 feet below the sea surface.

The towers would be arranged in "propeller farms", identified by buoys and in GPS maps. The farms would be separated by channels, allowing deep-hulled and submerged vessels to navigate "highways" between the farms.

The idea is to no prevent El Nino, just to take the edge off of it assuming el Ninos become more powerful and longer-lasting in the future.

Just as El Nino has positive and negative effects on weather, the absence of El Nino (or La Nina) also has positive and negative effects. So to completely stop an El Nino would not be good (in addition to being impossible).
-- Gamma48, Apr 27 2007

I suspect that El Nino packs *way* more punch than we can pump down an undersea cable. But interesting thought. +
-- DrCurry, Apr 28 2007


An entire ocean in motion is likely beyond our capability to redirect by brute force.
-- Galbinus_Caeli, Apr 28 2007


Rather than having propellors working against the flow of water, how about vast tubes that run from low to high and from high to low, so the flow of water goes through the tubes under its own force.
-- marklar, Apr 28 2007


I wounder if this goal could be accomplished with more of an aikido approach - some undersea edifice intended to redirect a cool water current such that it moves cold water to the needed area.

It goes without saying that one could build such an edifice using nuclear bombs to induce undersea volcanoes which fill preformed magma channels.
-- bungston, Apr 28 2007


[bungston] Now THAT is a half baked idea!
-- Galbinus_Caeli, Apr 28 2007



random, halfbakery