Silly idea. But since a tornado is caused by hot low pressure air circulating (think "wind at your back, low to your left"), how about dropping a large "tank" of liquid nitrogen in font of one, and having it "blossom open" by means of explosive bolts once the tornado passes over... Yes, my physics is sketchy.. My thought was that the tornado would draw in the cold nitrogen, and it would slow the beast. (or make it worse! I guess you don't know till you try)
-- bigattichouse, Apr 11 2005

Hurricaine diverter Hurricane_20Diverter
[bungston, Apr 12 2005]

Possibly an analysis of the energy in a tornado, and the energy that would be absorbed per unit liquid nitrogen, would reveal that you would need an unbelievably big tank.
-- david_scothern, Apr 11 2005


I remember reading once about the idea of using a nuclear bomb to disrupt a hurricane. Interesting trying to destroy weather like this.
-- finrod, Apr 11 2005


What effect would a tanker of liquid nitrogen have on a bushfire?
-- not_only_but_also, Apr 11 2005


If it were just one bush, I bet it would extinguish it completely. Unless the burning bush turned out to actually be God.
-- bungston, Apr 11 2005


A storm of this sort dissipates as much energy as a 8000 megaton nuclear bomb a day. We can't even build hydrogen bombs big enough to make dents in tornados, let alone collect enough ln2.
-- johnmeacham, Apr 12 2005


I think you need to use judo tactics and use the tornado's own force to destroy it. All you need to do is pepper the countryside with ginormous (or "vast" if you prefer metric) concrete C-shaped tunnel systems lying just below the surface that capture the high-speed winds at the edge of the tornado and funnel them down, round, up and out in the opposite direction. Then with a bit of luck the tornado's peripheral winds will be channelled into its centre, but in the wrong direction, and it'll snuff itself out.
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-- Basepair, Apr 12 2005


[bugston] But could God create a tank of liquid nitrogen so cold even he couldn't resist it?
-- Cthulhu, Apr 12 2005


Cool idea. Maybe don't try this with LOX though. Or don't try it with, say, LOX and gasoline. (Picture tall flaming vortex.)
-- cloudface, Apr 13 2005



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