Three great walls would end tornado threat on the Great Plains

[AngryAmish]

http://arstechnica.com/science/2014/06/three-great-walls-would-end-tornado-threat-on-the-great-plains/

"It's often said that everyone complains about the weather but nobody does anything about it. In one of the more unusual physics papers I've come across recently, Temple University's Rongjia Tao suggests we could change that. He used the International Journal of Modern Physics B to suggest what might be called the Game of Thrones approach to the US' tornado problem: build a giant wall. Or maybe three.

Tao's idea is based on a distinctive combination of geography that makes the US ground zero for tornado activity (last year, the US had 811 tornadoes; Europe had just 57). Cold air is lifted high above the Great Plains as it passes over the Rocky Mountains. Meanwhile, warm, humid air travels north across the plains from the Gulf of Mexico. This combination sets up the conditions for intense storm activity, which often produces tornadoes.

Tao's idea is simple: interfere with the flow of air. And since it's easier to get in the way of air flowing close to the ground, he suggests targeting the northward flow of air. All we need to do is build a giant wall that runs east-west, about 300 meters high (that's about 1.5 times the height of the Westeros wall) and 50 meters wide. That wall would disrupt the northward flow of air enough to block the intense turnover that spawns tornadoes while still allowing air to flow north and produce rain."

This idea is getting ppooh-poohed in the comments but it intrigues me. Imagine building huge walls filled with garbage. As it rots, the methane is either recovered or burned off in turbines for clean power. (A friend's club is on a dump and they power themselves this way.) Plus on top you can have wind turbines.

Finally, as robots become more efficient and more people become unemployable, wouldn't allowing folks to "take the black" Westeros style, get themselves sterilized then live for free but work on The Wall?

[abakan]

1. I was with you until the last paragraph...nt

[AngryAmish]

2. Are you A Game of Thrones fan?

On edit: In Game of Thrones the men who watch The Wall take an oath not to marry or have a f amily. I was updating this in the theme.

I can see how most people will find it objectionable.

[abakan]

4. I am

but I do not believe the watchers on the wall are required to be sterilized. So why would that be a condition for manning a wall like you describe?

[AngryAmish]

5. So they would not reproduce?

I did it myself. Carried my own bag 18 holes the next day.

For the ladies the procedure is more invasive. Maybe long term birth control?

[abakan]

7. I understood

the reason you would want to do that. What I don't understand is why it has to be so draconian? Why not allow families to go to the wall and work on it? Why not invest in small communities thats sole purpose is to watch and care for the wall? It could be a way to help the poor and homeless.

[Uncle Joe]

3. This reminds me of a fable, a kingdom was overrun by mice,

the King searched for answers and his wise mean suggested bringing in cats to rid the mice, so the King took heed and the cats feasted well.

After a while the Kingdom was overrun by cats, his wise men suggested bringing in dogs, and the King followed their advice. The dogs; chased the cats away and flourished.

After some time had passed, the Kingdom had way too many stray dogs and his wise men said that bringing in Lions would scare the dogs off, the King followed their advice and the Kingdom was rid of the dogs.

Some time passed (not too long I would think) and the Lions became a threat to the people, the King became frustrated until his wise men advised him to bring in elephants and the King thought this was a good idea, so he imported elephants and they chased the Lions off.

It didn't take too long for the elephants to rampage and wreck his kingdom, the King becoming depressed sought the council of his wise men and they suggested to bring in mice to scare the elephants away. The King accepted their advice and the mice came back to rule.

Thanks for the thread, AngryAmish.

[dixiegrrrrl]

6. How long would the wall have to be?

And one lil nit...
"Cold air is lifted high above the Great Plains as it passes over the Rocky Mountains"

Would not cold air behave the same way coming from the plains of Canada when it hit the wall?

[randome]

8. We are going to end up terraforming our own planet. So...sure.

[hr][font color="blue"][center]The truth doesn’t always set you free.
Sometimes it builds a bigger cage around the one you’re already in.[/center][/font][hr]

[AngryAmish]

9. To be fair, my friend, we are already doing it

Everytime we exhale or start a car.

[Liberal_in_LA]

10. "A friend's club is on a dump" ???

[AngryAmish]

11. Look up Chicago Highlands.

Yes, of course it is Art Hills, but it works.

[ErikJ]

12. How about millions of wind turbines instead.

That would interrupt the air flow and produce almost all the electricity the US needed.

[BarackTheVote]

13. Yes, let's change the weather patterns of the Midwest

And screw thousands of farmers of their only livelihood. Not to mention the inevitable stress that would place in feeding our population.

[Paulie]

14. Yeah, who needs water in the Great Lakes

[A HERETIC I AM]

15. There was a comedian who once said.....

That we should build a giant wall all the way around the lower 48 and then put a lid on it. When some foreign person or entity comes over and lifts the lid....

we say....



Ready?





"Butter"





(You might have to be a bit older than 35 to get that one)