https://medium.com/starts-with-a-bang/this-is-how-science-will-save-us-from-hurricanes-9cddff71d8fa

Among all the natural disasters that occur on planet Earth, hurricanes are in many ways the most devastating. While the great Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami of 2011 is the single most costly natural disaster in history, the most expensive ones to occur in North America are all Hurricanes, including Katrina, Irma, Sandy, Harvey, and Maria. With winds that often exceed 125 mph (200 kph), enormous amounts of rain that can wash away entire communities, and an often sustained presence, it can take years to recover. As the ocean waters continue to warm, the frequency of the most powerful classes making landfall has increased, forcing us to contend with our vulnerability to their destructive effects. But we thoroughly understand how hurricanes form and sustain their power, and if we can understand it, we can combat it using science. Researchers now think they’ve found a practical, cost-effective way to do exactly that.

Just last week, a team from SINTEF in Norway, the largest independent research organization in Scandinavia, published an article about using the same technology they use to keep their fjords ice-free in the winter to basically flip nature’s “off switch” for hurricanes before they ever reach land. The technology is simple: to install a perforated pipe deeper down in the ocean to shoot compressed air into, which will create air bubbles that will then ascend. As they rise, they carry water of whatever the ambient temperature is with them up to the surface.