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Build a wall to stop tornadoes?
Topic Started: Mar 8 2014, 10:59 PM (238 Views)
CJ
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A very minor case of serious brain damage

http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-26492720

Building three "Great Walls" across Tornado Alley in the US could eliminate the disasters, a physicist says.

The barriers - 300m (980ft) high and up to 100 miles long - would act like hill ranges, softening winds before twisters can form.

They would cost $16bn (£9.6bn) to build but save billions of dollars of damage each year, said Prof Rongjia Tao, of Temple University, Philadelphia.

He unveiled his idea at the American Physical Society meeting in Denver.

However critics say the idea is unworkable, and would create more problems than it solves.



This seems like such a painfully simple solution. If it would work, and would deliver the promised return on the initial investment so quickly, why hasn't it happened yet?
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Zero Revolution
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King Zero

It honestly doesn't sound like it would work, but if it is likely to stop most tornadoes, I also don't see why it hasn't happened yet. Probably just because it would cost lots of money. Even though it would save money from the disasters caused by it...
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CJ
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A very minor case of serious brain damage

Yeah, $16 billion may be a lot, but it's not insurmountable. Especially since I imagine there would be plenty of people and businesses willing to contribute to it if it's shown that it can work....
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Hedgehog121
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Wouldn't it also mess up the climate in the long run?

They should just ask Eric nicely.
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CJ
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A very minor case of serious brain damage

Actually, he's in an excellent position here. Even if they gave him $10 billion to stop the tornadoes, that would still be a saving of $6 billion :P .
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