Naked Science Forum

Non Life Sciences => Physics, Astronomy & Cosmology => Topic started by: Pseudoscience-is-malarkey on 01/04/2021 12:23:01

Title: Is it possible to weaponize the wind?
Post by: Pseudoscience-is-malarkey on 01/04/2021 12:23:01
Some say yes, some say no. I think the closest I've ever seen was in late 2001-early 2002 when American and British military officials hired diehard, fat American and British football fans to smoke out the cave dwelling Taliban and al-Qaeda operatives in the mountainous Tora Bora region of Afghanistan. They put these men on a strict, two week long diet of cabbage and cheese before dispatching them to the region, where they were given orders to rip ass inside every cave they found.
Title: Re: Is it possible to weaponize the wind?
Post by: alancalverd on 01/04/2021 13:20:31
I doubt that anyone brought up on a diet of goat curry, and living in a cave for a year with a dozen unwashed disciples of the Almighty, would be much worried by  a dainty Western fart filtered through a beard. Whatever happened to the hand grenade?
Title: Re: Is it possible to weaponize the wind?
Post by: Bored chemist on 01/04/2021 13:25:00
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fu-Go_balloon_bomb
Title: Re: Is it possible to weaponize the wind?
Post by: evan_au on 01/04/2021 22:02:02
There have been attempts to promote rain by dropping silver iodide crystals in clouds, in an attempt to provide a condensation nuclei for raindrops.
- The results have been rather mixed
- But I'm sure that the military would have been interested in causing floods over enemy territory
- or (slower) causing droughts by making the rain fall before it reached enemy territory.

See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cloud_seeding
Title: Re: Is it possible to weaponize the wind?
Post by: CliffordK on 01/04/2021 23:35:25
Another topic was discussing using space sun shades to remove heat/energy from hurricanes. 

The opposite might be using reflectors to add heat/energy to hurricanes, and perhaps even using heating/cooling to direct their paths.
Title: Re: Is it possible to weaponize the wind?
Post by: alancalverd on 02/04/2021 00:02:38
But I'm sure that the military would have been interested in causing floods over enemy territory
The final object of war is to occupy territory. It's a lot easier if the land isn't flooded. Indeed, flooding fields is a defensive tactic.

An intermediate object is to protect your advancing troops by destroying the enemy's air forces, but sensible enemies build their runways on high ground (fog, frost and floods are a nuisance) so a bit of rain won't give you much help in that phase. 
Title: Re: Is it possible to weaponize the wind?
Post by: evan_au on 02/04/2021 09:28:45
Quote from: alancalverd
The final object of war is to occupy territory.
There are many kinds of war.
- With the UN looking over your shoulder, some kinds of war are looked down upon (unless you are in the Security Council, and you can just veto anything you don't like...)
- If you just want to foment citizen unrest, or boast about how your economy is doing better than someone else, climate manipulation may be something that you might consider (provided it worked, and nobody caught you doing it).

These days, it's easier to achieve these goals by injecting fake news into social media!
Title: Re: Is it possible to weaponize the wind?
Post by: alancalverd on 02/04/2021 10:01:03
The secret of British success! With a climate that swings from drought to flood every other week, a deep cultural history of muttering and grumbling, and total distrust of everyone and everything, we are impervious to outside influence.