[patrick_haply]

Should we stop hurricanes, even if we can?

Yes, hurricanes are destructive, especially to human settlements, but I'd be surprised if there aren't massive ecological benefits to hurricanes in spite of (or possibly because of) the destruction. Forest fires, for example, have well-documented, long-term ecological benefits. Unfortunately it looks like hurricanes aren't studied as much as forest fires.

Just doing some cursory researching online [1] [2], it looks like they basically act as dramatic "flushing" mechanisms:

- end droughts

- distribute heat from the equator towards the poles

- seed dispersal

- redistribute soil/sediments along coastlines and inlane

[1] https://weather.com/storms/hurricane/news/hurricane-landfall...

[2] http://sciencing.com/positive-effects-hurricane-4462.html

[gremlinsinc]

All these things could have beneficial ecological purposes...IN moderation... but what happens when they go to extremes ala Climate Change.. when we have 15 cat 5 hurricanes per year..or burn 10 million acres of forest per year...etc..

How much of our current excelling weather patterns are a result of global warming? All interesting questions...