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Will people ever tame the destructive, often deadly hurricane? Either scientists or meteorologists do not yet understand the forces that generate a hurricane, but perhaps with study and time they can learn to control these enormous storms. One important study project is called Hurricane StrikE.This project studies the huge Storms that do harm to thousands of people and destroy property worth millions of dollars. Scientists in this project are trying to learn more about hurricanes, especially the speed and direction of the winds. Then people living in the path of a hurricane can protect themselves and their belongings.
Dr. Robert Sheets, the chief forecaster at the National Hurricane Center in Miami, explained the importance of this information. 'When we post a hurricane warning for a part of the coast,' he said, 'people spend about $8,000 per mile in preparation. If the hurricane does not strike land where we announced or posted warnings, then that money is wasteD.But, even worse, the next time we put out a warning, the people might not pay attention to us.' That is the reason for Project Hurricane Strike—to increase the accuracy of the forecast. They need to predict where the storm will be twenty-four hours later.
One hurricane, named Belle, made forecasters feel troublE.At first it appeared to be headed for Florida, so warnings were posteD.However, the storm stayed at seA.Next, warnings were posted in Georgia and the Carolinas, but again it did not hit. In fact, Belle first hit the coast in New York. Millions and millions of dollars were spent on the preparation that was not needeD.
Dr. Sheets said, 'We received hundreds of letters. People couldn't understand how science could send people to the moon but not predict a storm's path. However, we still can't tell. The only way to find out about hurricanes is from inside them.' Prediction is what Project Hurricane Strike is about, and that is part of the challenge that faces meteorologists.
The other part of the challenge is controlling hurricanes. Meteorologists work inside a hurricane by 'seeding' the center 'eye' with silver iodidE.The silver iodide causes raindrops to form. and fall over the ocean. Taking the water out of the clouds reduces the energy of the storm. So, the rotation of the storm decreases. The wind velocity also decreases. Meteorologists can sometimes use this method to bring a dangerous hurricane under control.
Scientists have already seeded some hurricanes that were forming over the Atlantic Ocean. Some of these experiments were successful in decreasing wind speeds.
The two factors concerning hurricanes that scientists most want to learn about are ______.
A.conditions in the 'eye' and conditions at the edge
B.the forces that generate them and theft frequency
C.the number of people injured and the amount of damage done
D.how fast and where they move