Storm Oil

Reminds me of how we used to pour mercury everywhere to find gold- https://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2005/3014/

This is quaint history.

But it clearly won't work.

Yet there are no environment impacts with testing this theory, it was thought to work until the 1980's, so why has it not been practically disproven.

Even from the point of view it clearly will have a visual effect on a quite lake[2]. Why are we not trying to see what is actually happening. What are the magnitudes here.

Suppression of breakers in stormy seas by an oil film https://doi.org/10.1177/0843871415588671

[2] Crazy Lake Experiment https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2H418M3V6M

Mentioned in Aubrey/Maturin by Patrick O'Brian (who did his homework)