Influence of solar heating and precipitation scavenging on the simulated lifetime of post-nuclear war smoke

Journal Article · Fri Oct 18 04:00:00 EDT 1985 · Science (Washington, D.C.); (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1126/science.230.4723.317· OSTI ID:6383526

Malone, R C; Auer, L H; Glatzmaier, G A; Wood, M C; Toon, O B

The behavior of smoke injected into the atmosphere by massive fires that might follow a nuclear war was simulated. Studies with a three-dimensional global atmospheric circulation model showed that heating of the smoke by sunlight would be important and might produce several effects that would decrease the efficiency with which precipitation removes smoke well above the original injection height. Heating of the smoke also causes the tropopause, which is initially above the smoke, to reform below the heated smoke layer. Smoke above the tropopause is physically isolated from precipitation below. Consequently, the atmospheric residence time of the remaining smoke is greatly increased over the prescribed residence times used in previous models of nuclear winter. 13 references, 3 figures.

• Research Organization: Los Alamos National Lab., NM
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-36
• OSTI ID: 6383526
• Journal Information: Science (Washington, D.C.); (United States), Journal Name: Science (Washington, D.C.); (United States) Vol. 230:4722; ISSN SCIEA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

45 MILITARY TECHNOLOGY, WEAPONRY, AND NATIONAL DEFENSE
450202* -- Explosions & Explosives-- Nuclear-- Weaponry-- (-1989)
500300 -- Environment
Atmospheric-- Radioactive Materials Monitoring & Transport-- (-1989)
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
AEROSOLS
ATMOSPHERIC CIRCULATION
COLLOIDS
DISPERSIONS
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS
EXPLOSIONS
HEATING
NUCLEAR EXPLOSIONS
NUCLEAR WINTER
PRECIPITATION SCAVENGING
RESIDENCE HALF-TIME
RESIDUES
SEPARATION PROCESSES
SIMULATION
SMOKES
SOLAR HEATING
SOLS
WARFARE