Climatic effects of nuclear war

Journal Article · Wed Aug 01 04:00:00 EDT 1984 · Sci. Am.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1038/scientificamerican0884-33· OSTI ID:6604566

Turco, R P; Toon, O B; Ackerman, T P; Pollack, J B; Sagan, C

Recent findings by this group confirmed by workers in Europe, the US and the USSR, suggest that the long-term climatic effects of a major nuclear war are likely to be much severer and farther-reaching than had been supposed. In the aftermath of such a war vast areas of the earth could be subjected to prolonged darkness, abnormally low temperatures, violent windstorms, toxic smog and persistent radioactive fallout - in short, the combination of conditions that has come to be known as nuclear winter. In brief, the authors' initial results, published in Science in December, 1983, showed that the potential global atmospheric and climatic consequences of nuclear war...are serious. Significant hemispherical attenuation of the solar radiation flux and subfreezing land temperatures may be caused by fine dust raised in high-yield nuclear surface bursts and by smoke from city and forest fires ignited by airbursts of all yields. Subsequent studies, based on more powerful models of the general circulation of the earth's atmosphere, have tended to confirm both the validity of the authors' investgative approach and the main thrust of their findings. Most of this article is devoted to reviewing the current state of knowledge on this vital issue.

• Research Organization: R and D Associates, Inc., Arlington, VA
• OSTI ID: 6604566
• Journal Information: Sci. Am.; (United States), Journal Name: Sci. Am.; (United States) Vol. 251:2; ISSN SCAMA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY
290300 -- Energy Planning & Policy-- Environment
Health
& Safety
290600* -- Energy Planning & Policy-- Nuclear Energy
500100 -- Environment
Atmospheric-- Basic Studies-- (-1989)
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
AEROSOLS
CLIMATES
COLLOIDS
DISPERSIONS
DUSTS
EARTH ATMOSPHERE
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS
EXPLOSIONS
NUCLEAR EXPLOSIONS
NUCLEAR WEAPONS
RESIDUES
SMOKES
SOLS
WEAPONS