After the explosions of nuclear bombs in the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the threat of nuclear war was very real.Scientists have studied in detail the possible effects of the more powerful explosions: how will spread radiation, what would be the biological destruction, climate effects.
nuclear war - as it happens
nuclear explosion - a huge-sized fireball, which completely burns or chars objects animate and inanimate nature, even at a great distance from the epicenter.One-third of the explosion energy is released in the form of a light pulse, which is thousands of times greater than the brightness of the sun.From this light all flammable materials such as paper and cloth.People formed third degree burns.
Primary fires do not manage to break out - partially quenches their powerful air blast.But because of flying sparks and burning debris, short-circuits, explosion of domestic gas burning oil formed long and extensive secondary fires.
plurality of separate fires combined into a deadly firestorm, which is able to destroy any metropolis.Similar firestorm destroyed Hamburg and Dresden during World War II.
In the center of the tornado is intense heat, which is why the huge air masses rise up from the earth's surface formed storms, which support the fire element with new portions of oxygen.Smoke, dust and soot rise to the stratosphere, and formed a cloud that is almost completely obscures the sun.Because of this deadly nuclear winter begins.
nuclear war leads to long-term nuclear winter
Due to the huge fires happen in an atmosphere of isolation huge amount of aerosol that cause "nuclear night".It is estimated that even a small local nuclear war and the bombings in London and New York will lead to a complete lack of sunlight over the northern hemisphere in a few weeks.
the first time on the devastating effects of massive fires that provoke further cascade of irreversible changes in the climate and biosphere, said Paul Crutzen, a prominent German scientist.
fact that nuclear war would inevitably lead to a nuclear winter was not yet known in the middle of the last century.The tests with nuclear explosions were carried out single and isolated.And even a "soft" nuclear conflict involves explosions in many cities.In addition, tests were carried out so that the large fires were not triggered.And only recently, with the collaboration of experts of biologists, mathematicians, climatologists, physicists managed to lay down a general picture of the consequences of a nuclear conflict together.The international community has examined in detail what could be the world after a nuclear war.
If the conflict will be used only 1% of the produced at the moment of nuclear weapons, the effect will be equal to 8200 "Nagasaki and Hiroshima."
Even in this case a nuclear war would entail the climatic effects of a nuclear winter.Due to the fact that the sun's rays can not come back to Earth, come a long cooling.All the wildlife that is not pobignet in fires, will be doomed to winterkill.
between land and ocean have any significant temperature contrasts, as large bodies of water have a significant thermal inertia, so there will be air cooled much more slowly.Changes in the atmosphere overwhelm the water cycle, and on the continents, immersed in the frigid night and absolute cold start most severe drought.
If a nuclear war occurred in the summer in the Northern Hemisphere, within two weeks where the temperature dropped to below zero, and the sunlight would be quite lost.At the same time in the Northern Hemisphere, all vegetation would perish completely, and in the Southern Hemisphere - in part.Tropics and subtropics would have died almost instantly as the flora there can exist within a very narrow temperature range and a certain light.
lack of food will lead to the extinction of animals.In birds, there will be little chance for survival.May remain a reptile.
dead wood that form the vast territories will become material for new fires and decomposition of dead flora and fauna will cause emissions to the atmosphere huge amounts of carbon dioxide.Thus, it violated global content and exchange of carbon.The disappearance of the vegetation will cause global soil erosion.
There will be almost complete destruction of the ecosystem, which now exist on the planet.Die all agricultural plants and animals, however, can be preserved seeds.The sharp increase in ionizing radiation will cause serious radiation sickness and lead to the death of plants, mammals and birds.
Emissions of nitrogen oxides and sulfur cause harmful acid rain.
any one of the above factors would be sufficient to destroy the set of ecosystems.The worst thing is that after a nuclear war they act together, feeding and strengthening each other's action.
To pass the critical point, after which will begin catastrophic climate change and biosphere of the Earth, that's enough of a relatively small nuclear blast - 100 Mt.For an irreparable disaster will be enough to bring into effect only 1% of the existing nuclear weapons stockpile.
Even those countries on whose territory they will not explode, no nuclear bomb will be completely destroyed.
nuclear war in any of its form is a real threat to the existence of humanity and life on the planet in general.
