New Research Reveals How Nuclear War Would Affect Earth Today [* AC Friendly *]

upstart writes:

Computer simulations provide startling data on the global impact of nuclear war:

The threat of nuclear warfare is back to the forefront following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. But how would modern nuclear weapon detonations impact the world today? A new research study published today (July 7, 2022) provides startling information on the global impact of nuclear war.

[...] In all of the scientists' simulated scenarios, nuclear firestorms would release soot and smoke into the upper atmosphere that would block out the Sun resulting in crop failure around the world. In the first month following nuclear detonation, average global temperatures would plunge by about 13 degrees (7 degrees ), a larger temperature drop than in the last Ice Age.

"It doesn't matter who is bombing whom. It can be India and Pakistan or NATO and Russia. Once the smoke is released into the upper atmosphere, it spreads globally and affects everyone," said Harrison, who has a joint appointment at the LSU Center for Computation & Technology.

Even after the smoke clears, ocean temperatures would drop quickly and would not return to their pre-war state. As the planet gets colder, sea ice expands by more than 6 million square miles and 6 feet deep in some basins blocking major ports including Beijing's Port of Tianjin, Copenhagen, and St. Petersburg. The sea ice would spread into normally ice-free coastal regions blocking shipping across the Northern Hemisphere making it difficult to get food and supplies into some cities such as Shanghai, where ships are not prepared to face sea ice.

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