A Small Nuclear War Would Stall Global Warming

[Guest guest]

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/small-nuclear-war-stall-global-warming-20110228-095602-\

684.html

A Small Nuclear War Would Stall Global Warming

By Wolchover , Life's Little Mysteries Staff Writer, LiveScience.com |

LiveScience.com – 1 hour 9 minutes ago

NASA computer models reveal what a small, regional nuclear war in one part of

the world would do to the global climate and environment. The results are grim.

If 100 Hiroshima-sized bombs, each as powerful as 15,000 tons of TNT, were

exchanged in a war between two developing-world nuclear powers such as India and

Pakistan, models show the resulting fires would send five million metric tons of

black carbon into the upper troposphere - the lowest-altitude layer of the

atmosphere.

There, the soot would absorb solar heat and rise like a hot-air balloon,

reaching heights from which it would not easily settle back to the ground.

In the shade of this carbon shield, Earth would cool. " The effects would [lead]

to unprecedented climate change, " said NASA physical scientist Luke Oman at a

meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science last week.

Oman's and his colleagues' models show that for two to three years after a

regional nuclear war, average global temperatures would drop by at least 2.25

degrees F (1.25 degrees C), and as much as 5.4 to 7.2 degrees F (3 to 4 degrees

C) in the tropics, Europe, Asia and Alaska.

But the reversal of the global warming trend wouldn't be a good thing. " Our

results suggest that agriculture could be severely impacted, especially in areas

that are susceptible to late-spring and early-fall frosts, " said Oman, who

compared the likely post-war crop failures and famines to those that followed

the 1815 volcanic eruption of Mount Tambora in Indonesia.

Additionally, the models showed global precipitation would reduce by 10 percent

globally for one to four years, and the ozone layer would thin, resulting in an

influx of dangerous ultraviolet radiation. These results confirm predictions

made previously by researchers at the University of Colorado, Boulder.

One hundred Hiroshima-sized bombs make up a mere 0.03 percent of the worldwide

nuclear weapons arsenal.

[Guest guest]

Curious timing for this story. Interesting that it comes out what with revolution and violence being spread around the world. Tensions are already high between India and Pakistan as it is. One the revolutions are introduced in those countries, and they will be, no telling what might happen.

In a message dated 2/28/2011 5:30:43 P.M. Eastern Standard Time, no_reply writes:

A Small Nuclear War Would Stall Global Warming

[Guest guest]

Well, I think we found our cure for global warming.

Curious timing for this story. Interesting that it

comes out what with revolution and violence being

spread around the world. Tensions are already high

between India and Pakistan as it is. One the

revolutions are introduced in those countries, and

they will be, no telling what might happen.

In a message dated 2/28/2011 5:30:43 P.M. Eastern

Standard Time, no_reply writes:

A Small

Nuclear War Would Stall Global Warming

[Guest guest]

But there is about as much evidence that we are on the brink of a new Ice

Age as there is for Global Warming...

So lighting off a few nukes would be as likely of driving us that way as

save us from a runaway greenhouse effect.

Ender

At 05:59 PM 2/28/2011, you wrote:

Curious timing for this story. Interesting that it comes out

what with revolution and violence being spread around the world. Tensions

are already high between India and Pakistan as it is. One the revolutions

are introduced in those countries, and they will be, no telling what

might happen.

In a message dated 2/28/2011 5:30:43 P.M. Eastern Standard Time,

no_reply writes:

A Small Nuclear War Would Stall Global

Warming

[Guest guest]

You're right about the honest science pointing toward a new cold period. The last one in Medieval Times was bad enough. One hitting now with so many more people would be a disaster to say the least. Then again, maybe that is why the droughts have been happening these last couple of years. The last time the drought was this bad in Virginia was when the first town settlers arrived. That was right in the middle of the Little Ice Age. This winter has been another dry one here. Even though rain is falling at the moment, we are still behind on what is needed. Last year the water supply in the reservoir got lower than intended. Not sure how well it has recovered but probably not enough.

But there is about as much evidence that we are on the brink of a new Ice Age as there is for Global Warming...So lighting off a few nukes would be as likely of driving us that way as save us from a runaway greenhouse effect.Ender