Scientists of the Ratger University, the National Center for Atmospheric Studies and other US scientific centers predicted that the large-scale use of nuclear weapons on Earth will cause not only the death of millions of people, but will also lead to long-term climate change for a period of up to 15 years. This is reported in the article published in the journal Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres.
It is believed that the use of nuclear weapons against large cities and industrial centers will cause catastrophic fires and soot emissions that can lead to the so-called nuclear winter. However, in the new work, scientists first used a modern climatic model, including aerosol emissions and nitrogen oxide to reveal the influence of the nuclear ozone war and the amount of ultraviolet light achieving the surface. The consequences of both local nuclear conflict and world war were evaluated.
Scientists found out that nuclear weapons can destroy the protective ozone layer for a long time, which will lead to several years of extremely strong ultraviolet radiation, which will afford the health of people and damage food. For example, in the case of a regional nuclear conflict between India and Pakistan, five megatons of soy will be formed, and the intensity of ultraviolet radiation will rise during the year. In the event of a conflict between Russia and the United States, 150 megatons will be formed, and the intensity of ultraviolet will rise in eight years, when the atmosphere becomes more transparent.
Due to the global nuclear war, stratospheric heating and other factors will lead to a reduction in the ozone layer for 15 years with peak losses of 75 percent in the world and 65 percent in tropical regions. In the case of regional nuclear war, the ozone content will be reduced by 25 percent, and recovery will take 12 years.
According to scientists, the results indicate that the consequences of the nuclear war will be worse than previously assumed. An increase in the intensity of ultraviolet radiation will lead to an increase in the frequency of mutations in DNA, which will negatively affect agriculture, and in humans and animals will increase the incidence of cancer and cataract.