Nuclear Winters: How can a Nuclear War bring back Ice Age?

By: Jay Kakade

According to United Nations, Climate change refers to long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns. These shifts may be natural or anthropogenic, but human activities have been the main driver of climate change, primarily due to the burning of fossil fuels (like coal, oil, and gas) which produces heat-trapping gases.

Climate change is one of the most severe threats to humanity after nuclear war. Still some experts go on to say we can escape from nuclear war but not from climate change.

The first use of nuclear weapon by USA in World War 2 created competition to acquire super power. Now most of the countries have achieved nuclear weapons.

The Pleistocene epoch which began around 2.6 million years ago and ended 11.700 years ago was the period of ice age. i.e., glaciers covering almost whole earth.

In present scenario earth has favourable conditions to nurture life. Still, we are the doorstep of a nuclear warfare. Just one nuclear war and we can again experience the climate during ice age.

During the era of Cold War between USSR and USA, there were many incidents where the entire world narrowly escaped from a full-fledged nuclear war. Though now there is no cold war going on, but the thought of mutually destructing nations is still alive.

We can feel the same pain as world felt during cold war. Ukraine-Russia crises have bought back world economic crises, public debt and loss of public property. Till now we have seen no nuclear war between any countries and hope to not see in future too.

Even if it happens in worst case scenario, it can stop global warming. This statement is claimed by many nuclear experts and climate scientists.

Natural Nuclear Winter

Nearly 66 million years ago, a gigantic asteroid struck with earth at enormous speed. It collided in shallow waters in Yucatan Peninsula. Within few moments of this collision, it vaporised water, sand and rocks. These vaporised particles reached uppermost atmosphere of earth.

With lower temperatures at such height particles started solidifying and turned into shooting objects. They started entering earth's atmosphere again, increasing temperature of earth's surface by 1000 Fahrenheit.

According to an article, this increase in temperature killed many of the living creatures. The fire caused these shooting objects created black clouds that blocked entire sunlight from entering earth. Blockage of sunlight caused reduction in rate of photosynthesis, collapsing food chain. This incident saw Wipeout of 70% of species on earth. Black clouds blocked sunlight that started resulting into lowering of earth's temperature.

Though no dinosaurs were at the fault for destruction, still they went through such difficult times and extinct. But we human-made nuclear weapons can bring back same scenario. Such conditions are named as Nuclear Winters by experts.

Immediate Destruction

Hypothetically if a country starts a nuclear warfare, destruction can be experienced in two ways.

1. Shock Waves

Shock waves that will be created by nuclear attacking will be so strong that it will turn all concrete in dust and destroy everything therein.

2. Radiation Poisoning

Ultraviolet radiations caused by attack will wipe out almost 50% of the entire population. A 3-mile-wide circle of light will emerge which will cause intense burning and skin disease to humans. Such conditions will be too extreme for humans to sustain.

Impact will not just stop here. In seek of revenge another country too will attack with nuclear weapons. Same conditions will be felt in another country too.

As of now, 9 countries have acquired nuclear power and the total number of nuclear warheads are 15,000. Out of these 15,000 weapons, 90% are equipped by Russia and USA. In addition, both the countries are engaged in conflict with each other.

Man-Made Nuclear Winter

The concept of nuclear winter was introduced first in 1983. Study was conducted by Carl Sagan, Alan Robock with scientists of USA and USSR. This study state the Earth will undergo ice age again after immediate effects of nuclear destruction.

This study was presented to Ronald Reagan who gave historic statement: "Nuclear War can never be won, so it must never be fought."

Mikhail Gorbachev too supported this theory and demanded to destroy all nuclear weapons for establishing peace.

At the time of cold war, nuclear weapons were 70,000. Thanks to this study that shed light on its deadly effects. It is due to this theory the number of nuclear weapons were reduced.

If two countries triggered a nuclear war even a small scale, it will create about 5 million tons of black smoke which will spread across whole world and block sunlight. This smoke will reach upper atmosphere of Earth and stay there for very long time. Our climatic patterns are based on this layer, so our whole climate will be disturbed.

Blocking sunlight will eventually lead to reduction in rainfall and evaporation. Less rainfall will reduce food production and will lead to disastrous food shortage. According to experts, after a nuclear war if world is unable to produce food, then total food storage will be emptied within 60 days.

According to NASA, if world's 1/3^rd of nuclear arsenal is used, it can produce 180 million tones of soot and block 70% of the sunlight. The sunlight blockage will drastically reduce temperature of Earth to 8 degrees. The cooling caused by a nuclear war can be more threatening than ice age.

It will also lead to reduction of rainfall by 45%. World's food storage system will collapse entirely. Humans will face severe famine called as nuclear famine and survival of animals too will become difficult.

All these hypothetical scenarios will be bought to reality with just one nuclear attack. Now it is time for countries to settle their disputes and use nuclear products for energy producing needs only.

(Article is written by Jay Kakade, Founder and Publisher at Space Explorists and SciSuggest. He is well acquainted with field of Science and Technology and likes to break complex topics into simpler ones.)

Disclaimer: (This article is sponsored and includes some commercial links)

Keywords: Nuclear war, Nuclear winter, War, Ice Age, Nuclear weapons, Defense.