The effects on the atmosphere of a major nuclear exchange / Committee on the Atmospheric Effects of Nuclear Explosions, Commission on Physical Sciences, Mathematics, and Resources, National Research Council.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

National Research Council (U.S.). Committee on the Atmospheric Effects of Nuclear Explosions.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Nuclear energy and meteorology.

Nuclear explosions--Environmental aspects.

Nuclear explosions.

Smoke--Environmental aspects.

Smoke.

Dust--Environmental aspects.

Dust.

Fires--Environmental aspects.

Fires.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (203 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Washington, D.C. : National Academy Press, 1985.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Most of the earth's population would survive the immediate horrors of a nuclear holocaust, but what long-term climatological changes would affect their ability to secure food and shelter? This sobering book considers the effects of fine dust from ground-level detonations, of smoke from widespread fires, and of chemicals released into the atmosphere. The authors use mathematical models of atmospheric processes and data from natural situations--e.g., volcanic eruptions and arctic haze--to draw their conclusions. This is the most detailed and comprehensive probe of the scientific evidence published to date.

Contents:

The Effects on the Atmosphere of a Major Nuclear Exchange

Copyright

NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL

Acknowledgments

Contents

1 Summary and Conclusions

BACKGROUND

THE COMMITTEE'S BASELINE CASE

NOTES ON THE NATURE AND SIGNIFICANCE OF UNCERTAINTY

CONCLUSIONS

REFERENCES

2 Recommendations for Research

3 The Baseline Nuclear Exchange

4 Dust

NUCLEAR CLOUD DYNAMICS

DUST LOFTING BY A NUCLEAR CLOUD

SOURCES OF DUST

OBSERVATIONS OF NUCLEAR DUST CLOUDS

PARTICLE SIZE DISTRIBUTIONS

OPTICAL PROPERTIES OF AIRBORNE DUST

DUST LOFTED IN THE BASELINE CASE

EXCURSIONS

SUMMARY

5 Fires

OVERVIEW

PRESENT-DAY SMOKE EMISSION AND REMOVAL

HISTORICAL FIRE EXPERIENCE

Earthquakes

World War II

Forest Fires

Experimental fires

IGNITION OF NUCLEAR FIRES

Thermal phenomena

Urban Ignition

Forest Ignition

BURDENS AND DISTRIBUTIONS OF COMBUSTIBLE MATERIALS

Urban Combustibles

Forest and Wildland Combustibles

Urban Combustibles Consumed

Forest and Wildland Fuels Consumed

SMOKE EMISSIONS AND PROPERTIES

Urban Smoke

Emission Factors

Size Distribution and Composition

Optical Properties

Forest Fire Smoke

Fire Burning Times

Smoke Injection Altitudes

Water in Nuclear Clouds

Removal from the Plume

ESTIMATING SMOKE EMISSIONS IN A MAJOR NUCLEAR EXCHANGE

Baseline Estimates

Excursions from the Baseline Case

Optical Depth Excursions

UNCERTAINTIES

APPENDIX 5-1: OBSERVATION OF PLUME HEIGHTS AND ASH TRANSPORT IN LARGE FIRES, BY F.E. FENDELL

Plume Heights

Smoke Obscuration

APPENDIX 5-2: WATER IN NUCLEAR CLOUDS

Explosion Clouds

Fire Plumes

Water Perturbation

CO2 Perturbation

Effects of Water Injections

Indirect Water Perturbations

6 Chemistry.

GASEOUS EMISSIONS FROM NUCLEAR FIREBALLS AND NUCLEAR WAR FIRES

Nitric Oxide

Fire Emissions

Carbon Monoxide

Hydrocarbons

Oxides of Nitrogen

EFFECTS OF EMISSIONS

Ozone Shield Reduction

Ozone Holes and Effects of NO2 Radiation Absorption

Effects on Ozone of Past Nuclear Weapons Tests

Uncertainty in Model Results

Tropospheric Composition Changes

Toxic Chemical Releases

7 Atmospheric Effects and Interactions

EARLY SPREAD AND EVOLUTION OF PARTICULATE CLOUDS

DIRECT OPTICAL EFFECTS

THERMAL EFFECTS IN ONE-DIMENSIONAL MODELS

THERMAL AND CIRCULATION EFFECTS CALCULATED BY MULTIDIMENSIONAL MODELS

MODIFICATION OF CLOUDINESS, PRECIPITATION, AND WINDS

Ground Fog

Cloudiness and Precipitation

Zonal Mean Winds

Other Large-Scale Wind Systems

Ultra-High Clouds

Longer Term Effects on Climate

ANALOGS

Arctic Haze

Plumes from Large Forest Fires

Early Plume from the Mount St. Helens Eruption

Sahara Dust Plumes, the ''Harmattan''

Martian Global Dust Storms

8 Use of Climatic Effects of Volcanic Eruptions and Extraterrestrial Impacts on the Earth as Analogs

VOLCANIC ERUPTIONS

EXTRATERRESTRIAL IMPACTS

Appendix: Evolution of Knowledge About Long-Term Nuclear Effects

Index.

Notes:

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Includes bibliographies and index.

Contains:

Nuclear exchange.

ISBN:

9786610222254

9781280222252

1280222255

9780309554664

0309554667

9780585149257

0585149259

OCLC:

43477139