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Local nuclear war, global starvation Brian Toon © 2009 Scientific American Inc
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New nuclear states continue to appear
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Even small nuclear states can have many warheads NWS DeFacto Israel, 116 (102-130) Pakistan, 52 (44-62), 1998 South Africa 7, dismantled 1989, 1979? North Korea, 10?, 2007 India, 85 (65- 110), 1974, 1998
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Destructive power of nuclear weapons: Hiroshima, ground zero
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Fires in Hiroshima after the atomic blast Fire storm in Hiroshima about three hours after the explosion http://www.atomicarchive.com An oily, sooty, radioactive “black rain” fell on Hiroshima after the explosion
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Smoke is observed to go into the upper troposphere after large fires The Chisholm (Alberta) PyroCb 28 May 2001 Fromm & Servranckx, (GRL, 2003)
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Soot Generation from 50, 15 kt Weapons
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Smoke injected into upper troposphere from regional conflict rapidly spreads
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Global climate change unprecedented in recorded human history
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Mann et al.,, Geophys. Res. Lett., 26, 759 (1999); http://www.cru.uae.ac.uk/cru/data.temperature Temperature decline following regional nuclear war exceeds temperature changes during the last 1000 years Year
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Northern Hemisphere Growing Season Shortened by up to 1 Month
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Precipitation drops 10% globally, more locally
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60 40 20 0 Altitude, km Stratospheric Temperatures Increase
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Global ozone loss following a regional war creates a near global ozone hole. Mills et al. PNAS, 2008
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Summary A regional nuclear war would: Reduce temperatures to lowest levels in 1000 years and shorten growing seasons at midlatitudes Reduce rainfall in the tropics Destroy the ozone layer at mid- and high latitudes
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Erupted April 1815 -0.7 degrees C temperature drop Dramatic shortening of growing season Tambora Volcano
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Chronic Malnutrition Today 1,800-2,200 calories minimum daily requirement 800 million people at or below this level of daily intake
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Great Bengal Famine of 1943 Food production declined only 5% Actually 13% higher than 1941 when there was no famine 3 million people died International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War
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1 billion dead from starvation alone?
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Epidemic Disease Plague Cholera Malaria Typhus
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…further use of nuclear weapons?
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Nuclear Warheads peaked in 1986 R.S. Norris, H.M. Kristensen, (2009).
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Smoke generated by weapons of 100 kt yield China Russia U.S.
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Robock et al.,2007 Surface temperature declines after global conflict to ice age conditions Year Ice age temperatures
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Daily minimum temperatures for Iowa and the Ukraine remain below freezing for a year or more after global war Robock et al.,2007
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Precipitation for Iowa after a global war reduced up to 90%
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Summary The use of the SORT or START arsenals would: Reduce global temperatures to ice age conditions Reduce global precipitation by 50%
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