The Effects of Nuclear War

Nuclear war would be devastating to humanity as a whole. No matter which countries

are involved, nuclear winter would be the outcome. In a nuclear exchange between two
countries the initial strike, radiation, and possibility of the war going global are often at the
forefront of concerns. Nuclear winter is the often forgot aftereffect, that directly attacks the most
vulnerable part of the human ecosystem, our food and water.

It is now almost 40 years since the invention of nuclear weapons. We have not yet
experienced a global thermonuclear war -- although on more than one occasion we have come
tremulously close. I do not think our luck can hold forever. Men and machines are fallible, as
recent events remind us. Fools and madmen do exist, and sometimes rise to power.
Concentrating always on the near future, we have ignored the long-term consequences of our
actions. We have placed our civilization and our species in jeopardy. - Carl Sagan in The
Nuclear Winter: The World After Nuclear War.

Nuclear winter is an unavoidable outcome of a nuclear war. The nuclear explosion will
throw up huge amounts of dust, as will the fires that are created from the explosion. The
smallest exchange would clock in at about 5 teragrams of soot, and it only goes up from there.
The soot will hang in the atmosphere for a long time, much of it will last years. The problem
comes when these particles reflect or absorb the energy coming from the sun. The energy
gained from the sun heats up the particles, causing them to rise, allowing them to absorb or
reflect even more light. This stops much of the energy from ever reaching the Earths surface.
The effects of this loss of energy would drastically decrease humanity's ability to grow food and
find water.

Plants rely on sunlight for energy. The reduced amount of sunlight will stress crops and
reduce yields. Plants need to be able to keep enough energy to stay alive, any extra is used for
growing. The largest nuclear attacks could could reduce the sunlight at noon by a third or more.
That would make it impossible for some crops to grow and would cause a major reduction in
any other crops that manage to survive. However, the worst effects of a reduced amount of
sunlight are not direct.

The decrease in sunlight would cause the temperature of Earth to drop, which would
cause many frosts. One hundred Hiroshima sized bombs would drop the global surface
temperature about by one degree celsius, while a major war destroying most or all cities could
cause a drop of 36 degrees celsius. Depending on the time of year, that drop could quickly lead
to frosts destroying that years crop literally overnight, a single day of below freezing
temperatures is enough to kill an entire rice crop. Even if the crops survive this initial drop the
cooler temperature would shorten growing seasons and hinder the crops ability to grow. A
temperature of 3 degrees celsius less than normal could halt Canadian spring wheat production.
Other simulations show that 50 Hiroshima sized bombs would slow corn and soy production in
the United States by 10%-40% and 2%-20% respectively. Crop production will drop like this
across the board, leading to massive famine all over the planet with estimates showing most
countries would only last 2-3 months after any major exchange. However, in Australia and New
Zealand especially, humanity would not be wiped out. This is because it would be possible to
produce enough to feed large groups of people that have survived. This is because the warm
climate could still support some crops after the climate shifts.

Even under the best conditions, growing food without water is impossible. A decrease in
sunlight would decrease evaporation of water, leading to less rain. According to NASA
estimates, 100 Hiroshima sized bombs would decrease global precipitation by 10%. More water
than normal often boosts crop growth, while less water will reduce crop growth. The soot in the
lower parts of the atmosphere will be partly washed out by rain. Much of the soot will emit
radiation. The radiation can damage crops and pollute any surface water supplies. That makes it
dangerous to use surface water for anything, as it will slowly get more radioactive after every
rainfall. Any food grown with this water could be dangerous for human consumption and growing
it will be difficult and dangerous for the workers.

A nuclear winter will not result in an ice age. A nuclear winter would need to last
hundreds to thousands of years to start one. After 10 years the climate will likely be back to
pre-war conditions. Ice is the most reflective natural compound found on the surface of Earth
while water is the opposite (ice reflects 80% of light, while water absorbs 90%). Once a certain
amount of water freezes or melts, it could start a feedback loop that could last tens of thousands
of years. The soot will not be in the air long enough to cause enough ice to form. This is good
for the life that survives the first 10 years, however, it does not help humanity much in the short
term.

Every country with nuclear weapons today must be ready to launch them. A single mistake
could cause humanity to destroy itself. Ever since nuclear weapons were created each country fights
to produce them, to prevent other countries from using nuclear weapons on them. This tactic is
unstable, any error could cause humanity to destroy itself.

Used
Dunbar, Brian. "How Would Nuclear War Affect The Climate?" NASA. NASA, 18 Feb. 2011. Web. 08
Feb. 2017. <https://www.nasa.gov/topics/earth/features/nuclear-climate.html>.
"National Snow and Ice Data Center." National Snow and Ice Data Center. National Snow and Ice
Data Center, n.d. Web. 08 Feb. 2017. <https://nsidc.org/cryosphere/quickfacts/seaice.html>.

SAKAI, JILL. "War-related Climate Change Would Substantially Reduce Crop

Yields."Nelson.wisc.edu. Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies, 02 July 2012. Web. 11 Apr.
2017

Sagan, Carl. The Nuclear Winter: The World After Nuclear War (n.d.): n. pag. E-reading.club. E-
reading. Web. <http://www.e-reading.club/bookreader.php/148584/Sagan_-
_The_Nuclear_Winter___The_World_After_Nuclear_War.pdf>.

SAKAI, JILL. "War-related Climate Change Would Substantially Reduce Crop

Yields."Nelson.wisc.edu. Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies, 02 July 2012. Web. 11 Apr.
2017