Abstract
The notion that smoke from fires started by nuclear explosions could alter the Earth's climate1 is supported by quantitative models of climate2–5,27 showing that severe cooling may be expected at continental surfaces in the first few months following a full-scale nuclear war, because of the reduced transmission of sunlight through the atmospheric smoke. Whether or not these model results are correct, we show here that the smoke could continue to cause significant climatic disruption even after it has fallen from the atmosphere, by lowering the reflectivity of snow and sea-ice surfaces, with possible effects on climate in northern latitudes caused by enhanced absorption of sunlight. Indeed, on Arctic sea ice and on the ablation area of the Greenland ice sheet, the reduced reflectivity could persist for several years.
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Warren, S., Wiscombe, W. Dirty snow after nuclear war. Nature 313, 467–470 (1985). https://doi.org/10.1038/313467a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/313467a0
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