Initial Smoke Distribution for Nuclear Winter Calculations

• Published in: Aerosol science and technology Vol. 10; no. 1; pp. 37 - 50
• Main Authors: Small, R. D., Bush, B. W., Dore, M. A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Taylor & Francis Group 01.01.1989; Taylor & Francis
• Subjects: Earth, ocean, space; Exact sciences and technology; External geophysics; Meteorology; Particles and aerosols; Wind; Military installation; United States; Urban area; Absorptance; North America; Smoke emission; Topography; America; Fire; Aerosols; Nuclear winter; Climate modification
• ISSN: 0278-6826; 1521-7388
• DOI: 10.1080/02786828908959219

Mappings showing the initial distribution of smoke from a 3000 MT strike against over 4000 targets in the United States are presented. An attack of this magnitude would attempt to deprive the United States of all military capabilities and to destroy its industrial capacity. Most urban areas would be affected and damage to the economic base would be substantial. Smoke distributions are derived for global climate model computation grids. Such distributions represent part of the initial conditions for a simulation of climate modification. A much finer grid (2 × 1.5 degree) mapping is also given. In the latter, mountain systems are resolved, and the possible influence of topography on smoke movement is discussed. Injection profiles determined from large area fire calculations show that the initial distribution and smoke mass centroid depend on the burning rate and fuel loading. Low fuel loadings or long burn times indicate a constant mixing ratio injection with a fairly low altitude centroid. A two-level constant mass density profile with a midtroposphere centroid is more appropriate for cities that burn rapidly or have higher combustible loadings. Wind patterns at a typical injection height indicate the effect of a nonuniform source on the initial global spread of smoke.