"Little Ice Age": Study shows dramatic consequences of a nuclear war - they could last for centuries

Created: 2022-07-21Updated: 2022-07-21, 2:20 p.m

By: Momir Takac

A nuclear war would have dire consequences for the whole world.

This is shown by a new study in which researchers examined the effects of the use of nuclear weapons on the world's oceans.

Baton Rouge – In the Ukraine conflict, the world may be as close to a nuclear war as it was last time during the Cold War.

Although Russia repeatedly threatens to use nuclear weapons, it also asserts that it does not want to start a nuclear war.

But can the statements of the Russian leadership be trusted?

Finally, the Russian government had also claimed that it did not want to attack Ukraine.

Hopefully Vladimir Putin and Co. remain steadfast on this issue.

Because the consequences of a nuclear conflict would be dramatic for the whole world.

This is shown by a new study by researchers at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, who used several computer simulations to examine the global effects of smaller and larger nuclear wars.

They covered a nuclear conflict between Russia and the US and between India and Pakistan.

Nuclear war would lead to hunger crises and animal and plant deaths

The results are alarming in all simulations.

The detonations, which are similar to volcanic eruptions, would send so much soot and smoke into the upper atmosphere that sunlight would be blocked.

The result would be crop failures all over the world because plants no longer get enough light.

The global average temperature would drop by 13 degrees Fahrenheit (about 11 degrees Celsius) in the first month after the nuclear blast.

Will the Ukraine conflict lead to a nuclear war?

This could eventually have apocalyptic consequences for life on earth.

(symbol image) © dpa

"It doesn't matter who bombs whom.

It can be India and Pakistan or NATO and Russia.

Once the smoke is released into the upper atmosphere, it spreads globally and affects everyone," said study lead author Cheryl Harrison.

Nuclear war could maneuver inhabitants of northern regions under influence of small ice age

The consequences would also be serious for the oceans.

Rapidly falling water temperatures would lead to an increase in sea ice.

The study authors speak of around 10 million square kilometers.

As the ice would also thicken, important ports could be blocked for years.

Supply chains would collapse and result in hunger crises.

Sea plants could not photosynthesize and die.

The victims would be marine animals that feed on it.

The glaciers are melting – How climate change is changing the earth

View photo gallery

In the worst case - a nuclear war between Russia and the US with thousands of nuclear weapons - the oceans would take decades to centuries to recover at the deepest levels.

The ice sheet, which has been growing for a long time, could mean a “little ice age” lasting for centuries for residents of northern regions.