Scientists from the United States, together with colleagues from Great Britain, have shown that atmospheric tests of nuclear weapons carried out in the past by the USSR provoked the formation of artificial radiation belts of the Earth. The conclusions of the experts, drawn from the results of the study, were included in an article published in the journal Space Science Reviews, and briefly reported by Gizmodo.
Scientists in their conclusions rely on data on atmospheric tests of nuclear weapons carried out by the USSR at an altitude of 25 to 400 kilometers in 1958-1962, which were recently declassified. According to these materials, the explosions of nuclear bombs provoked the release of high-energy particles into the near-earth space, which changed the configuration of our planet's magnetosphere, albeit only slightly.
According to experts, the appearance of artificial radiation belts could cause the loss of several satellites in low orbits. The authors of the study clarify that not only the Soviet Union, but also the United States, contributed to the formation of new Earth belts.
During the Cold War, these countries made several nuclear explosions in the atmosphere and space. The peak of nuclear weapons tests came in the late 1950s and early 1960s.
Van Allen belts (radiation) can change their size depending on solar activity. This area of our planet's magnetosphere prevents life-threatening high-energy charged particles from reaching Earth.