As a result of the fall of the asteroid, the average global temperature of the Earth's surface will drop by 8 degrees Celsius
The fall of a medium-sized asteroid - about a kilometer in diameter - on Earth could dramatically change the climate of our planet over several years, with the prospect of a "new ice age", according to new research.
According to the Live Science portal, scientists led by Charles Bardeen of the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado, USA, simulated a situation when an asteroid about a kilometer in size would fall on some piece of land on Earth. Such a collision is likely to form a funnel about 15 km in diameter, which will cause a huge amount of dust to enter the atmosphere. This will provoke large-scale fires that will raise a lot of soot into the air (provided that the asteroid does not fall in the desert, where there is little vegetation). In a "worst-case scenario," according to Charles Bardeen, dust will remain in the atmosphere for about 6 years, and soot for about 10 years.
Particles of dust and soot, when heated under the sun, will significantly heat the stratosphere, accelerating chemical reactions that destroy ozone, which is known to protect the Earth from harmful ultraviolet radiation. Scientists estimate that ozone levels will drop by 55%, bringing the UV index in the tropics closer to 20 (according to the US Environmental Protection Agency, a UV index of 11 or higher means “extreme risk of harm from unprotected stay on the sun ). The soot and dust in the atmosphere will also help reduce the amount of sunlight by up to 70% in the first year or two.
As a result, the average global temperature of the Earth's surface will drop by 8 degrees Celsius, which, according to Charles Bardeen, "is equivalent to the temperature of the ice age."
Also, a decrease in sunlight and rainfall will lead to a decrease in plant productivity by about 50%. Scientists note that the asteroid must be about 10 times larger to cause a mass extinction. The asteroid, which scientists believe killed the dinosaurs, was probably about 10 km in size.
Alexander Kornev
