War → Nuclear Winter
Oh Shit!
Could you survive destruction then ice and snow?
Source: Nexusmods. See: https://www.nexusmods.com/metroexodus/images/123
Global Cooling
Global cooling, maybe a potential consequence of a nuclear explosion, especially a nuclear war when many
warheads may detonate.
The reason is not simply due to the atmospheric debrie produced from the explosion of the warheads themselves,
but also the addition of soot that might be produced from the burning of cities and particularly petrolium storage facilities.
If large quantities of soot enters the upper atmosphere it will absorb sunlight resulting in a significant global temperature derease. It has been estimated that a
large scale nuclear attack against urban or petrochemical centres could produce enough soot to lower temperatures globally by up to 10 degrees C over a period of
several months. Indeed, similar effects have already been noted in response to major volcanic eruptions (e.g., Tambora in 1815) but burning is more threatining
because soot particles absorb light better, are small and hydrophobic and tend not to settle as rapidly as ash.
Even small changes in global
temperature (1 to 2 degrees C)
over short periods can be highly threatening to life as this may adversely effect crop production, leading potentially to starvation in many
areas. A prolonged global temperature decrease of 10 degrees C would be disastrous, leading no doubt, to a nuclear winter.
Ozone Depletion
The high temperatures of a nuclear fireball will cause large quantities of nitric oxides to form in the upper atmosphere (stratosphere). It is estimated that for each megaton of explosive yield, 5000 tons of oxides will be produced. These oxides then have the potential to disrupt the ozone layer adding to the possibility of global cooling. It has been estimated that the nitric oxides produced by a nuclear war in the Northern Hemisphere could reduce ozone cover by as much as 30 to 70 percent. This would also let more ultraviolet radiation through to the earth's surface and produce dangerous burns and other serious ecological effects.
Oxides of nitrogen form a catalytic cycle that attacks the protective ozone layer
Source: Atomicarchive.com, See: https://www.atomicarchive.com/science/effects/ozone-depletion.html