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Effects of Nuclear War

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Submitted By Southernpride779
Words 2290
Pages 10
Joshua Roberts
Dr. Stanford-Bowers
English 102
21 July 2013
Environmental Effects of Nuclear War
Thesis: If large scale nuclear war broke out, it would make large areas of the earth uninhabitable and almost completely destroy the environment. I. Immediate effect to the environment a. The Nuclear Blast b. The Thermal Radiation c. Direct nuclear Radiation II. Effects That bring about nuclear winter d. Surface temperature drops e. Upper atmosphere heats causing ozone loss III. Fallout and its effects on the environment f. How people are exposed to fallout g. The effects of this exposure h. How long nuclear fallout last

The atomic bomb is our single greatest piece of technology and also the worst piece of destruction we have ever created. It is because of the research in to nuclear weapons that we have had some of our greatest technological breakthroughs in electrical power and medicine. On the other hand, it is this research and testing that have changed our world completely and not for the better. According to Ramesh Thakur “When Manhattan project director J Robert Oppenheim first saw a nuclear explosion he quoted the bhagavad gita”Now I am become death, the shatterer of worlds”” (28). Because of all the superpowers dependence on nuclear weapons we are getting closer to seeing our worst nightmares of an all-out nuclear war becoming a reality. It is through the accident at the Chernobyl power plant and the dropping of the atomic weapons on Hiroshima and Nagasaki that gave scientist insight into the short and long term effects of nuclear war on the environment. Through research it has been determined that if enough nuclear weapons were exploded in a large scale nuclear war, it would make large areas of our planet uninhabitable and almost completely destroy our environment.
First off there are several immediate effects that nuclear war can do to destroy the environment. The blast of a nuclear warhead can destroy large amounts of our environment because it is basically a large wave of overpressureized air that destroys anything that comes in contact with it. Research shows that “Human lungs are crushed ant about 30 psi overpressure also brick houses are [completely] destroyed at about 10-15 psi” (Alynware). This blast wave also can generate massive winds that like tornados can turn various objects, even humans into missiles and flatten large areas of trees. Another immediate effect of nuclear war is thermal radiation. Basically thermal radiation is just huge amounts of light and heat that spreads out from the blast and causes all kinds of problems. Research suggest that this intense light “can cause sand to explode…can cause flammable objects to ignite at great distances and cause severe burns to skin” (Alynware). Now the heat from this radiation can reach temperatures of more than 10,000 degrees and basically can vaporize anything like trees, animals, and even humans for many miles around the blast site. One of the worst immediate effects, on the environment, from a nuclear war is the direct nuclear radiation. Basically this is the alpha and gamma radiation that is put out by the nuclear explosion that can pass through solid objects and kill a great many things that it comes in contact with.
The next, and more long term, effect of nuclear war is that all that dust, dirt, and smoke from the nuclear explosion settles in the atmosphere and causes the world to plunge into a nuclear winter. It is this nuclear winter that would kill most of the animals that survive the nuclear war. According to John Person “A similar theory is a leading contender to explain the extinction of the dinosaurs 65 million years ago but the explosion came from a meteor” (3). The main cause of all the smoke is the burning cities and forest around the blast. This smoke would be blown up very high into the atmosphere where it could not be brought down by rain. Also this smoke would cause global rainfall to drop very low in essence leaving the smoke up there for a very long time. According to Alan Robock’s research “modern climate models show that a nuclear winter would last more than a decade, also temperatures would fall for several years by 7 to 8 degrees Celsius on average (68). This decrease in temperature would basically cause another ice age and kill a large percentage of the survivors of the war. Another side effect of nuclear winter, and in my opinion on of the worst side effects, is what happens on the other side of the smoke and debris to the atmosphere. According to Michael J. Mills and other scientist “a war between nuclear states involving 100 Hiroshima-sized bombs that explode in cities in the northern subtropics. We find column ozone losses in excess of 20 percent globally, 25-45% at mid-latitudes, and 50-70% at northern high latitudes persisting for 5 years” (1). Basically with all the smoke in the atmosphere it causes the upper atmosphere to heat up tremendously, because smoke absorbs sun light very well, which causes the development of a massive ozone hole that lets in deadly u.v. radiation that harms the environment.
Now the last, and one of the worst environmental effects, is nuclear fallout. This is something that has immediate and long term effects to the environment. Some of the immediate and long term effects of nuclear fallout are caused by how people, domestic animals, and wildlife are exposed to fallout. Research has shown “[That when nuclear blast are set off] the radioactive cloud usually take the form of a mushroom, when it reaches its stabilization height it moves downward and spreads over a large area” (Simon, 49). It is this spreading out that contaminates water sources, food, people, and animals with radioactive material. When this fallout disperses and enters the body the effects can be widespread and catastrophic. According to research on nuclear test on the martial islands “[the early effects are that] about two thirds of people developed anorexia nausea and one tenth had vomiting and diarrhea…skin burns appeared after 12 to 14 days in about 90% of inhabitants. The late effects varied from [all sorts of] thyroid problems to [some] fatal cancers (leukemia, stomach cancer, and cranial meningioma) and six different “nonlethal” tumors” (plasman). What this means for the environment is that all this stuff that is happening to humans is also happening to all different species of animals which basically destroys whole ecosystems of live on this planet forever altering the environment. Another effect that makes nuclear fallout so catastrophic is how long the radioactive material or “nucleotides” last. A study of the university of Michigan shows that “radiation can stay resonant for many years [after the bombs are set off]” (par 4). They also give some half-lives of nucleotides which are “uranium-233 [last] 152,000 years, uranium-235 [last] 704 million years, uranium-238 [last] 4.47 billion years, thorium-232 [last] 14 billion years, and plutonium-239 [last] 24,000 years” (par 4). This is what makes so much land unlivable after nuclear war because it takes, on average, several million years for the fallout to disperse and leave useable land.
In conclusion, thorough research has shown that an all-out nuclear war would be catastrophic for the environment and all life on the planet. Also that those people and animals that do survive the nuclear war would have a very different world to live in. They would have to live through the nuclear winter that would cause the world to basically go into another ice age. Also they would have to survive the ozone being burnt off in many places unleashing very dangerous u.v. radiation. The nuclear fallout would not help things either because most of the water and available food sources would be contaminated. Also they would not be able to grow new food because of contamination, almost no sunlight, and in some instances to much sun from ozone holes. All of those things would translate into the destruction of the world as we know it today and the development of a very different earth.

Works Cited
“Fallout”. Personal.umich.edu. University of Michigan. Web. 10 June 2013
Mills, Michael J., Owen B. Toon, Richard P. Turco, Douglas E. Kinnson, and Rolando R. Garcia. “Massive global ozone loss predicted following regional nuclear conflict.” PNAS. 8 Apr. 2008:5307. Web. 16 June 2013
Pearson, John. “Chapter 3: The Cold War.” Atomic Bomb. (2009): Pg.3. EBSCOhost. Web. 2 June 2013
Plasman, James H. Chairman Republic of the Marshal Islands. “U.S. Nuclear Testing Program on the marshal islands.” FDCH Congressional Testimony (N.d.): Military and Government collection. Web. 15 June 2013
Robock, Alan and Owen B. Toon. “Self-assured destruction: The climate impacts of nuclear war.” Bulletin of the Atomic Scientist. 2012: 68. Web. 2 June 2013
Simon, Steven L., Andre Bouville, and Charles E. Land. “Fallout from nuclear test and cancer risks.” American Scientist. 94.1 Jan. /Feb. 2006: 48-57. Web. 1 June 2013
Thakur, Ramesh. “If you want the peace of the dead, prepare for nuclear war.” UN Chronicle. 48.4 (2011):26-29. Web. 1 June 2013
Ware, Alyn. “Weapons Basics.” NuclearFiles.org. Nuclear Age Peace Foundation. N.d. Web. 16 June 2013

ENG 102
Research Paper Rubric

Student’s name ___Joshua Roberts__________ Title _Environmental Effects of Nuclear War Grade ________________

Component | Excellent(90-100) | Good(80-89) | Fair(70-79) | Weak(60-69) | Poor(0-59) | Content = 100 (40%) | Contains thought-provoking information which clearly & effectively supports a well-defined thesis and displays a thoughtful, in-depth analysis of a sufficiently limited topic. Reader gains insight. Purpose is readily apparent to reader. At least 7 sources are cited which provide compelling evidence to support claims. Research is thorough and incorporated well. Attribution is clearly and fairly represented. | Contains information which provides firm support for thesis and displays evidence of a basic analysis of a sufficiently limited topic. Reader gains some insight. The writing has a firm purpose but may occasionally digress from the purpose. Seven sources are properly cited which generally provide adequate evidence to support claims. | Contains information which supports thesis at times. Analysis is basic or general. Reader gains few insights. The purpose is not always clear. Although occasional references are provided, the writer relies on unsubstantiated statements. The reader is confused at times about the source of ideas. | Paper does not successfully identify thesis. Analysis is vague or not evident. Reader is confused or may be misinformed. The purpose is generally unclear. Needed research is incomplete, and little or no documentation exists. Less than seven sources are provided. | In-text citations are not provided to support claims and/or no Works Cited page is provided for documentation. Paper has not been submitted to SafeAssign. (automatic zero for either of these situations) | Organization = 100(20%) | Paragraphs are well-developed. The ideas are arranged logically to support the thesis. They flow smoothly from one to another and are clearly linked to each other. Readers can follow line of reasoning. Formal outline accurately reflects the paper’s flow and organization. | Paragraphs are well-developed. The ideas are arranged logically to support the thesis. They are usually clearly linked to each other. For the most part, readers can follow line of reasoning. Minor discrepancies may exist between the formal outline and the paper’s text. | Paragraphs need more development. The writing is not arranged logically. Frequently, ideas fail to make sense together. Reader can figure out what writer probably intends but may not be motivated to do so. Formal outline provides little direction. | Paragraphs lack sufficient development. The writing lacks any semblance of logical organization. The reader cannot identify a line of reasoning. The paper does not follow the formal outline. | Paper does not meet minimum requirements for the assignment; it is rambling, disorganized, and incoherent to a greater degree than a Weak paper. No formal outline is provided. | Grammar & Mechanics = 100 (20%) | Sentences are well-phrased and varied in length and structure. They flow smoothly from one to another. The writing is free or almost free of and contains no clichés, colloquialisms, contractions, personal references, or inappropriate word choice. | Sentences are well-phrased and demonstrate some variety in length and structure. The flow from sentence to sentence is generally smooth. There are occasional violations in the writing, but they do not represent a major distraction or obscure the meaning. | Some sentences are awkwardly constructed, and they represent an occasional distraction for the reader. The writing has numerous errors, and the reader is distracted by them. Language is overly casual or colloquial. | Sentences lack clarity and grace, are overly casual, colloquial, or grammatically substandard. Errors in sentence structure are frequent enough to represent a major distraction to the reader. Errors are so numerous that they obscure the meaning of the passage. | Paper has a greater degree of grammatical/mechanical errors than a Weak paper. | Form = 100(10%) | MLA format is used accurately & consistently. Submission includes all required parts of the assignment (formal outline, text, and Works Cited page). | MLA format is used with one or two minor violations. Submission includes all required parts of the assignment. | Format of document reflects some knowledge of MLA format. Errors in formatting of outline, text, citations, and/or Works Cited entries exist. | Format of document reflects little knowledge of MLA format. Sources are incorrectly cited and formatted throughout the document. Formal outline is missing. | Format of document is not recognizable as MLA. Citations and/or the Works Cited page are missing from the document. | Deadlines = 100(10%) | Proposal (25) | Working Bibliography (25) | Outline (25) | Final Paper (25) | |

__________ Late penalty (-5 per day)

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