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How would an asteroid strike affect life on Earth?
- Researchers at the IBS Center for Climate Physics in South Korea ran impact simulations with an Earth system model to study the effects of an asteroid strike on Earth's climate and environment.
- Results show dramatic disruptions in climate, atmospheric chemistry, and global photosynthesis for three to four years post-impact due to dust production.
- The impact would lead to an 'impact winter' with reduced sunlight, cold temperatures, and decreased precipitation, similar to effects observed after the Chicxulub asteroid impact.
- Severe ozone depletion would occur in the stratosphere due to warming caused by dust particles absorbing solar radiation.
- Plant growth would decline affecting food productivity, although ocean plankton could recover and increase due to the iron-rich dust triggered growth.
- Simulating a 'Bennu'-sized asteroid impact, the study revealed potential climate impacts comparable to the effects of large volcanic eruptions.
- Global mean temperatures could drop by 4°C, precipitation decrease by 15%, and ozone reduce by 32% in the first year post-impact.
- Medium-sized asteroid collisions occur approximately every 100,000 to 200,000 years, potentially impacting human evolution and genetic makeup.
- Limitations of the study include constraints in simulating massive aerosol injections and the need for better modeling an ocean impact scenario.
- Future research should explore additional aerosols' impacts, consider spherule-induced wildfires, and investigate sulphur and CO2 emissions for a more comprehensive analysis.
- Overall, the study provides insights into the potential environmental effects of asteroid impacts and the importance of assessing both probability and damage for risk estimation.
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