Nuclear war: Short-term chemical and radiative effects of stratospheric injections

Earlier investigations of the atmospheric effects of a nuclear war focused primarily on the potential reduction in stratospheric ozone. The numerical models used in those assessments were one-dimensional and calculated the average ozone reduction over the Northern Hemisphere. Only recently has the potential reduction in stratospheric ozone been calculated as a function of latitude using a two-dimensional model where effects are averaged over latitude bands. The possibility exists that on a subcontinental scale the ozone depletion might be considerably greater than the hemispheric-average or zonal-average value. The results presented here are the first assessment of the potential reduction in total ozone on a sub-continental scale. The purpose of this study is to determine whether regions of large ozone reduction (sometimes called ozone holes) are possible, and to identify the important parameters affecting the magnitude of the ozone reduction and rate of recovery