That is the diameter that the Bennu Asteroidthat of colliding with the earth, could cause substantial global damage, even if it is a fraction of the size of the asteroid that ended the dinosaurs, according to new investigation.
What danger does Asteroid Bennu represent for Earth?
Astronomers estimate that Bennu has a Probability of 1 in 2,700 of affecting the Earth in September 2182equivalent to a probability of 0.037%.
The celestial body, which contains the basic elements of life according to recent studies of samples brought to Earth by NASA’s Osiris-Rex mission, is a medium-sized space rock that reaches about 500 meters in diameter. It is estimated that the asteroid that crashed into the Earth 66 million years ago and caused the extinction of the dinosaurs had about 10 kilometers in diameter and was the last known large asteroid that hit the planet.
Given the little girl – but not impossible – possibility that Bennu impact the future, a research team He modeled the effects that such a collision would have on our planet, including global climate and ecosystems on earth and oceans. They also revealed that medium -sized asteroids, such as Bennu, They collide with the land approximately 100,000 to 200,000 years.
The researchers discovered that the impact could cause a global winter that could reduce rainfall and cool the planet, among other effects that could persist for years. And it is possible that the first humans have lived similar conditions during previous asteroid collisions.
The consequences that the Bennu Asteroid clash would trigger
The researchers used climatic models and the help of the ALEPH supercomputer of the ICCP to execute different scenarios for a collision of the type of bennu with the Earth, focusing mainly on the effects of injecting between 100 and 400 million tons in the Earth’s atmosphere. The results showed Dramatic alterations in atmospheric chemistry and the climate of our planet within a period of three to four years after the impact of the asteroid.
At first, the impact would create a powerful crater and make the material disperse in the air near the place of impact. The collision would generate a powerful expansive wave and also earthquakes. In addition, large amounts of aerosols and gases released by the impact could ascend to the atmosphere, altering the climate of the earth with lasting effects.
If Bennu impact the ocean, It would cause huge tsunamis and launch large amounts of water vapor in the air. These phenomena could cause a global decrease in ozone in the upper atmosphere that could last years.
Given this situation, Dr. Lan DAI, a researcher at the National University of Pusan in South Korea, revealed that a “Impact winter” caused by persistent dust could seriously affect global photosynthesis; Net terrestrial primary productivity could collapse up to 36% and the sea up to 25%. Regionally, these impacts could be much more pronounced.
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That winter would provide unfavorable climatic conditions for the growth of plants, which would cause an initial reduction of 20-30 % of photosynthesis in terrestrial and marine ecosystems, which would probably cause Mass disorders in world food safety.
In addition, the most unexpected result of the study showed a Unusual marine plankton behavior. The researchers expected the tiny agencies to be reduced quickly and recover slowly. However, oceanic plankton probably already It would have recovered in six months and possibly increased to levels never seen in normal climatic conditions.
Iron is a key nutrient for algae, but in areas such as the southern ocean and the eastern tropical Pacific, the mineral is not available in abundance. But if the iron content in Bennu is high and is distributed throughout the ocean, It could trigger unprecedented algae flowers, particularly diatomas, rich in silicate, for up to three yearsaccording to the study.
Source: Ambito
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