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Terrestrial Ozone Depletion Due to a Milky Way Gamma-Ray Burst | Brian C. Thomas
; Charles H. Jackman
; Adrian L. Melott
; Claude M. Laird
; Richard S. Stolarski
; Neil Gehrels
; John K. Cannizzo
; Daniel P. Hogan
; | Date: |
10 Nov 2004 | Journal: | Astrophys.J. 622 (2005) L153-L156 | Subject: | Astrophysics; Populations and Evolution; Atmospheric and Oceanic Physics; Geophysics; Space Physics | astro-ph physics.ao-ph physics.geo-ph physics.space-ph q-bio.PE | Affiliation: | University of Kansas) ( NASA Goddard Space Flight Center | Abstract: | Based on cosmological rates, it is probable that at least once in the last Gy the Earth has been irradiated by a gamma-ray burst in our Galaxy from within 2 kpc. Using a two-dimensional atmospheric model we have performed the first computation of the effects upon the Earth’s atmosphere of one such impulsive event. A ten second burst delivering 100 kJ/m^2 to the Earth penetrates to the stratosphere and results in globally averaged ozone depletion of 35%, with depletion reaching 55% at some latitudes. Significant global depletion persists for over 5 years after the burst. This depletion would have dramatic implications for life since a 50% decrease in ozone column density results in approximately three times the normal UVB flux. Widespread extinctions are likely, based on extrapolation from UVB sensitivity of modern organisms. Additional effects include a shot of nitrate fertilizer and NO2 opacity in the visible providing a cooling perturbation to the climate over a similar timescale. These results lend support to the hypothesis that a GRB may have initiated the late Ordovician mass extinction (Melott et al. 2004). | Source: | arXiv, astro-ph/0411284 | Services: | Forum | Review | PDF | Favorites |
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