Exact month 500m asteroid could crash into Earth amid 'catastrophic winter' warning

The Earth could beryllium sent into an "impact winter" if it is deed by the 500 metre wide Bennu asteroid wherever particulate would beryllium kicked up creating an umbrella effect and blocking the sun

A monolithic asteroid heading towards Earth could origin a terrifying "impact winter" by kicking up particulate and blocking retired the sun.

Researchers person looked astatine what could hap if Bennu did onslaught Earth and a simulation has shown the devastating consequences. There is lone a 1 successful 2,700 accidental of a nonstop deed connected our satellite but if did hap we could look earthquakes and tsunamis.

Asteroid Bennu has a diameter of astir 500 metre, and could collide with Earth successful September, 2182, which gives america plentifulness of clip to prepare, but a study, published successful Science Advances, exploring however specified an lawsuit could disrupt planetary clime and ecosystems, besides explained however slim are the chances of a hit. "This is akin to the probability of flipping a coin 11 times successful a enactment with the aforesaid outcome," said the IBS Center for Climate Physics (ICCP) astatine Pusan National University successful South Korea.

Using the Aleph supercomputer, the squad simulated scenarios wherever 100–400 cardinal tonnes of particulate are injected into the ambiance pursuing a collision. Results amusement that this "impact winter" could origin planetary aboveground temperatures to driblet by up to 4°C, rainfall to alteration by 15%, and ozone levels to deplete by 32%.

This would beryllium due to the fact that particulate particles would enactment similar a immense planet-wide umbrella, shading Earth from the sun's radiation and reflecting vigor vigor backmost retired into space. These changes would pb to a 20–30% simplification successful photosynthesis connected onshore and successful oceans, severely threatening nutrient information worldwide.

“The abrupt interaction wintertime would supply unfavourable clime conditions for plants to grow, starring to an archetypal 20–30% simplification of photosynthesis successful terrestrial and marine ecosystems," says Dr. Lan Dai, postdoctoral probe chap astatine the ICCP and pb writer of the study.

This would apt origin monolithic disruptions successful planetary nutrient security.” The probe revealed that marine ecosystems whitethorn amusement resilience, with plankton populations recovered wrong six months owed to iron-enriched particulate promoting algae blooms. This could partially offset nutrient shortages caused by reduced land-based productivity.

Prof Axel Timmermann, manager of the ICCP and co-author of the study, said “On average, medium-sized asteroids collide with Earth astir each 100–200 1000 years. This means that our aboriginal quality ancestors whitethorn person experienced immoderate of these planet-shifting events earlier with imaginable impacts connected quality improvement and adjacent our ain familial makeup."