Target Area Operating Conditions: Saharan Dust Plumes as an Analogue for Nuclear Dust Clouds
Abstract
Saharan dust plumes are examined as natural analogues for nuclear dust clouds. Lofting mechanisms, dust injection altitudes, particle-size distributions, long-range transport processes, removal mechanisms, depletion rates, and radiative effects are discussed and compared. Saharan dust storms can loft masses comparable to about one-third the injection expected from a counterforce attack against a U.S. missile silo field: the exact amount depends on soil type and condition, vegetation, and season. A Saharan plume extends several thousand kilometers downstream and is usually confined below 4 to 6 km altitude. The long-range transport is aided by 1) the presence of a stable layer in the lower troposphere and 2) the lack of precipitation scavenging. Nuclear dust clouds, which would encounter mid-latitude precipitation systems, would be more rapidly depleted in the lower troposphere. This depletion is sensitive to the initial concentration of submicron-size particles in the stabilized nuclear cloud. The Saharan dust plume provides an appropriate analogue for dust removal from the lower troposphere in the absence of precipitation. Keywords: Dust; Optical depth; Particle size distribution; Saharan plumes; Scouring; Nuclear bursts; Dust transport; Dust cloud depletion.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 10, 1988
- Accession Number
- ADA213754
Entities
People
- R. A. Gaj
- R. D. Small