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The amount of global cooling, for example, may be similar to that which occurred following the super-eruption of Sumatra’s Mount Toba around 74,000 years ago.
Sources: (CNN) (Science Advances)
See also: Seismologists turn to AI to predict the next major earthquake
While modern humans have not lived through an asteroid strike, the climate consequences of such an event may be similar to other "sun-blocking catastrophes."
This would likely wreak havoc on global food production and cause massive disruptions to food security.
In terms of how long it would last, the results of the study suggest that a global winter could last for more than four years after the initial impact.
In the event of an impact winter, the dust particles thrown up by the asteroid strike would absorb and scatter sunlight, preventing it from reaching the surface of Earth.
In turn, this would cause rainfall to drop by as much as 15%, because there would be less evaporation occurring on the ground.
With unfavorable climate conditions for plants to grow, there would be an initial 20-30% reduction in photosynthesis in both terrestrial and marine ecosystems.
The most intense scenario that the researchers modeled involved 400 tons of dust swirling into the atmosphere.
According to the experts, this would lead to a so-called global "impact winter," meaning cold temperatures, reduced sunlight, and decreased precipitation.
How severely the effects of an impact winter would be felt regionally would depend on the precise location where the asteroid strike occurred.
These events would have the potential to cause long-term global ozone depletion in the upper atmosphere.
This reduction in sunlight would cause global temperatures to drop quickly by as much as 7.2°F (4°C).
The aerosols and gases released into the air by the impact would rise into the atmosphere, changing the climate of our planet with lingering effects.
The creation of that crater would, in turn, cause a huge amount of material to spray up into the air around the strike site.
If the asteroid were to strike an ocean, rather than terra firma, it would trigger huge tsunamis and release large amounts of water vapor into the air.
And just to top things off, according to the study, the ozone may also be depleted by as much as 32%.
A collision with earth, rather than water, would generate a powerful shock wave and trigger potentially devastating earthquakes.
In order to model the consequences of a Bennu-Earth collision, scientists and researchers used climate models and the aid of the Aleph supercomputer at ICCP.
The researchers' results showed that, at first, the physical impact of Bennu hitting Earth would create a powerful crater.
Their general aim was to establish what might happen if 100 million to 400 million tons of matter were injected into the Earth’s atmosphere.
In terms of its size, Bennu is classified as a medium asteroid, with a diameter of around 1,640 feet (500 meters).
To put that in perspective, the asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs 66 million years ago was estimated to be around 6.2 miles (10 kilometers) in diameter.
Given the chance of a collision in the relatively near future, researchers have taken the time to model how the event may affect our planet.
Scientists believe that medium-sized asteroids like Bennu only collide with Earth once every 100,000 – 200,000 years.
According to CNN, NASA took samples of asteroid Bennu that showed the space rock contains the "building blocks of life."
First, let’s take a closer look at the properties of Bennu, which was recently studied by NASA in their OSIRIS-REx mission.
Although the chance of collision is relatively small (around one in 2,700), the consequences would be disastrous.
The asteroid that caused the extinction of dinosaurs was the last known large asteroid to collide with planet Earth.
Asteroid Bennu is a near-Earth asteroid that astronomers believe may collide with Earth as soon as September 2182.
According to a study published recently in 'Science Advances,' there is a 0.037% chance that a medium-sized asteroid could strike Earth next century.
In addition to causing earthquakes and/or tsunamis, the so-called Bennu asteroid has the potential to cause what experts refer to as an 'impact winter.'
Curious? Check out this gallery to find out more.
Asteroid Bennu and its potential to cause an impact winter
The medium-sized space rock that could wreak havoc on Earth's climate
LIFESTYLE Astronomy
According to a study published recently in Science Advances, there is a 0.037% chance that a medium-size asteroid could strike Earth next century.
In addition to causing earthquakes and/or tsunamis, the so-called Bennu asteroid has the potential to cause what experts refer to as an "impact winter."
Curious? Check out this gallery to find out more.