Tensions between the United States and the DPRK rose significantly after Donald Trump's speech at the UN General Assembly, in which he promised to "destroy the DPRK" if they pose a threat to the United States and allies. In response, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said that the response to the US president's statement would be "the most stringent measures." And later, North Korean Foreign Minister Lee Yong-ho shed light on a possible response to Trump - testing a hydrogen (thermonuclear) bomb in the Pacific Ocean. About how exactly this bomb will affect the ocean writes The Atlantic (translation - Depo.ua).
What does it mean
North Korea has already conducted nuclear tests in underground mines and launched ballistic missiles. Testing a hydrogen bomb in the ocean could mean that the warhead would be attached to a ballistic missile that would be launched towards the ocean. If the DPRK makes the next test, it will be the first detonation of a nuclear weapon in the atmosphere in nearly 40 years. And, of course, it will significantly affect the environment.
The hydrogen bomb is more powerful than conventional nuclear bombs because it is capable of generating much more explosive energy.
What exactly will happen
If a hydrogen bomb hits the Pacific Ocean, it will detonate with a blinding flash, and subsequently a mushroom cloud can be observed. If we talk about the consequences - most likely, they will depend on the height of the detonation above the water. The initial explosion can kill most of the life in the detonation zone - many fish and other animals in the ocean will die instantly. When the US dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima in 1945, the entire population within a radius of 500 meters died.
The explosion will send radioactive particles into the sky and water. The wind will carry them thousands of miles away.
The smoke - and the mushroom cloud itself - will cover the Sun. Due to the lack of sunlight, organisms in the ocean, whose life depends on photosynthesis, will suffer. The radiation will also affect the health of life forms in neighboring seas. Radiation is known to damage human, animal and plant cells, causing changes in their genes. These changes can lead to mutation in future generations. According to experts, the eggs and larvae of marine organisms are especially sensitive to radiation.
The test can also have a long-term negative impact on humans and animals if the radiation particles reach the ground.
They can pollute the air, soil and water bodies. More than 60 years after the US tested a series of atomic bombs off Bikini Atoll in the Pacific Ocean, the island remains "uninhabitable", according to a 2014 report by The Guardian. Even before the tests, the inhabitants were resettled, but returned in the 1970s. However, they saw a high level of radiation in the products that grew near the nuclear test zone, and were forced to leave the area again.
Story
Between 1945 and 1996, more than 2,000 nuclear tests were conducted by different countries, in underground mines and reservoirs. The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty has been in force since 1996. The United States tested a nuclear missile, according to one of North Korea's deputy foreign ministers, in the Pacific Ocean in 1962. The last ground test with nuclear power took place in China in 1980.
This year alone, North Korea has conducted 19 ballistic missile tests and one nuclear test. Earlier this month, North Korea said it had successfully conducted an underground test of a hydrogen bomb. Because of this, an artificial earthquake occurred near the test site, which was registered by seismic activity stations around the world. A week later, the United Nations adopted a resolution that provides for new sanctions against North Korea.
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The latest fiery dialogue between the United States and North Korea has created a new threat. Last Tuesday, during a speech at the UN, President Trump said his government would "completely destroy North Korea" if it was necessary to protect the United States or its allies. On Friday, Kim Jong-un responded that North Korea "would seriously consider the appropriate, highest-ever level of harsh countermeasure."
The North Korean leader did not specify the nature of the countermeasure, but his foreign minister hinted that North Korea could test a hydrogen bomb in the Pacific.
"This could be the most powerful H-bomb explosion in the Pacific," Foreign Minister Lee Yong-ho told reporters at the UN General Assembly in New York. "We have no idea what action can be taken as the decision rests with leader Kim Jong Un."
So far, North Korea has conducted nuclear tests in underground chambers and ballistic missiles in the sky. If North Korea follows through on its threat, this test will be the first atmospheric detonation of a nuclear weapon in nearly 40 years.
Hydrogen bombs are much more powerful than atomic bombs and are capable of generating many times more explosive energy. If a hydrogen bomb is tested in the Pacific, it will explode with a blinding flash and produce its famous "mushroom" cloud. The immediate consequences are likely to depend on the height of the detonation above the water. The initial explosion can destroy most of the life in the impact zone - many fish and other marine life - instantly. When the United States dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima in 1945, everything within a 1,600-foot radius perished.
The explosion will carry radioactive particles through the air, and the wind will disperse them for hundreds of miles. Smoke can block sunlight and kill marine life that cannot survive without the sun. Radiation is known to destroy cells in humans, animals and plants, causing changes in genes. These changes can lead to mutations in future generations. Eggs and larvae of marine organisms are particularly sensitive to radiation, experts say. Affected animals can pass on exposure through the food chain.
The explosion could also have devastating and long-term effects on humans and animals if the fallout reaches land. Particles can contaminate air, soil and water supplies. More than 60 years after the U.S. conducted a series of atomic bomb tests near Bikini Atoll in the Marshall Islands, it still remains "uninhabitable," according to a 2014 report by The Guardian.
Under the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, which was concluded with the 1996 Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty in 1996, more than 2,000 nuclear tests were conducted in underground chambers, above ground and under water between 1945 and 1996. The last above-ground test of a nuclear power was in China in 1980.
This year alone, North Korea has conducted 19 ballistic missile tests and one nuclear test. Earlier this month, the DPRK said it had conducted a successful underground hydrogen bomb test that triggered a man-made earthquake near the test site, which was recorded by seismic activity stations around the world.
Koh Kambaran. Pakistan decided to conduct its first nuclear tests in the province of Balochistan. The charges were placed in an adit dug in the Koh Kambaran mountain and blown up in May 1998. Local residents almost never look into this area, with the exception of a few nomads and herbalists.
Maralinga. The area in southern Australia where atmospheric nuclear weapons tests took place was once considered sacred by the locals. As a result, twenty years after the end of the tests, a second operation was organized to clean up Maraling. The first was carried out after the final test in 1963. 
Save In the Indian empty Thar state of Rajasthan on May 18, 1974, an 8 kiloton bomb was tested. In May 1998, charges were already blasted at the Pokhran test site - five pieces, among them a thermonuclear charge of 43 kilotons. 
Bikini Atoll. Bikini Atoll is located in the Marshall Islands in the Pacific Ocean, where the United States actively conducted nuclear tests. Other explosions were rarely captured on film, but these were filmed quite often. Still - 67 tests in the interval from 1946 to 1958. 
Christmas Island. Christmas Island, also known as Kiritimati, is distinguished by the fact that both Britain and the United States conducted nuclear weapons tests on it. In 1957, the first British hydrogen bomb was detonated there, and in 1962, as part of the Dominic Project, the United States tested 22 charges there. 
Lobnor. At the site of a dried-up salt lake in western China, about 45 warheads were blown up - both in the atmosphere and underground. Testing was terminated in 1996. 
Mururoa. The South Pacific atoll survived a lot - more specifically, 181 French nuclear weapons tests from 1966 to 1986. The last charge got stuck in an underground mine and, during the explosion, formed a crack several kilometers long. After this, the tests were terminated. 
New Earth. The archipelago in the Arctic Ocean was chosen for nuclear testing on September 17, 1954. Since then, 132 nuclear explosions have been carried out there, including the test of the most powerful hydrogen bomb in the world, the Tsar Bomba, at 58 megatons. 
Semipalatinsk. From 1949 to 1989 at least 468 nuclear tests were carried out at the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site. So much plutonium accumulated there that from 1996 to 2012, Kazakhstan, Russia and the United States conducted a secret operation to search for and collect and dispose of radioactive materials. It was possible to collect about 200 kg of plutonium. 
Nevada. The Nevada test site, which has existed since 1951, breaks all records - 928 nuclear explosions, of which 800 are underground. Considering that the test site is located only 100 kilometers from Las Vegas, mushroom mushrooms were considered quite a normal part of entertainment for tourists half a century ago. 
I agree with the professor, as a person who does this.
I will add that they are afraid not only of an explosion at a distance of 1 km from the surface. 5 types: air, high-altitude, ground, underground, underwater, surface: for example:
Air nuclear explosions include explosions in the air at such a height when the luminous area of the explosion does not touch the surface of the earth (water). One of the signs of an airburst is that the dust column does not connect with the explosion cloud (high airburst). The air burst can be high or low.
The point on the surface of the earth (water), over which the explosion occurred, is called the epicenter of the explosion.
An air nuclear explosion begins with a blinding short-term flash, the light from which can be observed at a distance of several tens and hundreds of kilometers. Following the flash, a spherical luminous area appears at the site of the explosion, which rapidly increases in size and rises upwards. The temperature of the luminous region reaches tens of millions of degrees. The luminous area serves as a powerful source of light radiation. As the fireball expands, it rapidly rises and cools, becoming a rising swirling cloud. When a fireball rises, and then a swirling cloud, a powerful ascending air flow is created, which sucks the dust raised by the explosion from the ground, which is held in the air for several tens of minutes.
In a low airburst, the dust column raised by the explosion can join with the explosion cloud; the result is a mushroom-shaped cloud. If the air explosion occurred at a high altitude, then the dust column may not connect with the cloud. The cloud of a nuclear explosion, moving downwind, loses its characteristic shape and dissipates. A nuclear explosion is accompanied by a sharp sound, reminiscent of a strong thunderclap. Air explosions can be used by the enemy to destroy troops on the battlefield, destroy urban and industrial buildings, and destroy aircraft and airfield structures. The damaging factors of an air nuclear explosion are: a shock wave, light radiation, penetrating radiation and an electromagnetic pulse.
1.2. high altitude nuclear explosion
A high-altitude nuclear explosion is carried out at an altitude of 10 km or more from the earth's surface. During high-altitude explosions at an altitude of several tens of kilometers, a spherical luminous area is formed at the site of the explosion, its dimensions are larger than during an explosion of the same power in the surface layer of the atmosphere. After cooling, the luminous region turns into a swirling annular cloud. A dust column and a dust cloud do not form during a high-altitude explosion. In nuclear explosions at altitudes up to 25-30 km, the damaging factors of this explosion are a shock wave, light radiation, penetrating radiation and an electromagnetic pulse.
With an increase in the height of the explosion due to rarefaction of the atmosphere, the shock wave weakens significantly, and the role of light radiation and penetrating radiation increases. Explosions occurring in the ionospheric region create areas or regions of increased ionization in the atmosphere, which can affect the propagation of radio waves (UV) and disrupt the operation of radio equipment.
There is practically no radioactive contamination of the earth's surface during high-altitude nuclear explosions.
High-altitude explosions can be used to destroy air and space means of attack and reconnaissance: aircraft, cruise missiles, satellites, warheads of ballistic missiles.
A hydrogen bomb (Hydrogen Bomb, HB, WB) is a weapon of mass destruction with incredible destructive power (its power is estimated in megatons of TNT). The principle of operation of the bomb and the structure scheme is based on the use of the energy of thermonuclear fusion of hydrogen nuclei. The processes that take place during an explosion are similar to those that take place in stars (including the Sun). The first test of a WB suitable for transportation over long distances (project by A.D. Sakharov) was carried out in the Soviet Union at a training ground near Semipalatinsk.
thermonuclear reaction
The sun contains huge reserves of hydrogen, which is under the constant influence of ultra-high pressure and temperature (about 15 million degrees Kelvin). At such an extreme density and temperature of the plasma, the nuclei of hydrogen atoms randomly collide with each other. The result of collisions is the fusion of nuclei, and as a result, the formation of nuclei of a heavier element - helium. Reactions of this type are called thermonuclear fusion, they are characterized by the release of an enormous amount of energy.
The laws of physics explain the energy release during a thermonuclear reaction as follows: part of the mass of light nuclei involved in the formation of heavier elements remains unused and turns into pure energy in enormous quantities. That is why our celestial body loses approximately 4 million tons of matter per second, releasing a continuous flow of energy into outer space.
Isotopes of hydrogen
The simplest of all existing atoms is the hydrogen atom. It consists of only one proton, which forms the nucleus, and a single electron, revolving around it. As a result of scientific studies of water (H2O), it was found that the so-called "heavy" water is present in it in small quantities. It contains "heavy" isotopes of hydrogen (2H or deuterium), whose nuclei, in addition to one proton, also contain one neutron (a particle close in mass to a proton, but devoid of charge).
Science also knows tritium - the third isotope of hydrogen, the nucleus of which contains 1 proton and 2 neutrons at once. Tritium is characterized by instability and constant spontaneous decay with the release of energy (radiation), resulting in the formation of a helium isotope. Traces of tritium are found in the upper layers of the Earth's atmosphere: it is there, under the influence of cosmic rays, that the gas molecules that form the air undergo similar changes. It is also possible to obtain tritium in a nuclear reactor by irradiating the lithium-6 isotope with a powerful neutron flux.
Development and first tests of the hydrogen bomb
As a result of a thorough theoretical analysis, specialists from the USSR and the USA came to the conclusion that a mixture of deuterium and tritium makes it easiest to start a thermonuclear fusion reaction. Armed with this knowledge, scientists from the United States set about creating a hydrogen bomb in the 1950s. And already in the spring of 1951, a test test was carried out at the Eniwetok test site (an atoll in the Pacific Ocean), but then only partial thermonuclear fusion was achieved.
A little more than a year passed, and in November 1952, a second test of a hydrogen bomb with a capacity of about 10 Mt in TNT was carried out. However, that explosion can hardly be called an explosion of a thermonuclear bomb in the modern sense: in fact, the device was a large container (the size of a three-story house) filled with liquid deuterium.
In Russia, they also took up the improvement of atomic weapons, and the first hydrogen bomb of the A.D. Sakharova was tested at the Semipalatinsk test site on August 12, 1953. RDS-6 (this type of weapon of mass destruction was nicknamed Sakharov's puff, since its scheme implied the sequential placement of deuterium layers surrounding the initiator charge) had a power of 10 Mt. However, unlike the American "three-story house", the Soviet bomb was compact, and it could be quickly delivered to the place of release on enemy territory in a strategic bomber.
Having accepted the challenge, in March 1954 the United States exploded a more powerful aerial bomb (15 Mt) at a test site on the Bikini Atoll (Pacific Ocean). The test caused the release of a large amount of radioactive substances into the atmosphere, some of which fell with precipitation hundreds of kilometers from the epicenter of the explosion. The Japanese ship "Lucky Dragon" and instruments installed on the island of Roguelap recorded a sharp increase in radiation.
Since the processes occurring during the detonation of a hydrogen bomb produce stable, safe helium, it was expected that radioactive emissions should not exceed the level of contamination from an atomic fusion detonator. But the calculations and measurements of real radioactive fallout varied greatly, both in quantity and composition. Therefore, the US leadership decided to temporarily suspend the design of these weapons until a full study of their impact on the environment and humans.
Video: tests in the USSR
Tsar bomb - thermonuclear bomb of the USSR
The Soviet Union put a fat point in the chain of accumulating the tonnage of hydrogen bombs when, on October 30, 1961, a 50-megaton (largest in history) Tsar bomb was tested on Novaya Zemlya - the result of many years of work by the research group A.D. Sakharov. The explosion thundered at an altitude of 4 kilometers, and the shock wave was recorded three times by instruments around the globe. Despite the fact that the test did not reveal any failures, the bomb never entered service. But the very fact that the Soviets possessed such weapons made an indelible impression on the whole world, and in the United States they stopped gaining the tonnage of the nuclear arsenal. In Russia, in turn, they decided to refuse to put hydrogen warheads on combat duty.
A hydrogen bomb is the most complex technical device, the explosion of which requires a series of sequential processes.
First, the detonation of the initiator charge located inside the shell of the VB (miniature atomic bomb) occurs, which results in a powerful emission of neutrons and the creation of a high temperature required to start thermonuclear fusion in the main charge. A massive neutron bombardment of the lithium deuteride insert (obtained by combining deuterium with the lithium-6 isotope) begins.
Under the influence of neutrons, lithium-6 is split into tritium and helium. The atomic fuse in this case becomes a source of materials necessary for the occurrence of thermonuclear fusion in the detonated bomb itself.
The mixture of tritium and deuterium triggers a thermonuclear reaction, resulting in a rapid increase in temperature inside the bomb, and more and more hydrogen is involved in the process.
The principle of operation of a hydrogen bomb implies an ultra-fast flow of these processes (the charge device and the layout of the main elements contribute to this), which look instantaneous to the observer.
Superbomb: Fission, Fusion, Fission
The sequence of processes described above ends after the start of the reaction of deuterium with tritium. Further, it was decided to use nuclear fission, and not the fusion of heavier ones. After the fusion of tritium and deuterium nuclei, free helium and fast neutrons are released, the energy of which is sufficient to initiate the onset of fission of uranium-238 nuclei. Fast neutrons can split atoms from the uranium shell of a superbomb. The fission of a ton of uranium generates energy of the order of 18 Mt. In this case, energy is spent not only on the creation of an explosive wave and the release of an enormous amount of heat. Each uranium atom decays into two radioactive "fragments". A whole “bouquet” is formed from various chemical elements (up to 36) and about two hundred radioactive isotopes. It is for this reason that numerous radioactive fallout is formed, recorded hundreds of kilometers from the epicenter of the explosion.
After the fall of the Iron Curtain, it became known that in the USSR they planned to develop the "Tsar Bomb", with a capacity of 100 Mt. Due to the fact that at that time there was no aircraft capable of carrying such a massive charge, the idea was abandoned in favor of a 50 Mt bomb.
Consequences of the explosion of the hydrogen bomb
shock wave
The explosion of a hydrogen bomb entails large-scale destruction and consequences, and the primary (obvious, direct) impact is of a triple nature. The most obvious of all direct impacts is a shock wave of ultra-high intensity. Its destructive ability decreases with distance from the epicenter of the explosion, and also depends on the power of the bomb itself and the height at which the charge detonated.
thermal effect
The effect of the thermal impact of an explosion depends on the same factors as the power of the shock wave. But one more is added to them - the degree of transparency of air masses. Fog or even a slight overcast dramatically reduces the radius of damage, at which a thermal flash can cause serious burns and loss of vision. An explosion of a hydrogen bomb (more than 20 Mt) generates an incredible amount of thermal energy, enough to melt concrete at a distance of 5 km, evaporate almost all the water from a small lake at a distance of 10 km, destroy enemy manpower, equipment and buildings at the same distance . In the center, a funnel is formed with a diameter of 1-2 km and a depth of up to 50 m, covered with a thick layer of vitreous mass (several meters of rocks with a high content of sand melt almost instantly, turning into glass).
Based on calculations from real-world tests, people have a 50% chance of staying alive if they:
- They are located in a reinforced concrete shelter (underground) 8 km from the epicenter of the explosion (EV);
- They are located in residential buildings at a distance of 15 km from the EW;
- They will find themselves in an open area at a distance of more than 20 km from the EW in case of poor visibility (for a "clean" atmosphere, the minimum distance in this case will be 25 km).
With the distance from the EV, the probability of staying alive among people who find themselves in open areas also increases sharply. So, at a distance of 32 km, it will be 90-95%. A radius of 40-45 km is the limit for the primary impact from the explosion.
Fire ball
Another obvious impact from the explosion of a hydrogen bomb is self-sustaining firestorms (hurricanes), which are formed due to the involvement of colossal masses of combustible material in the fireball. But, despite this, the most dangerous consequence of the explosion in terms of impact will be radiation pollution of the environment for tens of kilometers around.
Fallout
The fireball that arose after the explosion is quickly filled with radioactive particles in huge quantities (decay products of heavy nuclei). The particle size is so small that when they get into the upper atmosphere, they can stay there for a very long time. Everything that the fireball reaches on the surface of the earth instantly turns into ashes and dust, and then is drawn into the fiery column. Flame vortices mix these particles with charged particles, forming a dangerous mixture of radioactive dust, the process of sedimentation of granules of which stretches for a long time.
Coarse dust settles quite quickly, but fine dust is carried by air currents over great distances, gradually falling out of the newly formed cloud. In the immediate vicinity of the EW, the largest and most charged particles settle; hundreds of kilometers away, ash particles that are visible to the eye can still be found. It is they who form a deadly cover, several centimeters thick. Anyone who gets close to him risks getting a serious dose of radiation.
Smaller and indistinguishable particles can "hover" in the atmosphere for many years, repeatedly going around the Earth. By the time they fall to the surface, they are pretty much losing their radioactivity. The most dangerous is strontium-90, which has a half-life of 28 years and generates stable radiation throughout this time. Its appearance is determined by instruments around the world. "Landing" on grass and foliage, it becomes involved in food chains. For this reason, people who are thousands of kilometers from the test sites during the examination are found to have strontium-90 accumulated in the bones. Even if its content is extremely small, the prospect of being a "polygon for storing radioactive waste" does not bode well for a person, leading to the development of bone malignant neoplasms. In regions of Russia (as well as other countries) close to the places of test launches of hydrogen bombs, an increased radioactive background is still observed, which once again proves the ability of this type of weapon to leave significant consequences.
H-bomb video
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