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I have a question about smoke volume from fires worldwide and what effect it would likely have on climate.
So, in my story, there's a worldwide plague that causes people to die a nice, painless—though relatively quick—death. Not everyone is affected by the plague, but let's say a good 80% of the population ends up dead. The worst part about this is that after the bodies have sat for more than a day or two, the insides liquefy. When the bodies are moved, even just a little, they have a tendency to burst.
As you can imagine, the survivors aren't too keen on having a bunch of on-the-verge-of-bursting bodies of their loved ones lying around. So, since they can't move the bodies, they opt to burn them in place. This results in entire towns and cities being burned around the world. Probably something like 90% of the populated areas would end up with some fires, though whether they'd be destroyed completely isn't determined yet.
Now, if a majority of the villages, towns, and cities are burned, and let's assume that some of the surrounding countryside gets burned, too (not to the extent of The Road or anything), a lot of smoke and ash is going to be released.
My question is: would the amount of smoke released be enough to cause any significant climate change? I'm thinking along the lines of the Little Ice Age in the 16th-19th centuries (though probably not as long?) or at least like 1816 (better known as Eighteen Hundred and Froze to Death), when there was no summer in a lot of regions after the eruption of Mount Tambora. I know volcanoes can often effect climate for a couple of years after an eruption, but they tend to send ash really high into the atmosphere. Could a lot of big ground fires do something similar? How severe would it be?
If not, what effects would the fires likely have? I'm guessing falling ash would blanket large regions and effect crops and water supplies. What else?
The story itself happens a few decades after this event, but I need to get the backstory straight in my head before I can write what happens after. Thanks in advance for any assistance!
So, in my story, there's a worldwide plague that causes people to die a nice, painless—though relatively quick—death. Not everyone is affected by the plague, but let's say a good 80% of the population ends up dead. The worst part about this is that after the bodies have sat for more than a day or two, the insides liquefy. When the bodies are moved, even just a little, they have a tendency to burst.
As you can imagine, the survivors aren't too keen on having a bunch of on-the-verge-of-bursting bodies of their loved ones lying around. So, since they can't move the bodies, they opt to burn them in place. This results in entire towns and cities being burned around the world. Probably something like 90% of the populated areas would end up with some fires, though whether they'd be destroyed completely isn't determined yet.
Now, if a majority of the villages, towns, and cities are burned, and let's assume that some of the surrounding countryside gets burned, too (not to the extent of The Road or anything), a lot of smoke and ash is going to be released.
My question is: would the amount of smoke released be enough to cause any significant climate change? I'm thinking along the lines of the Little Ice Age in the 16th-19th centuries (though probably not as long?) or at least like 1816 (better known as Eighteen Hundred and Froze to Death), when there was no summer in a lot of regions after the eruption of Mount Tambora. I know volcanoes can often effect climate for a couple of years after an eruption, but they tend to send ash really high into the atmosphere. Could a lot of big ground fires do something similar? How severe would it be?
If not, what effects would the fires likely have? I'm guessing falling ash would blanket large regions and effect crops and water supplies. What else?
The story itself happens a few decades after this event, but I need to get the backstory straight in my head before I can write what happens after. Thanks in advance for any assistance!