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Photo of archive – A Halifax bomber of the RAF Bomber flies over a synthetic oil plant in the German Ruhr area during a day attack. The plant itself is masked by the smoke from many bomb explosions.
(Photo by Daily Mirror / Mirrorpix / Mirrorpix via Getty Images)
According to new research, the massive bombing of Allied forces during the Second World War caused shockwaves at the outer limits of space.
Scientists at the University of Reading in the United States have revealed that the shockwaves of the huge bombs dropped on European cities cross the Earth's atmosphere. The bombing even weakened the electrified atmosphere of the Earth, the ionosphere, 621 miles away.
The research could provide valuable insights into the impact of lightning, earthquakes and volcanic eruptions on the Earth's upper atmosphere.
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"It's amazing how ripples caused by man-made explosions can affect the limits of space. Each raid released the energy of at least 300 lightning strikes, "said Chris Scott, Professor of Space Physics and Atmosphere at the University of Reading. in a statement. "The simple power involved has allowed us to quantify how events on the surface of the Earth can also affect the ionosphere."
Photo of archive – A Lancaster bomber of the RAF over the German city of Hamburg during an air raid.
(Photo by SSPL / Getty Images)
The study, published in Annales Geophysicae, examined daily recordings collected at the Radio Research Center in Slough, UK, between 1943 and 1945. The Center sent radio pulse sequences over a frequency range of 62 miles to 186 miles. above the surface of the earth. The pulses revealed the height and electron concentration of ionization in the upper Earth's atmosphere.
Scientists have studied recordings of the ionospheric response of 152 major Allied airstrikes in Europe.
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Influenced by solar activity, the ionosphere affects radio communications, GPS, radio telescopes and some warning radars, but the extent of its impact on radio communications during the Second World War is unclear. Researchers. However, when studying the wartime archives, scientists discovered that the concentration of electrons in the upper atmosphere decreased significantly as a result of the shock waves caused by the bombs. "It is thought that this has heated the upper atmosphere, improving the loss of ionization," they say in the statement.
Photo of archive – A raid of the 8th Air Force on the factory Focke Wulf in Marienburg, Germany (1943). (Administration of Archives and National Archives)
The Allied forces inflicted heavy damage during their bombing on Germany, dropping ammunition such as the huge "Grand Slam" bomb, which weighed up to 10 tons. Deployed by the Royal Air Force, the "Grand Slam" was designed by Barnes Wallis, designer of the famous "bouncing bomb" Dambusters.
"The crews involved in the raids reported that their planes had been damaged by the shockwaves of the bomb, although they were above the recommended height," says Professor Patrick Major, historian of the University of Reading. "The inhabitants under the bombs would remember regularly that they had been thrown into the air by the pressure waves of the exploding air mines and the windows and doors would fly off their hinges. There were even rumors that wrapping wet towels on the face could save people in shelters from collapsing lungs, leaving the victims intact.
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In this context, the study of ionospheric response recordings gives a new insight into the effects of the bombing campaign, according to Mr. Major. "The unprecedented power of these attacks has proven useful in assessing the impact these events may have on hundreds of kilometers above the Earth, in addition to the devastation they have caused on the ground," did he declare.
Photo of the file – A RAF plane launching bombs on Duisburg, Germany, October 15, 1944.
(Photo by SSPL / Getty Images)
Shock waves from other major wartime explosions were felt at a great distance. During the First World War, for example, British forces blew up 19 huge mines under German trenches in Belgium. The resulting explosion was the largest explosion of the pre-atomic bomb era, according to National Geographic and reportedly heard by British Prime Minister David Lloyd George in London, 140 miles away. In the geology department of the University of Lille in France, the shockwave has been described as an earthquake.
The ionosphere has also been highlighted in a recent study of a devastating volcanic eruption on the other side of the globe, which contributed to Napoleon's defeat at the Battle of Waterloo.
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For years, historians have cited the rainy and muddy conditions of the day of battle as a factor in the famous defeat of the French army on June 18, 1815. The saturated conditions on the battle site prompted Napoleon to repel the attack of his troops, widely regarded as a critical mistake.
In a study published in the journal Geology, scientists at Imperial College London made a link between the weather and the eruption of Mount Tambora volcano, at 7,680 miles. The volcano on the Indonesian island of Sumbawa sent electrically charged volcanic ash into the Earth's atmosphere when it erupted in April 1815 and "bypassed the ionosphere." according to the study.
Follow James Rogers on Twitter @jamesjrogers
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