Hypothetical ?: How long till North Korea winds reach L.A.?

[anjou]

[EDITED TO ADD: Mods, please feel free to move this thread to a more appropriate Satorm2k board than the hurricane forum. Should've posted it elsewhere. Thanks.]

Questions for meteorologists... I stress, a HYPOTHETICAL question. If something went boom on 9-8 U.S. time at the north end of North Korea, when would any particles from said boom waft to L.A.? Seriously.
(I think NK is like 13 hours or something like that ahead of the U.S. East Coast.)

This question is related to the material in this thread:
http://www.storm2k.org/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?t=44195

[Hurrilurker]

I don't know how long but really I think you needn't worry. Even if it were a nuclear detonation and if a particle cloud managed to make it right from there to L.A., the chances of anyone getting a dangerous dose of radiation has to be extremely small. You're talking about something crossing the entire Pacific ocean to get to you, obviously dispersing on the way. What's that, like 6,000-10,000 miles away? Historically, nuclear weapons tests have not produced significant amounts of radiation well outside of their immediate effect range.

[frankthetank]

I would think it would also depend on the size of the detonation...fission/fusion...and weather conditions....i wouldn't worry to much about it...

[amawea]

Anjou,
I think I know why your asking that. I read on 2b a day or two ago about some high radio activity readings in L.A. area. Is that why you ask?
amawea

[Aslkahuna]

Fission Bomb will produce fallout of a significant intensity about 100 or so miles away though minute amounts will be detected in the US a few days after a shot in Asia-that's one way we were able to verify tests by the PRC and USSR before the atmospheric test ban went into effect-the reason for the ban was that fallout involves isotopes with long half lifes so its effects are cumulative.

Steve

[Possum Trot]

After the first nuclear test in Nevada fallout was discovered 200 miles away and the head of the Manhattan Project decided that future tests should be 150 miles away from populated areas to protect the citizens. Fallout is unpredictable however. Hotspots were found in Indiana. Following underground testing in Nevada in the 1960's, hot spots were found in Iowa. Incidents of cancer increased in these hot spots.

Small amounts of fallout will reach the US from Korea (if and when they test), but too small to measure the effects on living beings. The matter of concern is that thousands of nuclear tests have been performed already. The long term effects of all the fallout are difficult and expensive to study. Findings are hotly debated by parties with agendas, so its difficult to know how objective is the information about the long term effects. The CDC did a study in 1998 finding highly significant correlations of fallout from nuclear testing and increased cancer globally. Of course, correlational studies have their limitations.

[TLHR]

Maybe Kim il Johg had some bad Mexican food.....

[Brent]

LOL TLHR!

I'd be more worried about Alaska than L.A. at this time.

[Shullate]

First of all, what's going on in N.K. was not a nuclear test.
Second, why is this being discussed in Hurricane thread?


I agree the orignal poster has an interesting question and this is an important story but this isn't the place for it.

[anjou]

Thanks all. Not worried or anything - which is why I headlined the thread hypothetical.

The question did arise from the N. Korea blast news. Something went boom there around 9-8 or 9-9 ... which current reports suggest made a cloud like a nuke but wasn't a nuke. (Was in vicinity of missile testing facility.)

Just was curious hypothetically about the amount of time that fallout does take to travel from a location such as N. Korea... not expecting that any is on it's way! Intellectual curiosity only.

And yes, probably should have been on another part of the board - sorry - have been glued to the hurricane board along with everyone else. Some excellent answers though, which I appreciate.

(Mods, please feel free to move this to a more appropriate section of Storm2k of course.)

[Tornado_Chaser2005]

Im an Astronomer to , and I don't want to get everyone questioning, but I think that was an asteroid in front, and erlated to Asteroid Toutatis. I think that's what hit H Korea. A crater visible from orbit it left. About 3 miles wide. The asteroid that hit Arizona which made that carter was the size of a car. This one is probably the size of a house. Ive been watching Asteroid Toutatis through my CCD Telescope and taking snapshots of it, and calculating the orbit. It comes closer than NASA says by far, by 100,000's of miles closer. So that Explosion was an asteroid in front of Toutatis I believe. They probably know, the government , but just aren't saying.

Tornado Chaser