Secondary Hazard Effect of Near-Earth Asteroid Impacts on Earth: A Review of Research Progress

[Geoengineering News]

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666592126000843

Authors: Wenwen Qi, Chong Xu, Zhaoning Chen, Yuandong Huang, Zhiwen Xue, Jielin Liu 

17 September 2026

Abstract:

Near-Earth asteroid (NEA) impacts represent low-probability yet catastrophic events characterized by immediate devastation and long-term environmental perturbations. This paper provides a systematic review of hazard-formative factors and secondary cascading chains associated with NEA impacts, explicitly decoupling physical mechanisms such as thermal radiation, shock wave, and hypervelocity cratering. On regional scales, solid-surface or deep-water impacts trigger high-magnitude seismic events or trans-oceanic tsunamis, while thermal radiation drives regional ignitions. On global scales, stratospheric aerosol injection induces long-term impact winter, suppressing photosynthesis and triggering ecological collapse. Currently, numerical simulations dominate this field, though critical challenges persist due to a lack of experimental validation for multi-phase, extreme high-temperature and high-pressure conditions—empirical gaps that future multi-sphere coupled models must address to support researchers in validating simulation results. Ultimately, bridging these fundamental physical processes with risk assessment and planetary defense frameworks provides a robust scientific foundation for future disaster mitigation and decision-making strategies.

Source: ScienceDirect