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We present in this work a unified, quantitative synthesis of analytical andnumerical calculations of the effects that could be caused on Earth by aGamma-Ray Burst (GRB), considering atmospheric and biological implications. Themain effects of the illumination by a GRB are classified in four distinct onesand analyzed separately, namely: direct gamma Flash, UV Flash, Ozone LayerDepletion and Cosmic Rays. The effectiveness of each of these effects iscompared and distances for significant biological damage are given for eachone. We find that the first three effects have potential to cause globalenvironmental changes and biospheric damages, even if the source is located atGalactic distances or even farther (up to 150 kpc, about five times theGalactic diameter of 30 kpc). Instead, cosmic rays would only be a seriousthreat for close sources (on the order of a few pc). As a concrete applicationfrom a well-recorded event, the effects on the biosphere of an event identicalto the giant flare of SGR1806-20 on Dec 27, 2004 have been calculated. In spiteof not beeing a classical GRB, most of the parameters of this recent flare arequite well-known and have been used as a calibration for our study. We findthat a giant flare impinging on Earth is not a threat for life in all practicalsituations, mainly because it is not as energetic, in spite of being much morefrequent than GRBs, unless the source happens to be extremely close.

Biological effects of gamma-ray bursts: distances for severe damage on the biota