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Estimating ultraviolet radiation at the earth's surface

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Abstract

Surface ultraviolet (UV) irradiance depends not only on stratospheric ozone amounts, but also varies with time and date, latitude, cloud amount and aerosol load. Any assessment of the effect of stratospheric ozone depletion on surface UV irradiance must take into consideration all of the above parameters. Measurements in the UV-B region may be accomplished using filter and detector combinations which mimic a biological response curve. However there are uncertainties such as in determining the exact filter response and in the cosine error of the detector. The UV-A region lacks a strong ozone absorption band and approaches which relate measured UV-A irradiance to measured global irradiance show promise. Theoretical models have been derived which calculate spectral UV irradiance in cloudless and cloudy conditions. Results show that cloud transmissivities increase as wavelength increases; however, there is a strong dependence on cloud type. In the absence of surface observations of clouds, satellite data may be used to map UV-A and UV-B irradiance in a region, and this approach is illustrated using two specific examples.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geography and Environmental Studies, University of Tasmania, GPO Box 252C, 7001, Hobart, Tas., Australia

    Manuel Nunez

  2. Bureau of Meteorology, GPO Box 1289K, 3001, Melbourne, Vic., Australia

    Bruce Forgan

  3. Australian Radiation Laboratory, Lower plenty Road, 3085, Yallambie, Vic., Australia

    Colin Roy

Authors
  1. Manuel Nunez
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  2. Bruce Forgan
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  3. Colin Roy
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Nunez, M., Forgan, B. & Roy, C. Estimating ultraviolet radiation at the earth's surface. Int J Biometeorol 38, 5–17 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01241798

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