Synonyms
Keywords
Early Earth, solar extraterrestrial UV radiation, space experiments, stratospheric ozone layer, survival
Definition
Solar UV radiation is the ultraviolet (UV) component of the solar extraterrestrial electromagnetic radiation that amounts to about 7% of the whole spectrum. Space experiments have shown that UVC (200–280 nm) is mainly responsible for the high lethality of extraterrestrial solar radiation to microorganisms exposed to it. Due to absorption by stratospheric ozone, only UV at wavelengths longer than 290 nm reaches the surface of the Earth. Several effects on human health and the integrity of ecosystems are caused by this UV range. In the Achean, before the built up of the stratospheric ozone layer, UV at wavelengths shorter than 290 nm would have reached the Earth’s surface with the associated severe biological consequences.
Overview
The ultraviolet (UV) component of the extraterrestrial electromagnetic spectrumof our Sun can be...
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© 2011 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
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Horneck, G. (2011). Solar UV Radiation (Biological Effects). In: Gargaud, M., et al. Encyclopedia of Astrobiology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-11274-4_1465
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-11274-4_1465
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-642-11271-3
Online ISBN: 978-3-642-11274-4
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