Influence of natural and anthropogenic activities on UV Index variations – a study over tropical urban region using ground based observations and satellite data

Measurements of total ozone column and solar UV radiation under different atmospheric conditions are needed to define variations of both UV and ozone and to study the impact of ozone depletion at the Earth’s surface. In this study, spectral and broadband measurements of UV-B irradiance were obtained along with total ozone observations and aerosol optical depth measurements in the tropical urban region of Hyderabad, south India. We specifically used an Ultra-Violet Multifilter Rotating Shadow band Radiometer (UVMFR-SR), to measure UV irradiance in time and space. To assess the aerosol and O₃ effects on ground-reaching UV irradiance, we used measurements from a Microtops II sun photometer in addition to the Tropospheric Ultraviolet Visible radiation (TUV) model. We also assessed the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program – Operational Line Scanner (DMSP-OLS) night time satellite data for inferring biomass burning fires during the study period. Results clearly suggested a negative correlation between the DMSP-OLS satellite derived fire count data and UVMFR-SR data suggesting that aerosols from biomass burning are directly attenuating UV irradiance in the study region. Also, correlation analysis between UV index and ozone measurements from sun photometer and TOMS-Ozone Mapping Instrument (OMI) indicated a clear decrease in ground reaching UV-B irradiance during higher ozone conditions. The higher levels are attributed to photochemical production of O₃ during the oxidation of trace gases emitted from biomass burning. Results also suggested a relatively high attenuation in UV irradiance (~6% higher) from smoke particles than dust. We also found a relatively good agreement between the modeled (TUV) and measured UV irradiance spectra for different atmospheric conditions. Our results highlight the factors affecting UV irradiance in a tropical urban environment, south India.     

到达地面的太阳紫外辐射强度的观测

紫外辐射强度的公众服务一般用紫外线指数来表示，是衡量某地正午前后到达地面的太阳紫外辐射对人体皮肤（或眼睛）可能损害的程度指标,沱主要依赖于纬度，季节，平流层臭氧，云况，海拔，地面反照率和大气污染状态等条件，紫外线辐射强度的观测主要使用紫外光谱辐射计与滤光片式的紫外辐射表。     

到达地面的太阳柴油外车辆射强度的观测 到达地面的太阳紫外辐射强度的观测

紫外辐射强度的公众服务一般用紫外线指数来表示，是衡量某地正午前后到达地面的太阳紫外辐射对人体皮肤（或眼睛）可能损害的程度指标，它主要依赖于纬度、季节、平流层臭氧、云况、海拔高度、地面反照率和大气污染状态等条件。紫外线辐射强度的观测主要使用紫外光谱辐射计与滤光片式的紫外辐射表。     

Stratospheric ozone reduction,solar UV-B radiation and terrestrial ecosystems

Stratospheric ozone reduction is occurring and will continue to increase in magnitude into the next century. Yet, the consequences for terrestrial ecosystems of the increased solar UV-B (280–320 nm) radiation resulting from total column ozone reduction are not understood. Based on studies of higher plant response to UV-B, several possible consequences for ecosystems include decreased primary production, altered plant species composition, and altered secondary chemistry with implications for herbivory, litter decomposition and biogeochemical cycles. However, like the assessment of increased atmospheric CO₂, extrapolation from studies with isolated plants to ecosystem function is very tenuous at best. Very few UV-B studies have dealt with multispecies systems. Most of the UV-B research in the past two decades (since the first suggestions of ozone reduction) has been conducted as short-term experiments in growth chambers and greenhouses where the unnatural spectral balance of radiation can lead to unrealistic conclusions. Technical difficulties in suitable measurement and manipulation of UV-B radiation also complicate the conduct of reliable experiments. This essay surveys and categorizes some 300 papers from the past 20 years on this subject, draws general conclusions from the research and offers some recommendations with respect to ecosystem consequences.     

Determination of radiation amplification factor of atmospheric aerosol from the surface UV irradiance measurement at Gwangju, Korea

Summary This study investigated the impact of atmospheric aerosols on surface ultraviolet (UV) irradiance at Gwangju, Korea (35°13′N, 126°50′E). Data analyzed included surface UV irradiance measured by UV radiometers from June 1998 to April 2001 and the aerosol optical depth (AOD) in the visible range determined from a rotating shadow-band radiometer (RSR). The radiation amplification factor (RAF) of ozone for UV-B (280–315 nm) at Gwangju was 1.32–1.62. Values of the RAF of aerosols (RAF_AOD) for UV-A and UV-B were 0.18–0.20 and 0.22–0.26, respectively. Authors’ addresses: Jeong Eun Kim, Advanced Environmental Monitoring Research Center (ADEMRC), Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST) and Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA); Seong Yoon Ryu, Advanced Environmental Monitoring Research Center (ADEMRC), Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST) and Division of Metrology, Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science (KRISS); Young Joon Kim, Advanced Environmental Monitoring Research Center (ADEMRC) Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST), 1 Oryong-dong, Buk-gu, Gwangju 500-712, Republic of Korea.     

Homogenisation and trend detection analysis of broken series of solar UV-B data

Summary Statistical techniques have been developed to homogenise a broken series of clear-sky solar UV-B radiation, measured by a Robertson Berger (RB) meter over the period 1981–90 at Invercargill, New Zealand, and to analyse the series for long term trend. Statistical modelling of the quasi-linear UV-B/ozone relationship evident in the departures of daily clear-sky UV-B data and coincident satellite ozone data from their respective mean references has been used to provide a self-consistent de-seasonalised data set of UV-B and ozone departures, and to bridge a major gap in calibration that separates the data set into two periods, 1981–86 and 1988–90. The choice of UV-B reference is important to the quality of the results and particular attention was given to the methodology for defining it. Four alternative objective adjustment procedures for calibrating the 1988–90 period against the 1981–86 period were examined. Because our interest lies primarily in the higher values of summer, a UV-B-weighted procedure was chosen. The modelling and homogenisation techniques developed may have application in related analysis problems. Analysis of the data for the independent 1981–86 period showed large trends in ozone and UV-B, but this was mostly due to a period of very low ozone values during 1985. Over the whole period, 1981–90, the ozone trend was –4.7%/decade. The corresponding UV-B trend was +5.8%/decade, but this result is not independent of the corresponding ozone trend because the homogenisation procedure imposes the assumption of the derived UV-B/ozone relationship on the 1988–90 UV-B data. However, the evidence suggests there is little reason to doubt that solar UV-B radiation has increased at the site by about +6% per decade.With 10 Figures     

GRAPES紫外线（UV）数值预报

应用GRAPES（Global/Regional Assi milation PrEdiction System）模式中的Goddard短波辐射方案,创建了紫外线数值预报系统（GRAPES-UV）。介绍了Goddard短波辐射方案,给出了GRAPES-UV系统的运行和个例分析。研究结果表明,紫外线指数（UVI）除了与纬度、地形和日变化有关外,还与云的分布以及天气形势密切相关,GRAPES模式中云的微物理方案对UV预报有较大的影响,UVI在晴空和对流云降水地区的强烈反差是UVI的重要特征。在个例试验中应用了臭氧总量预报模式,通过T213模式为化学输送模式提供气象背景,利用卫星资料同化技术建立臭氧的初始场,预报大气臭氧总量。应用国际上通常采用的临界成功指数（CSI）对2007年夏季北京和上海UV预报进行统计检验。北京和上海24 h紫外线强度等级为强和很强的CSI分别为0.625和0.780,接近同样方法的美国检验结果0.677。该系统从2006年3月起在中国气象局大气成分观测与服务中心的业务系统中正常运行,并在大气成分中心网站上发布UVI和紫外线强度等级预报,并提醒公众采取合适的方法保护自身免受UV的过度辐射。     

西藏当雄地基紫外线指数观测研究

基于西藏当雄2009年9月—2011年8月地基紫外线指数 (UVI) 观测,结合TUV辐射传输模式分析, 该文检验太阳天顶角、云、臭氧、积雪和气溶胶对UVI的影响。结果显示,影响地面UVI主要因素是太阳天顶角和云。晴天地面UVI可简单用太阳天顶角拟合函数表征;地面UVI的云调制因子总体上随云量增加呈下降趋势,但间隙性、未遮蔽日面的云可增强太阳散射辐射,使云调制因子值平均增加约3%~6%,个别情形达40%。臭氧低谷使当雄UVI比同纬度平原地区增加约12%;冬季短期、浅层积雪使UVI增加16%或更低,也低于模式模拟值 (23%);气溶胶 (光学厚度为0.02~0.1) 对UVI衰减低于3%。因臭氧低谷导致青藏高原臭氧南北分布的差异,相同太阳天顶角下拉萨 (海拔为3650 m) UVI较瓦里关 (海拔为3810 m) 偏高7%~10%。与卫星产品比较表明:OMI卫星UVI产品在当雄、沱沱河、瓦里关和拉萨较地基测值总体偏高65%以上,而晴天则平均分别偏高8.6%,13%,9%和50%。云、地基与卫星像元地理位置差异应是卫星UVI产品偏高的原因。当雄地基UVI测值大于14时,卫星UVI产品反而低3%应与间隙性云有效增强了地面辐射有关。     

A Possible Photochemical Link Between Stratospheric and Near-Surface Ozone on Swiss Mountain Sites in Late Winter

Record high near-surface ozone concentrations at two elevated sites (Chaumont, 1140 m asl, and Rigi, 1030 m asl) in Switzerland were observed simultaneously with extremely low total ozone during a fair weather period in mid-February 1993. An analysis of ozone, temperature, humidity, and wind profiles suggests that the surface ozone peaks were most possibly generated within the region in a layer between about 1000 and 1500 m asl. Mean diurnal cycles of ozone concentration during the period shows a strong increase from late morning to late afternoon at Chaumont and at the same time a decrease at the high alpine site Jungfraujoch (3580 m asl). The different diurnal ozone cycles can both be explained photochemically by taking into account the large difference in NOx concentrations (about two orders of magnitude) between the sites. Photochemical processes are also indicated by the diurnal cycles of NO2 and NO concentration. As a strong photochemical activity is not expected in mid-February at 47°N, we hypothesize that the extremely low total ozone played a role. Total ozone controls the amount of UV-B radiation reaching the troposphere and thus influences photochemical processes. Using a radiation model, we calculated an increase in ozone photolysis at Chaumont and Jungfraujoch of 73% and 83%, respectively, on the day with the lowest total ozone (243 DU) compared to average February conditions (335 DU). It is suggested that total ozone changes have the potential to stimulate photochemistry sufficiently to produce the observed surface ozone peaks at Chaumont and Rigi of 61 and 64 ppbv, respectively. A fog layer just below Chaumont during these days probably also influenced photochemistry, but on a smaller spatial scale. Our empirical results on the influence of changing UV radiation on tropospheric photochemistry are in close agreement with model studies of other groups. Although this case study represents unique conditions, a distinct anticorrelation between near-surface ozone at Chaumont and total ozone also appears in other years (1992–1997) when selecting fair weather days in mid-February. However, other influences cannot be excluded. The selected days provide evidence of a significant photochemical source of ozone in the mid-latitude lower troposphere in late winter.     

Interactive Effects of UV-B Radiation and Chemical Contamination on Physiological Parameters in the Lichen Ramalina lacera

To assess the impact of ultraviolet B (UV-B) radiation under laboratory conditions on lichens from different biomonitoring sites, thalli of the lichen Ramalina lacera were transplanted from a clean air site to nine different polluted sites in Israel. Our objective was to determine the probability of synergistic/antagonistic effects on physiological parameters by considering two stressors: chemical contamination and UV-B. Exposure to both airborne pollutants in the field and subsequent UV-B radiation in the laboratory which led to a severe disintegration of cell membranes, followed by electrolyte leakage, indicate the probability of a synergistic effect. The impairment of the potential quantum yield of electron transfer through photosystem II (PSII) of photosynthesis indicated by a significant decrease of the ratio F_v/F_m, further demonstrated the synergistic effect of both chemical contamination and UV-B radiation. Besides enlarged amounts of stress-ethylene in lichens at contaminated sites, the reduced levels of ethylene production upon UV-B radiation in the present study suggest the likelihood of an antagonistic effect of xenobiotic elements and UV-B radiation as a result of an impaired ethylene-producing system.     

A monitoring network for erythemally-effective solar ultraviolet radiation in Austria: determination of the measuring sites and visualisation of the spatial distribution

Summary In 1997 the Austrian ultraviolet radiation monitoring network was to built up to measure continuously erythemally-effective ultraviolet radiation. For this network the necessary measuring sites had to be selected by an objective method. Therefore a method was used, based on the de-correlation distances, calculated by the daily maximum of the global solar irradiance across the entire spectrum. For a correlation coefficient of 0.90, de-correlation distances were found to be in the order of 170 km (East-West) and 40 km (North-South). From this, 7 measuring sites wereselected to derive a total coverage of Austria. For the visualisation of the measured erythemally-effective solar radiation an optimum interpolation method was used to calculate the spatial distribution. The topography of Austria was used for height correction. The global solar radiation of 39 stations is also used to include the spatial distribution of cloud cover and the resulting attenuation of the erythemally-effective radiation. The combination of these two data sets provides an accuracy estimation of people’s exposure to erythemally-effective UV radiation within the mountainous country of Austria. Received September 12, 1999/Revised April 6, 2001     

OBSERVATIONAL STUDY OF MERIDIONAL VARIATION OF UV-B RADIATION DURING VOYAGES TO THE ARCTIC AND ANTARCTIC REGIONS*

Based on 1999-2000 observations made by the first Arctic and sixteenth Antactic scientific voyages,a study is undertaken about the meridional surface UV-B (B band ultraviolet rays) variations in 75°N-70°S.It is mitigated as a function of latitudes and marked by lower radiation averaged over the Northern Hemisphere (NH) than over the Southern Hemisphere (SH),with its daily course basically similar to that of total radiation.Around polar summer noon hours (localtime) and where ice albedo is maximum,the strongest UV-B irradiance on the surface perpendicular to sun's beams as found at equatorial latitudes is measured sometimes.In the areas near Zhongshan Station the increase of surface UV-B radiation shows a close relation to the decrease of ozone in the higher atmosphere but it has a less intimate relation with its concentration at ground.     

阿克达拉大气本底站紫外辐射特征及影响因素分析

利用阿克达拉大气本底站基准辐射观测站紫外辐射UV-A和UV-B数据,分析阿克达拉大气本底站紫外辐射和UV-B在不同时间尺度、云量和降水过程的变化特征。结果表明：阿克达拉大气本底站全年紫外辐射年总量达到321.1 MJ/m2,年均日曝辐量为0.88 MJ/m2,UV-B年曝辐量为5.3 MJ/m2,紫外辐射年平均值占总辐射年平均值的比例为5.6%。紫外UV和紫外UV-B的辐射强度的季节变化表现为夏季>春季>秋季>冬季。夏季紫外辐射曝辐量是冬季的2.79倍;UV-B夏季平均日曝辐量是冬季的8.10倍。积雪导致紫外辐射及占总辐射比值增大,积雪期与非积雪期紫外辐射占总辐射比值均值分别为6.53%和5.83%,积雪使地面紫外辐射增加25.89%。在多云与阴雨时可能由于水汽作用大量吸收波长较大的红外辐射致使紫外辐射与总辐射的比值较大。     

Analysis of UVB values in the centre of the Iberian Peninsula

Records of UV data started in Madrid at the beginning of the 90's decade. After some quality control on the data a seven year period from 1996 to 2002 was selected to perform an analysis of daily and seasonal variability of solar ultraviolet B (UVB) values at the centre of the Iberian Peninsula. Instruments used are a Brewer MKIV spectrophotometer and a YES UVB-1 broadband pyranometer. Both instruments provided integrated daily values according with the Diffey spectrum although they have different measurement procedures. Data statistics from each instrument for the same period and statistical relationships between daily values from both instruments are shown. As broadband YES provided a record with fewer time gaps, analysis of UVI extreme values is performed using that instrument. The relationship between UVB values with ozone, cloudiness and visible radiation has been described in several papers for different places in the world. In this paper, those relationships are shown for Madrid. A discussion about specific problems found when trying to isolate every effective factor is also included. Some of those relationships could be helpful to retrieve UVB values from other ancillary data as visible radiation and cloudiness. Finally, a detailed study for 10 days in June 1997 when the maximum record of daily values from the present time series was obtained, highlight the close correlation between total ozone content and the daily variability of UVB for similar amounts of incoming radiation.     

The effect of ozone and aerosols on the surface erythemal UV radiation estimated from OMI measurements

Surface erythemal UV radiation is mainly affected by total column ozone, aerosols, clouds, and solar zenith angle. The effect of ozone on the surface UV radiation has been explored many times in the previous studies due to the decrease of ozone layer. In this study, we calculated the effect of aerosols on the surface UV radiation as well as that of ozone using data acquired from Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI). First, ozone, aerosol optical depth (AOD), and surface erythemal UVB radiation measured from satellite are compared with those from ground measurements. The results showed that the comparison for ozone was good with r ² of 0.92. For aerosol, there was difference between satellite measurements and surface measurements due to the insufficient information on aerosol in the retrieval algorithm. The r ² for surface erythemal UV radiation was high (～0.94) but satellite measurements showed about 30% larger values than surface measurements on average by not considering the effect of absorbing aerosols in the retrieval process from satellite measurements. Radiative amplification factor (RAF) is used to access the effect of ozone and aerosol quantitatively. RAF for ozone was 0.97～1.49 with solar zenith angle. To evaluate the effect of aerosol on the surface UV radiation, only clear-sky pixel data were used and solar zenith angle and total column amount of ozone were fixed. Also, RAF for aerosol was assessed according to the single scattering albedo (SSA) of aerosols. The results showed that RAF for aerosol with smaller SSA (< 0.90) was larger than that for with larger SSA (> 0.90). The RAF for aerosol was 0.09～0.22 for the given conditions which was relatively small compared to that for ozone. However, considering the fact that aerosol optical depth can change largely in time and space while the total column amount of ozone does not change very much, it needs to include the effect of aerosol to predict the variations of surface UV radiation more correctly.     

杭州市区大气臭氧浓度变化及气象要素影响

利用2005-2007年杭州市区大气O₃连续监测资料, 分析了O₃浓度变化特征, 在此基础上结合气象观测资料, 分析了大气O₃与天气系统间的关系, 建立了O₃与气象要素间的多元回归方程。结果表明: 2007年O₃平均浓度和最大小时浓度分别为44 μg.m-3和348 μg.m-3, 比上一年增加20%左右, 超标现象也越来越严重; O₃浓度有明显的季节变化, 夏季高、冬季低; 大气O₃浓度超标主要出现在高压后部和高压控制等天气类型。在紫外线强度较强时O₃浓度也高, 二者呈显著正相关; 对O₃与各种气象因子进行多元回归分析表明: O₃主要受到温度、相对湿度、日照等因素影响。     

UV attenuation in the cloudy atmosphere

Ultraviolet (UV) energy absorption plays a very important role in the Earth–atmosphere system. Based on observational data for Beijing, we suggest that some atmospheric constituents utilize or transfer UV energy in chemical and photochemical (C&P) reactions, in addition to those which absorb UV energy directly. These constituents are primarily volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted from both vegetative and anthropogenic sources. The total UV energy loss in the cloudy atmosphere for Beijing in 1990 was 78.9 Wm⁻². This attenuation was caused by ozone (48.3 Wm⁻²), other compounds in the atmosphere (26.6 Wm⁻²) and a scattering factor (4.0 Wm⁻²). Our results for a cloudy atmosphere in the Beijing area show that the absorption due to these other compounds occurs largely through the mediation of water vapor. This fraction of energy loss has not been fully accounted for in previous models. Observations and previous models results suggest that 1) a cloudy atmosphere absorbs 25∼30 Wm⁻² more solar shortwave radiation than models predict; and 2) aerosols can significantly decrease the downward mean UV-visible radiation and the absorbed solar radiation at the surface by up to 28 and 23 Wm⁻², respectively. Thus, quantitative study of UV and visible absorption by atmospheric constituents involved in homogeneous and heterogeneous C&P reactions is important for atmospheric models.     

A 10-year study of background surface ozone concentrations on the island of Gozo in the Central Mediterranean

A 10-year study of surface ozone mixing ratios in the Central Mediterranean was conducted based on continuous ozone measurements from 1997 to 2006 by a background regional Global Atmospheric Watch (GAW) station on the island of Gozo. The mean annual maximum mixing ratio is of the order of 66 ppbv in April–May with a broad secondary maximum of 64 ppbv in July–September. No long-term increase or decrease in the background level of surface ozone could be observed over the last 10 years. This is contrary to observations made in the Eastern Mediterranean, where a slow decrease in the background ozone mixing ratio was observed over the past 7 years. Despite the very high average annual ozone mixing ratio exceeding 50 ppbv—in fact, the highest average background ozone mixing ratio ever measured in Europe—, the diurnal O _{3 max}/O _{3 min} index of <1.40 indicates that the island of Gozo is a good site for measuring background surface ozone. However, frequent photosmog events from June to September during the past 10 years with ozone mixing ratios exceeding 90 ppbv indicate that the Central Mediterranean is prone to long-range transport of air pollutants from Europe by northerly winds. This was particularly evident during the so-called “August heatwave” of the year 2003 when the overall ozone mixing ratio was 4.6 ppbv higher than the average of all other 9 months of August since 1997. Air mass back-trajectory analysis of the August 2003 photosmog episodes on Gozo confirmed that ozone pollution originated from the European continent. Regression analysis was used to analyse the 10-year data set in order to model the behaviour of the ozone mixing ratio in terms of the meteorological parameters of wind speed, relative humidity, global radiation, temperature, month of year, wind sector, atmospheric pressure, and time of day (predictors). Most of these predictors were found to significantly affect the ozone mixing ratios. From March to November, the monthly average of the AOT40 threshold value for the protection of crops and vegetation against ozone was constantly exceeded on Gozo during the past 10 years.     

UV-radiation 1983–2003 measured at Norrköping, Sweden

Summary Total ozone has been monitored with high accuracy at many sites for a relative long period of time. This is not the case for UV. The main reason is that UV is difficult to measure accurately. Extensive monitoring started first during the 1990s. However, there are some data series still in operation that were initiated at earlier dates. This paper will discuss one such series from Norrk?ping, Sweden that began in March 1983. The instruments used to measure UV radiation have some characteristics producing an output signal that is not directly related to the UV. Here, these problems are discussed and corrections are applied. The goal is to produce a homogenous and an accurate set of UV data as is possible. An analysis of the various sources of uncertainty is done and summarised as total uncertainty. This was found to be about 6% for the yearly values of CIE weighted UV. However, the precision is much better at about 0.6%. Finally, some results are shown for yearly and seasonal UV. The trends for the full period 1983–2003 are tested for significance. The spring, summer, autumn and yearly data showed a significant increase in UV of respectively 0.8, 0.3, 0.8 and 0.5% per year. To get some indication of the cause of the variation of global radiation (indicator of cloudiness) and total ozone measured at the same site were also processed. A small, but insignificant, decrease of total ozone was found, whilst global radiation showed an increase. It seems that cloudiness is the major factor for the observed variation in UV for this period. The data are available on the internet.     

Surface ultraviolet radiation

Abstract

One of the main concerns regarding a decrease in stratospheric ozone is the consequential increasein the amount of ultraviolet (UV) radiation that reaches the lower atmosphere and the Earth's surface. Radiationat UV wavelengths where ozone absorbs strongly is detrimental to most biological species, including humanbeings, so a decrease in stratospheric ozone could have a significant impact on the biosphere. This concern hasled to a significant increase in surface UV radiation research over the last two decades since the ratification ofthe Montreal Protocol. Studies include investigations into understanding the complicated absorption and scatteringprocesses involved in the radiative transfer of UV through the atmosphere as well as research on theimpacts of changes in UV radiation. Factors affecting surface UV radiation will be discussed, resources used tostudy surface UV radiation will be described and progress made in our understanding of surface UV radiationover the past two decades will be reviewed.