Biologically Effective Ultraviolet Radiation: Surface Measurements in the United States, 1974 to 1985

Abstract

Recent reports of stratospheric ozone depletion have prompted concerns about the levels of solar ultraviolet radiation that reach the earth's surface. Since 1974 a network of ground-level monitoring stations in the United States has tracked measurements of biologically effective ultraviolet radiation (UVB, 290 to 330 nanometers). The fact that no increases of UVB have been detected at ground levels from 1974 to 1985 suggests that meteorological, climatic, and environmental factors in the troposphere may play a greater role in attenuating UVB radiation than was previously suspected.