scholarly journals Ultraviolet radiation levels over Bulgarian high mountains

2021 ◽  
Vol 33 ◽  
pp. 31-39
Author(s):  
Rolf Werner ◽  
Veneta Guineva ◽  
Atanas Atanassov ◽  
Dimitar Valev ◽  
Dimitar Danov ◽  
...  

The UV-index (UVI) is a measure of the erythemally effective solar radiation reaching the Earth surface and it was introduced to alert people about the need of Sun protection. The present study applies a model that estimates the UVI over the high Bulgarian mountains for clear sky conditions considering the Total Ozone Content (TOC), which was taken from satellite measurements. The results show that during the periods from May to August at altitudes above 2 000 m a.s.l. very high UVI's (greater than 8) were observed for more than 18 days per month. The UVI values were very high practically for every day of July at altitudes higher than 1 500 m. Extremely high UVI result from episodes with TOC lower than 290 DU during June and July at the highest mountain parts with elevations greater than 2 500 m. High radiation risks were observed during April, especially when the preceding polar vortex was strong and the mountains were snow covered.

2013 ◽  
Vol 23 (6) ◽  
pp. 25-28 ◽  
Author(s):  
Renata Chadyšienė ◽  
Aloyzas Girgždys

In this article the erythemally weighted UV radiation intensity variations during 2002-2011 were analysed. Also UV radiation intensity and total ozone data in this paper were analysed, because the UV index is directly dependent on the intensity of UV radiation, and most of the UV radiation is absorbed by stratospheric ozone. During 2002-2011 in the course of UV index - the upward trend was observed, and in the total ozone values - the downward trend was observed. During the investigated period in Lithuania the maximum UV index values (very high) on clear sky summer days were determined.


2008 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 4949-4976
Author(s):  
G. Bernhard ◽  
C. R. Booth ◽  
J. C. Ehramjian

Abstract. An SUV-150B spectroradiometer for measuring solar ultraviolet (UV) irradiance was installed at Summit, Greenland, in August 2004. Here we compare the initial data from this new location with similar measurements from Barrow, Alaska and South Pole. Measurements of irradiance at 345 nm performed at equivalent solar zenith angles (SZAs) are almost identical at Summit and South Pole. The good agreement can be explained with the similar location of the two sites on high-altitude ice caps with high surface albedo. Clouds have little impact at both sites, but can reduce irradiance at Barrow by more than 75%. Clear-sky measurements at Barrow are smaller than at Summit by 14% in spring and 36% in summer, mostly due to differences in surface albedo and altitude. Comparisons with model calculations indicate that aerosols can reduce clear-sky irradiance at 345 nm by 4–6%; aerosol influence is largest in April. Differences in total ozone at the three sites have a large influence on the UV Index. At South Pole, the UV Index is on average 20–80% larger during the ozone hole period than between January and March. At Summit, total ozone peaks in April and UV Indices in spring are on average 10–25% smaller than in the summer. Maximum UV Indices ever observed at Summit and South Pole are 6.7 and 4.0, respectively. The larger value at Summit is due to the site's lower latitude. For comparable SZAs, average UV Indices measured during October and November at South Pole are 1.9–2.4 times larger than measurements during March and April at Summit. Average UV Indices at Summit are over 50% greater than at Barrow because of the larger cloud influence at Barrow.


Author(s):  
Kévin Lamy ◽  
Marion Ranaivombola ◽  
Hassan Bencherif ◽  
Thierry Portafaix ◽  
Mohamed Abdoulwahab Toihir ◽  
...  

As part of the UV-Indien project, a station for measuring ultraviolet radiation and the cloud fraction was installed in December 2019 in Moroni, the capital of the Comoros, situated on the west coast of the island of Ngazidja. A ground measurement campaign was also carried out on 12 January 2020 during the ascent of Mount Karthala, located in the center of the island of Ngazidja. In addition, satellite estimates (Ozone Monitoring Instrument and TROPOspheric Monitoring Instrument) and model outputs (Copernicus Atmospheric Monitoring Service and Tropospheric Ultraviolet Model) were combined for this same region. On the one hand, these different measurements and estimates make it possible to quantify, evaluate, and monitor the health risk linked to exposure to ultraviolet radiation in this region and, on the other, they help to understand how cloud cover influences the variability of UV-radiation on the ground. The measurements of the Ozone Monitoring Instrument onboard the EOS-AURA satellite, being the longest timeseries of ultraviolet measurements available in this region, make it possible to quantify the meteorological conditions in Moroni and to show that more than 80% of the ultraviolet indices are classified as high, and that 60% of these are classified as extreme. The cloud cover measured in Moroni by an All Sky Camera was used to distinguish between the cases of UV index measurements taken under clear or cloudy sky conditions. The ground-based measurements thus made it possible to describe the variability of the diurnal cycle of the UV index and the influence of cloud cover on this parameter. They also permitted the satellite measurements and the results of the simulations to be validated. In clear sky conditions, a relative difference of between 6 and 11% was obtained between satellite or model estimates and ground measurements. The ultraviolet index measurement campaign on Mount Karthala showed maximum one-minute standard erythemal doses at 0.3 J·m−2 and very high daily cumulative erythemal doses, at more than 80 J·m−2. These very high levels are also observed throughout the year and all skin phototypes can exceed the daily erythemal dose threshold, at more than 20 J·m−2.


2008 ◽  
Vol 136 (12) ◽  
pp. 5148-5161 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. A. Jiménez ◽  
A. Mira ◽  
J. Cuxart ◽  
A. Luque ◽  
S. Alonso ◽  
...  

Abstract A mesoscale simulation for Majorca Island is made using the Méso-NH model for a spring night, under a slack synoptic pressure gradient with weak general winds and clear skies. The circulations over and around the island are driven mostly by the locally generated flows, due to the topography and the land–sea thermal contrast. The verification of mesoscale simulations in clear-sky conditions is difficult, especially if the network of stations is not very dense. The main objective of this work is to try to verify the mesoscale simulation using measurements from automatic weather stations and satellite measurements. The model outputs are compared with the available instrumental data and the representativeness of the stations is discussed. Furthermore, complete two-dimensional comparisons are made between the radiative surface temperatures produced by the model and those processed from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and Meteosat Second Generation (MSG) satellite sensors. The high temporal resolution of the MSG images also allows comparison of the temporal evolutions of the surface temperature between satellite pixels and model grid cells. The procedure permits assessment of the closeness of the simulation to in situ and remote sensing observations. The results of the comparison show that the model is able to reproduce most of the observed patterns, such as intense local cooling or persistent outflows at the largest basins.


1991 ◽  
Vol 30 (7) ◽  
pp. 1037-1039 ◽  
Author(s):  
James H. Willand ◽  
Julia Steeves

Abstract A new utility for the use of whole-sky photographs has been developed through an effort to discern the structural pattern of correlations of cloud cover within an observer's sky dome. The photographs were taken from the National Weather Service observing site at Columbia, Missouri, and were originally assembled for the purpose of estimating probabilities of cloud-free lines of sight from the earth through the atmosphere. The procedure for determining the spatial correlation structure of sky cover within the sky dome starts with the defining and tabulating of a dichotomous sky-cover condition over small sectors of the sky dome, and then calculating the correlation associated with the tabulated sky conditions in each sector. This note shows that correlation of sky-cover conditions over a sky dome are very high, and that they are less degrading in the winter than in the summer. The results of this study can be applied to the estimation of cloud-free lines of sight to multiple satellites.


2008 ◽  
Vol 8 (18) ◽  
pp. 5615-5626 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Weihs ◽  
M. Blumthaler ◽  
H. E. Rieder ◽  
A. Kreuter ◽  
S. Simic ◽  
...  

Abstract. A measurement campaign was performed in the region of Vienna and its surroundings from May to July 2007. Within the scope of this campaign erythemal UV was measured at six ground stations within a radius of 30 km. First, the homogeneity of the UV levels within the area of one satellite pixel was studied. Second, the ground UV was compared to ground UV retrieved by the ozone monitoring instrument (OMI) onboard the NASA EOS Aura Spacecraft. During clear-sky conditions the mean bias between erythemal UV measured by the different stations was within the measurement uncertainty of ±5%. Short term fluctuations of UV between the stations were below 3% within a radius of 20 km. For partly cloudy conditions and overcast conditions the discrepancy of instantaneous values between the stations is up to 200% or even higher. If averages of the UV index over longer time periods are compared the difference between the stations decreases strongly. The agreement is better than 20% within a distance of 10 km between the stations for 3 h averages. The comparison with OMI UV showed for clear-sky conditions higher satellite retrieved UV values by, on the average, approximately 15%. The ratio of OMI to ground measured UV lies between 0.9 and 1.5. and strongly depends on the aerosol optical depth. For partly cloudy and overcast conditions the OMI derived surface UV estimates show larger deviation from the ground-based reference data, and even bigger systematic positive bias. Here the ratio OMI to ground data lies between 0.5 and 4.5. The average difference between OMI and ground measurements is +24 to +37% for partly cloudy conditions and more than +50% for overcast conditions.


2008 ◽  
Vol 8 (17) ◽  
pp. 5393-5401 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Pribullová ◽  
M. Chmelík

Abstract. Maps of solar erythemal ultraviolet (EUV) irradiance daily doses were created for every month with a horizontal resolution of 500 m at the geographical domain 47.15 N–49.86 N×16.94 E–22.81 E covering the territory of Slovakia. The cloud modification factor for the EUV radiation (cmfUV) was modeled utilizing the relation between the cloud modification factor of global and EUV radiation. The maps of the cmfUV factor were created by utilizing measurements of global irradiance performed at nine observatories during the period 1995–2004 and modeling of the cmfUV dependence on altitude. Maps of the EUV irradiance daily dose corresponded to clear-sky conditions and EUV irradiance daily dose affected by average cloudiness were constructed for mean monthly total ozone, its upper and lower monthly limits, for two probability levels of snow cover occurrence as criteria for the snow effect incorporation in the model and for one day representing typical values for every month. The map-set can be regarded as an atlas of solar EUV radiation over Slovakia.


2016 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 45-59
Author(s):  
R.R. Sharma ◽  
B. Kjeldstad ◽  
P.J. Espy

Ultraviolet index (UVI) and Total Ozone Column (TOC) climatology of six stations of Nepal Himalaya using ground measurement, and OMI / TOMS satellite data is presented. The positive bias found in the OMI UV index from previous study is corrected empirically using a ratio factor using the clear sky coincident data of OMI and ground measurement from NILU UV multi-band filter radiometer (MBFR). UV index >3 in the winter months (e.g. December) and more than 9 during the summer months (May-August) are common in most of the stations. High altitude stations even have more extreme values (>11) during the summer months. Under some meteorological conditions, UV index often found more than 16 at the high altitude station (latitude 28o, altitude 2850m) during a clear sky day in the monsoon season. Diurnal and altitudinal variability is also highlighted. Monthly average TOC climatology from November 1978 to March 2012 using TOMS (Nimbus 7, Meteor3 and Earth Probe) and OMI is also presented. The ozone column data follows the annual cycle, minimum in November/December and maximum in April/May. In addition, slight negative trend of TOC is found in the data from 1978 to 2012.Journal of Hydrology and Meteorology, Vol. 9(1) 2015, p.45-59


2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Keith A. Tereszchuk ◽  
Yves J. Rochon ◽  
Chris A. McLinden ◽  
Paul A. Vaillancourt

Abstract. Amidst mounting concerns about the depletion of stratospheric ozone (O3), and for subsequent increases in the surface irradiances of ultraviolet (UV) light and its effects on human health, a daily UV forecast program was launched by Environment Canada in 1993. The program serves to monitor harmful surface UV radiation and provide this information to the Canadian public through the UV index, a scale which reports the relative intensity of the Sun's UV radiation at the Earth's surface, and the corresponding protection actions to be taken. The UV index was accepted as a standard method of reporting surface UV irradiances by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and World Health Organization (WHO) in 1994. A study was undertaken to improve upon the prognosticative capability of Environment and Climate Change Canada's (ECCC) UV index forecast model. An aspect of that work, and the topic of this communication, was to investigate the use of the four UV broadband surface irradiance fields generated by ECCC's Global Environmental Multi-scale (GEM) numerical prediction model to determine the UV index. The basis of the investigation involves the creation of a suite of routines which employ high spectral resolution radiative transfer code developed to calculate UV index fields from GEM forecasts. These routines employ a modified version of the Cloud-J v7.4 radiative transfer model, which integrates GEM output to produce high spectral resolution surface irradiance fields. The output generated using the high-resolution radiative transfer code served to verify and calibrate GEM broadband surface irradiances under clear-sky conditions and their use in providing the UV index. A subsequent comparison of irradiances and UV index under cloudy conditions was also performed. Linear correlation agreement of surface irradiances from the two models for each of the two higher UV bands covering 310–330 nm and 330–400 nm is typically greater than 95 % for clear-sky conditions with associated root mean square relative errors of 5.5 % and 3.8 %. On the other hand, underestimations of clear-sky GEM irradiances were found on the order of ~30–50 % for the 294–310 nm band and by a factor of ~30 for the 280–294 nm band. This underestimation can be significant for UV index determination but would not impact weather forecasting. Corresponding empirical adjustments were applied to the broadband irradiances now giving a correlation coefficient of unity. From these, a least-squares fitting was derived for the calculation of the UV index. The resultant differences in UV indices from the high spectral resolution irradiances and the resultant GEM broadband irradiances are typically within 0.2 with a root mean square relative error in the scatter of ~5.5 % for clear-sky conditions. Similar results are reproduced under cloudy conditions with light to moderate clouds, having a relative error comparable to the clear-sky counterpart; under strong attenuation due to clouds, a substantial increase in the root mean square relative error of up to 30 % is observed due to differing cloud radiative transfer models.


2012 ◽  
Vol 30 (10) ◽  
pp. 1435-1449 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. A. Wolfram ◽  
J. Salvador ◽  
F. Orte ◽  
R. D'Elia ◽  
S. Godin-Beekmann ◽  
...  

Abstract. Record-low ozone column densities (with a minimum of 212 DU) persisted over three weeks at the Río Gallegos NDACC (Network for the Detection of Atmospheric Composition Change) station (51.5° S, 69.3° W) in November 2009. Total ozone remained two standard deviations below the climatological mean for five consecutive days during this period. The statistical analysis of 30 years of satellite data from the Multi Sensor Reanalysis (MSR) database for Río Gallegos revealed that such a long-lasting low-ozone episode is a rare occurrence. The event is examined using height-resolved ozone lidar measurements at Río Gallegos, and observations from satellite and ground-based instruments. The computed relative difference between the measured total ozone and the climatological monthly mean shows reductions varying between 10 and 30% with an average decrease of 25%. The mean absolute difference of total ozone column with respect to climatological monthly mean ozone column is around 75 DU. Extreme values of the UV index (UVI) were measured at the ground for this period, with the daily maximum UVI of around 13 on 15 and 28 November. The high-resolution MIMOSA-CHIM (Modélisation Isentrope du transport Méso-échelle de l'Ozone Stratosphérique par Advection) model was used to interpret the ozone depletion event. An ozone decrease of about 2 ppmv was observed in mid-November at the 550 K isentropic level (~22 km). The position of Río Gallegos relative to the polar vortex was classified using equivalent latitude maps. During the second week of November, the vortex was over the station at all isentropic levels, but after 20 November and until the end of the month, only the 10 lower levels in the stratosphere were affected by vortex overpasses with ozone poor air masses. A rapid recovery of the ozone column density was observed later, due to an ozone rich filament moving over Río Gallegos between 18 and 24 km in the first two weeks of December 2009.


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