Ultraviolet Radiation
What Is It?
Simply put, ultraviolet radiation (also known as UV radiation or ultraviolet rays)
is a form of energy traveling through space.
Some of the most frequently recognized types of energy are heat and light.
These, along with others, can be classified as a phenomenon known
as electromagnetic radiation. Other types of electromagnetic radiation are
gamma rays, X-rays, visible light, infrared rays, and radio waves. The
progression of electromagnetic radiation through space can be visualized in
different ways. Some experiments suggest that these rays travel in the form of
waves. A physicist can actually measure the length of those waves (simply
called their wavelength ). It turns out that a smaller wavelength means more
energy. At other times, it is more plausible to describe electromagnetic radiation
as being contained and traveling in little packets, calledphotons.
The distinguishing factor among the different types ofelectromagnetic
radiation is their energy content. Ultraviolet radiation is more energetic
than visible radiationand therefore has a shorter wavelength. To be more
specific: Ultraviolet rays have a wavelength between approximately
100 nanometers and 400 nanometerswhereas visible radiation includes
wavelengthsbetween 400 and 780 nanometers.
Where does it come from?
The sun is a major source of ultraviolet rays. Though the sun emits all of the
different kinds of electromagnetic radiation, 99% of its rays are in the form
of visible light, ultraviolet rays, and infrared rays (also known as heat). Man-
made lamps can also emit UV radiation, and are often used for experimental
purposes.
What does it do?
Light enables us to see, and heat keeps us from being cold. However, ultraviolet
rays often carry the unfortunate circumstance of containing too much energy.
For example, infrared rays create heat in much the same way as rubbing your
hands together does. The energy contained in the infrared rays causes the
molecules of the substance it hits to vibrate back and forth. However, the
energy contained in ultraviolet rays is higher, so instead of just causing the
molecules to shake, it actually can knock electrons away from the atoms, or
causes molecules to split. This results in a change in the chemical structure of
the molecule. This change is especially detrimental to living organisms, as it can
cause cell damage and deformities by actually mutating its genetic code.
What stops it?
Ultraviolet rays can be subdivided into three different wavelength bands—UV-A,
UV-B, and UV-C. This is simply a convenient way of classifying the rays based
on the amount of energy they contain and their effects on biological matter. UV-
C is most energetic and most harmful; UV-A is least energetic and least
harmful.
Luckily,UV-C rays do not reach the earth’s surface because of the ozone layer.
When UV-C rays meet the ozone molecules at high layers of the atmosphere,
the energy inherent in them is enough to break apart the bond of the molecule
and absorb the energy. Therefore, no UV-C rays from the sun ever come into
contact with life on earth, though man-produced UV-C rays can be a hazard in
certain professions, such as welders.
UV-B rays have a lower energy level and a longerwavelength than UV-C. As
their energy is often not sufficient to split an ozone molecule, some of them
extend down to the earth's surface. UV-A rays do not have enough energy to
break apart the bonds of the ozone, so UV-A radiation passes the earth's
atmosphere almost unfiltered. As both UV-B and UV-A rays can be detrimental
to our health, it is important that we protect ourselves. This can be done
through a variety of ways. The most obvious is to reduce the amount of time
one spends in the sun, particularly between the hours of 11 am and 3 pm, when
the sun is at its highest in the sky. However, especially during the summer
holidays, this does not always work out. More ways to protect ourselves can be
found here.
Variability of UV
UV levels are not constant over the course of a day, or even over the course of
a year. An obvious factor is the position of the sun in the sky. At noon, for
example, theelectromagnetic waves emitted from the sun travel a much
shorter path through the earth’s atmosphere then they would at, say, 5 pm,
and thus noon-time intensity is stronger. A second important parameter
determining UV at the ground is the amount of ozone present in
thestratosphere. Low ozone correlates with much UV. However, there are
many other features of the environment that contribute to UV radiation
variability. Most important are clouds. On cloudy days, UV levels are usually
lower than during clear skies as clouds can deflect rays up into space. Clouds
can, however, also lead to increased UV levels. This happens, for example,
when the sun is not obscured by clouds but clouds in the vicinity of the sun
reflect additional radiation to the ground. So a general rule is not to feel save
from UV radiation just because it's cloudy!
The amounts of UV one is exposed to also varies with altitude. As a rule of
thumb, UV levels increase about 4% for every 1,000 foot gain in altitude. This
increase has nothing to do with being closer to the sun—any elevation you
might gain would be miniscule in comparison to the distance from the earth to
the sun, and so would have an insignificant outcome on UV levels. Instead, the
increase is the result of a thinner atmosphere with a smaller number of
molecules being present to absorb or scatter UV. Examples of such molecules
are tropospheric ozone (commonly associated with smog) and aerosols,
molecules that remain suspended in the air. Aerosols can be a multitude of
substances—dust, soot, sulfates, etc. These aerosolsabsorb and scatter UV
rays, and so cut down on the ultimate UV irradiance.
Other factors that have an influence on UV levels are the physical features of
the land—sand, snow, and water all tend to reflect UV rays. This phenomenon is
called albedo. Some of the ultraviolet rays reflected off the ground encounter
scattering by air molecules, aerosols or clouds back down to the earth, thus
increasing the totalirradiance. When there is snow on the ground the amount
of time it takes for sunburn to occur is therefore significantly reduced.
Also, the closer one is to the equator, the more ultraviolet rays one is exposed
to. This can be explained by the fact that the sun is usually higher at the sky at
low latitudes. In addition, the ozone layer is thinner at the equator as it is over,
for example the United States or Europe, and this also contributes to more UV.
Since the 1980s, polar regions are affected by the ozone hole. Under the ozone
hole, biologically relevant UV levels are 2-3 times as high as they were before.
Learn, based on real data, how UV levels are affected by the ozone hole
bygoing to the experiments page! Here you can compare UV radiation
measured by the NSF network in Antarctica with satellite ozone data.
