Erythemal Index for August 2000 through July 2001: Full Earth (With Dates)

  • Released Wednesday, August 8, 2001
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The Erythemal Index is a measure of ultraviolet radiation (UV) at ground level on the Earth. UV exists to the left of the visible spectrum and is divided into three components (UV-A, UV-B and UV-C). UV-B (290-320 wavelengths) is the most dangerous form of UV radiation that can reach ground level. Atmospheric ozone shields life at the surface from most of the harmful components of solar radiation. Chemical processes in the atmosphere can effect the level of protection provided by the ozone in the upper atmosphere. This thinning of the atmospheric ozone in the stratosphere leads to elevated levels of UV-B at ground level and increases the risks of DNA damage in living organisms.

Flat view of the Earth showing reds and yellows over the
equatorial regions (denoting the higher ground levels of UV radiation) and cool
greens, blues, and purples as you move towards the poles (denoting lower ground
levels of UV radiation).



Credits

Please give credit for this item to:
NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center
Scientific Visualization Studio

Release date

This page was originally published on Wednesday, August 8, 2001.
This page was last updated on Wednesday, May 3, 2023 at 1:57 PM EDT.


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Datasets used

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