UV Effects in Aquatic Organisms and Ecosystems


Book Description

This book offers extensive coverage of the most important aspects of UVR effects on all aquatic (not just freshwater and marine) ecosystems, encompassing UV physics, chemistry, biology and ecology. Comprehensive and up-to-date, UV Effects in Aquatic Organisms and Ecosystems aims to bridge the gap between environmental studies of UVR effects and the broader, traditional fields of ecology, oceanography and limnology. Adopting a synthetic approach, the different sections cover: the physical factors controlling UVR intensity in the atmosphere; the penetration and distribution of solar radiation in natural waters; the main photochemical process affecting natural and anthropogenic substances; and direct and indirect effects on organisms (from viruses, bacteria and algae to invertebrate and vertebrate consumers). Researchers and professionals in environmental chemistry, photochemistry, photobiology and cell and molecular biology will value this book, as will those looking at ozone depletion and global change.







Environmental UV Radiation: Impact on Ecosystems and Human Health and Predictive Models


Book Description

This volume originates from the NATO Advanced Study Institute Environmental UV Radiation: Impact on Ecosystems and Human Health and Predictive Models, held in Pisa, Italy in June 2001. The Institute was sponsored and mainly funded by the NATO Scientific Affairs Division, whose constant contribution in favour of the cooperation among scientists from different countries must be acknowledged. Other Institutions substantially contributed to the success of the ASI and our thanks and appreciation go to the Italian National Research Council (Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche), the Italian Space Agency (Agenzia Spaziale Italiana), the European Society for Photobiology and the bank Banca Toscana. In the last two decades of the past century, concern has been growing for the possible effects on the biosphere of the stratospheric ozone depletion, due to anthropogenic emissions of ozone-destroying chemicals. The ozone loss causes an increase in the biologically important part of the solar ultraviolet radiation (UV) reaching the Earth’s surface, which constitutes a threat to the biosphere, because of UV damaging effects on humans, animals and plants. The international agreements have reduced the production of ozo- destroying compounds, which, however, are still present in high concentrations in the stratosphere, mainly because of their longevity, and thus ozone depletion will likely continue for several decades.




UV Radiation in Global Climate Change


Book Description

Numerous studies report that ultraviolet (UV) radiation is harmful to living organisms and detrimental to human health. Growing concerns regarding the increased levels of UV-B radiation that reach the earth's surface have led to the development of ground- and space-based measurement programs. Further study is needed on the measurement, modeling, and effects of UV radiation. The chapters of this book describe the research conducted across the globe over the past three decades in the areas of: (1) current and predicted levels of UV radiation and its associated impact on ecosystems and human health, as well as economic and social implications; (2) new developments in UV instrumentation, advances in calibration (ground- and satellite-based), measurement methods, modeling efforts, and their applications; and (3) the effects of global climate change on UV radiation. Dr. Wei Gao is a Senior Research Scientist and the Director of the USDA UV-B Monitoring and Research Program, Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory, Colorado State University. Dr. Gao is a SPIE fellow and serves as the Editor-in-Chief for the Journal of Applied Remote Sensing. Dr. Daniel L. Schmoldt is the National Program Leader for instrumentation and sensors at the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Dr. Schmoldt served as joint Editor-in-Chief of the journal, Computers & Electronics in Agriculture, from 1997 to 2004. Dr. James R. Slusser retired in 2007 from the USDA UV-B Monitoring and Research Program at Colorado State University. He was active in the Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers, the American Geophysical Union, and the American Meteorological Society. Dr. Slusser is currently pursuing his interests in solar energy and atmospheric transmission.