OZONE, MIDDLE ULTRAVIOLET RADIATION AND THE AQUATIC ENVIRONMENT

• Published in: Photochemistry and Photobiology
• Main Author: Smith, Raymond C.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Wiley 1989
• Subjects: Physical and Theoretical Chemistry; General Medicine; Biochemistry; Antarctic; The Antarctic; Antarc*
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1751-1097.1989.tb05550.x; https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1111%2Fj.1751-1097.1989.tb05550.x; https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.1751-1097.1989.tb05550.x

Abstract Marine organisms in the upper layers of the sea may be endangered by increased ultraviolet radiation resulting from declines in the thickness of stratospheric ozone. Evidence supporting this hypothesis includes the fact that wavelengths of potentially damaging ultraviolet radiation can penetrate to ecologically significant depths and laboratory findings that many marine organisms are extremely sensitive to this radiation. Estimated effects of increased ultraviolet radiation on populations of marine organisms range from insignificant to catastrophic. Direct estimation of population effects have not been made, although this is the only adequate measure of the potential impact. The extreme diminution of ozone during the Antarctic spring, coupled with the dynamics of phytoplankton production in this region, may provide conditions suitable for an environmental test of the hypotheses that marine organisms are endangered by reduced stratospheric ozone. There is an urgency to the testing of this hypothesis since these populations may be directly impacted at the present time.