It's summer, so wear sunblock!

This entry isn't about tanning. Well, it is and it isn't. I should note that tans are the body's way to attempt to halt further damage to the dermis due to UV-A, and UV-B exposure. Tanning itself--which involves changes in melanin production--is really the body's flaregun signaling dermal distress. Beautiful? Maybe, but too much can age a person in many, many different ways. Don't tan is always good advice.

Now onto today's UV stuff..

Record surface UV-B levels found in Andes. Some people might think that one of the various ozone holes would would certainly claim top honors on surface UV irradiance, but Sol doesn't provide the arctic zones with much energy compared to equatorial regions.

Add in less atmosphere due to elevation, clear skies due to lack of suspended aerosols, and naturally mountainous equatorial regions would seem likely places to find UV records.

In this part of the world, we might see a UV Index of 8 or 9 on a midsummer day. I try and stay indoors on those days. The research team at SETI/NASA recorded a UV Index of 43.3! For reference, a UV Index of 11 is considered extreme. Things may get worse before they get better. Current models predict further ozone thinning in the near-intermediate term(scale of a human lifetime) time scale. While this event resulted in perhaps an almost perfect confluence of several events, the events themselves are anything but rare. No doubt teams of number crunchers are scouring data looking for even higher UV spikes.

I have thought quite a lot about the worldwide collapse of amphibian populations, and while the jury is still out as to the 'whys,' excessive UV radiation does harm the eggs of amphibians. Among other detrimental effects of UV radiation are DNA damage, altering of the photosynthetic process, and changes to larvae...particularly those of an aquatic nature. The outlook is really quite grim.