title: Biological monitoring of solar UV radiation at 17 sites in Asia, Europe and South America from 1999 to 2004.
abstract: A small and robust dosimeter for determining the biologically effective dose of ambient UV radiation has been developed using UV-sensitive mutant spores of Bacillus subtilis strain TKJ6312. A membrane filter with four spots of the spores was snapped to a slide mount. The slide was wrapped and covered with two or more layers of polyethylene sheet to protect the sample from rain and snow and to reduce monthly-cumulative doses within the measurable range. From 1999, monthly data were collected at 17 sites for more than 1 year, and data for 4 to 6 consecutive years were obtained from 12 sites. Yearly total values of the spore inactivation dose (SID) ranged from 3200 at subarctic Oulu to 96 000 at tropical Denpasar, and the mean yearly values of SID exhibited an exponential dependence on latitude in both hemispheres with a doubling for about every 14 degrees of change. During the observation period, increasing trends of UV doses have been observed at all sites with more than 5 years of data available. Year-to-year variations at high and middle latitude sites are considered due mostly to climatic variation. At three tropical sites, negative correlations between the yearly doses and the column ozone amounts were observed. The results verified the applicability of spore dosimetry for global and long-time monitoring of solar UV radiation, in particular at tropical sites where no monitoring is taking place.
authors.affiliation: Biophysics Laboratory and Frontier Project Life's Adaptation Strategies to Environmental Changes, Faculty of Science, Rikkyo University, Tokyo, Japan. nobmunak@ric.rikkyo.ne.jp
authors.forename: Nobuo
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Munakata
authors.forename: Santoso
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cornain
authors.forename: Mpu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kanoko
authors.forename: Ketut
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Mulyadi
authors.forename: Sri
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lestari
authors.forename: Widodo
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Wirohadidjojo
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Bolseé
authors.forename: Stelios
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kazadzis
authors.forename: Victor
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Meyer-Rochow
authors.forename: Nelson
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Schuch
authors.forename: Claudio
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Casiccia
authors.forename: Motohisa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kaneko
authors.forename: Chung-Ming
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Kowichi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Jimbow
authors.forename: Toshiaki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Saida
authors.forename: Chikako
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Nishigori
authors.forename: Katsumi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ogata
authors.forename: Kazuhiro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Inafuku
authors.forename: Kotaro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hieda
authors.forename: Masamitsu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ichihashi
mesh_terms: D001208:Asia; D001412:Bacillus subtilis / Q000528:radiation effects; D015374:Biosensing Techniques / Q000379:methods; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D005060:Europe; D016082:Solar System; D013020:South America; D014466:Ultraviolet Rays