title: UV irradiance and albedo at Union Glacier Camp (Antarctica): a case study.
abstract: We report on the first spectral measurements of ultraviolet (UV) irradiance and the albedo at a Camp located in the southern Ellsworth Mountains on the broad expanse of Union Glacier (700 m altitude, 79° 46' S; 82° 52'W); about 1,000 km from the South Pole. The measurements were carried out by using a double monochromator-based spectroradiometer during a campaign (in December 2012) meant to weight up the effect of the local albedo on the UV irradiance. We found that the albedo measured at noon was about 0.95 in the UV and the visible part of the spectrum. This high surface reflectivity led to enhancements in the UV index under cloudless conditions of about 50% in comparison with snow free surfaces. Spectral measurements carried out elsewhere as well as estimates retrieved from the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) were used for further comparisons.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Física, Universidad de Santiago de Chile, Santiago, Chile.
authors.forename: Raul R
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Cordero
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Física, Universidad de Santiago de Chile, Santiago, Chile.
authors.forename: Alessandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Damiani
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Física, Universidad de Santiago de Chile, Santiago, Chile.
authors.forename: Jorge
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ferrer
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Física, Universidad de Santiago de Chile, Santiago, Chile; Escuela Superior Politécnica del Litoral, Guayaquil, Ecuador.
authors.forename: Jose
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jorquera
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Física, Universidad de Santiago de Chile, Santiago, Chile.
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tobar
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Ingeniería Mecánica, Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María, Valparaíso, Chile.
authors.forename: Fernando
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Labbe
authors.affiliation: Dirección Meteorológica de Chile, Santiago, Chile.
authors.forename: Jorge
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Carrasco
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Alta Investigación, Universidad de Tarapacá, Arica, Chile.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Laroze
mesh_terms: D000864:Antarctic Regions; D055593:Geological Phenomena; D046448:Ice Cover; D010126:Ozone; D017215:Satellite Communications; D013057:Spectrum Analysis; D013997:Time Factors; D014466:Ultraviolet Rays
chemical_list: D010126:Ozone