A Study of UVER in Santiago, Chile Based on Long-Term In Situ Measurements (Five Years) and Empirical Modelling

Lisdelys González-Rodríguez, Amauri Pereira de Oliveira, Lien Rodríguez-López, Jorge Rosas, David Contreras and Ana Carolina Baeza
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Lisdelys González-Rodríguez: Faculty of Engineering, University of Concepcion, Concepcion 403000, Chile
Amauri Pereira de Oliveira: Department of Atmospheric Sciences, Institute of Astronomy, Geophysics and Atmospheric Sciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo 05508-090, SP, Brazil
Lien Rodríguez-López: Faculty of Environmental Sciences & EULA Center, University of Concepcion, Concepcion 403000, Chile
Jorge Rosas: Department of Atmospheric Sciences, Institute of Astronomy, Geophysics and Atmospheric Sciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo 05508-090, SP, Brazil
David Contreras: Centre for Biotechnology, Department of Analytical and Inorganic Chemistry, Faculty of Chemical Sciences, University of Concepcion, Concepcion 403000, Chile
Ana Carolina Baeza: Faculty of Environmental Sciences & EULA Center, University of Concepcion, Concepcion 403000, Chile

Energies, 2021, vol. 14, issue 2, 1-20

Abstract: Ultraviolet radiation is a highly energetic component of the solar spectrum that needs to be monitored because is harmful to life on Earth, especially in areas where the ozone layer has been depleted, like Chile. This work is the first to address the long-term (five-year) behaviour of ultraviolet erythemal radiation (UVER) in Santiago, Chile (33.5° S, 70.7° W, 500 m) using in situ measurements and empirical modelling. Observations indicate that to alert the people on the risks of UVER overexposure, it is necessary to use, in addition to the currently available UV index (UVI), three more erythema indices: standard erythemal doses (SEDs), minimum erythemal doses (MEDs), and sun exposure time (t ery ). The combination of UVI, SEDs, MEDs, and t ery shows that in Santiago, individuals with skin types III and IV are exposed to harmfully high UVER doses for 46% of the time that UVI indicates is safe. Empirical models predicted hourly and daily values UVER in Santiago with great accuracy and can be applied to other Chilean urban areas with similar climate. This research inspires future advances in reconstructing large datasets to analyse the UVER in Central Chile, its trends, and its changes.

Keywords: UVER radiation; sky conditions; empirical models; Santiago de Chile (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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