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Climatologies

Three stations were selected to represent the spatial variation of UVR in Australia (Figure 1).

	Table 1: Station Information Station Latitude Longitude Instrument Data Cos. Corr.Factor Melbourne -37.48 144.58 SL501 #908 1993-1999 1.04089 Brisbane -27.25 153.07 SL501 #2031 1997-1999 1.11127 Alice Springs -13.42 133.53 SL501 #1854 1999 1.11127*
Figure 1: Location of stations within the ARPANSA UVR network, Australia. Data used in this analysis are from stations highlighted in red.

Melbourne is representative of midlatitudinal conditions, Brisbane the subtropical regime, and Alice Springs is located in the tropical desert of Australia. The UV Index (UVI, 1UVI=25mW/m²) at solar noon increases from the midlatitudes to the tropics (Figure 2). The monthly mean noon UVR at Melbourne is 4.8+/-2.7 on average based on measurements between 1993 and 1997. Interestingly, this corresponds to the minimum value at Alice Springs. In Brisbane the average UVI at noon is 7.0+/-2.6 based on data from 1997-1999, and in Alice Springs the average UVI at noon is 9.0+/-2.7 (data from 1999 only). The daily total erythemal exposures measured in units of Minimum Erythemal Dosage (MED, 1MED=200J/m²) vary between 13 and 23 when comparing Melbourne and Alice Springs. The average for Brisbane is 18 MED's.

Figure 2: Climatologies erythemal UVR measured with a Solar Light Biometer at Melbourne, Brisbane, and Alice Springs, Australia. The upper part of each diagram shows the time series at solar noon in units of W/m2 and in terms of the UV index. Bottom diagrams show the time series of daily exposures in kJ/m2 or in units of Minimum Erythemal Dosage (MED, 1MED=200J/m2).