Je. Pickett, EFFECT OF STRATOSPHERIC OZONE DEPLETION ON TERRESTRIAL ULTRAVIOLET-RADIATION - A REVIEW AND ANALYSIS IN RELATION TO POLYMER PHOTODEGRADATION, Polymer degradation and stability, 43(3), 1994, pp. 353-362
Current satellite and ground-based data indicate a long-term decrease
in global ozone levels of 2.7 +/- 1.4% per decade, although recently t
he rate may have increased to about 4% per decade outside of the tropi
cs. There is yet little evidence of an accompanying wide-spread increa
se in terrestrial UV levers, but calculations predict increases of a s
imilar magnitude in coming years. The manifestation of increased UV wi
ll be as a broad band centered about 310 nm with only very little abso
lute increase in wavelengths shorter than 295 nm. Unless sustained ozo
ne losses exceed 15% during the summer months, the effect should be in
consequential for most polymers. The effects of sun position on daily
and seasonal variations in UVB are discussed.