The operational Australian ultraviolet index forecast 1997

The Cooperative Research Centre for Southern Hemisphere Meteorology in coll aboration with the Bureau of Meteorology, has developed an ultraviolet inde x (UVI) forecast system to support the Australian UVI forecast issued to th e public by the Bureau of Meteorology. In art effort to alert the public to the possibility of harmful levels of ultraviolet radiation the UVI forecas t has been issued daily as part of the meteorological weather report since spring 1996. The predicted UVI indicates the amount of ultraviolet radiatio n that will reach the Earth's surface at local noon next day. The forecast includes the effects of cloud cover. The global clear sky UVI is calculated using a two-stream radiative transfer model and a deterministic ozone fore cast scheme. The system utilises meteorological fields from the global nume rical weather forecast model of the Bureau of Meteorology. This paper descr ibes the UVI forecast system, and its results are compared with observation al data from the Australian Radiation Laboratory for several Australian cit ies for the period January-December 1997. Possible improvements are outline d since the UVI forecast system is the subject of ongoing development.