Kiteboarding is an aquatic sporting discipline that has not yet been considered in the literature to date in terms of solar ultraviolet radiation (UVR) measurement. Kiteboarders need to look upward ...and are placed obliquely relative to the horizon when towed behind an overhead kite over a reflective water surface. This research defines the typical body surface orientation of a kiteboarder in motion through video vector analysis and demonstrates the potential risk to ocular and skin surface damage through practical measurement of solar UVR using a manikin model. Video analysis of 51 kiteboarders was made to construct skeletal wireframes showing the surface orientation of the leg, thigh, spine, humerus, lower arm and head of a typical kiteboarder. Solar UVR dosimeter measurements made using a manikin model demonstrate that the vertex and anterior surfaces of the knee, lower leg and lower humerus received 89%, 90%, 80% and 63% of the available ambient UVR, respectively, for a typical kiteboarder who is tilted back more than 15° from vertical while in motion. Ocular (periorbital) exposures ranged from 56% to 68% of ambient. These new findings show that the anterior skin surfaces of kiteboarders and the eye are at elevated risk of solar UVR damage.
The research measures the expected body surface exposure of solar UVR to kiteboarders. Measured exposures are presented for 17 body sites. The expected body orientation is derived from video vector analysis of kiteboarders filmed in motion. A novel methodology for deriving UVR exposure in aquatic sports is presented with positive implications for skin cancer prevention, policy development, consumer education and sun protection awareness.
Fringing coral reefs provide a unique opportunity to study shallow aquatic ecosystems. A fringing coral reef system located in close proximity to a developed region was considered in this study. In ...such an environment, the rate of decay of dissolved organic matter is high and the penetration of higher energy ultraviolet‐B (UVB) extends a greater influence on species diversity, particularly upon shallow benthic communities. Results from a 9 month subsurface UVB exposure measurement campaign performed at a site located on the southern Queensland coast (Hervey Bay, 25°S) are presented in this research. For this, a novel dosimetric technique was utilized to measure long‐term subsurface UVB exposures. The resultant data set includes exposure measurements made during the significant La Niña event of late 2010 which resulted in unprecedented high sea surface temperatures and severe flooding across eastern Australia, impacting upon the lagoon regions of the Great Barrier Reef and Queensland's southern estuaries, including the study site. The influence of season, diurnal tidal variation, cloud cover and solar zenith angle were analyzed over the campaign period. Mean minimum daylight water depth was found to be the most significant factor influencing subsurface UVB.
Long term underwater UVB field exposures are presented for an inshore coral reef ecosystem, Hervey Bay, Australia (25oS, 153oE). Measurements were taken over a nine month period and include in‐situ coral exposures during the significant La Niña event of late 2010 (SOI +27.1) which resulted in unprecedented high sea surface temperatures and severe flooding impacting upon the lagoon regions of the Great Barrier Reef and adjacent coastal estuaries. Exposures are presented with respect to modelled surface UVB, tidal depth variation and rainfall revealing some trends by level of significance in tide level, water turbidity and seasonal UV irradiance. Exposures for the reef ranged from between 30% to 1% relative to the study site surface UVB between clearer winter and turbid summer conditions respectively.
Triathletes present an extreme case of modelled behaviour in outdoor sport that favours enhanced exposure to solar ultraviolet radiation. This research presents personal solar ultraviolet exposures, ...measured using all-weather polysulphone film dosimeters, to triathletes during the distinct swimming, cycling and running stages of competitive Sprint, Olympic and Ironman events conducted within Australia and New Zealand. Measurements of exposure are made for each triathlon stage using film dosimeters fixed at a single site to the headwear of competing triathletes. Exposures are expressed relative to the local ambient and as absolute calibrated erythemally effective values across a total of eight triathlon courses (two Ironman, one half Ironman, one Olympic-distance, and four Sprint events). Competitor exposure results during training are also presented. Exposures range from between 0.2 to 6.8 SED/h (SED: standard erythema dose) depending upon the time of year, the local time of each event and cloud conditions. Cycle stage exposures can exceed 20 SED and represent the highest exposure fraction of any triathlon (average = 32%). The next highest stage exposure occurred during the swim (average = 28%), followed by the run (average = 26%). During an Ironman, personal competitor exposures exceed 30 SED, making triathlon a sporting discipline with potentially the highest personal ultraviolet exposure risk.
Poly (2, 6‐dimethyl‐1, 4‐phenylene oxide) (PPO) film is a useful dosimetric tool for measuring solar UV in underwater and terrestrial environments. However, little is known about how the response of ...PPO changes with fluctuations in atmospheric ozone and also to seasonal variations. To resolve this issue this article presents a series of long‐term in‐air solar erythemal response measurements made over a year from 2007 to 2008 with PPO. This data showed that the PPO dose response varies with modulations of the solar spectrum resulting from changes in season and atmospheric ozone. From this, it was recommended that PPO only be calibrated in the season in which it is to be used at the same time as measurements were being made in the field. Extended solar UV measurements made by PPO with a neutral density filter (NDF) based on polyethylene are also detailed. These measurements showed that the lifetime of PPO could be extended by 5 days before saturation. As the dynamic range for PPO is known to be 5 days during summer at a sub‐tropical location, the advantage of using the NDF is that half the number of dosimeters is needed to be fabricated and measured before and after exposure.
ABSTRACT
Solar ultraviolet radiation (UV) is known to have a significant effect upon the marine ecosystem. This has been documented by many previous studies using a variety of measurement methods in ...aquatic environments such as oceans, streams and lakes. Evidence gathered from these investigations has shown that UVB radiation (280–320 nm) can negatively affect numerous aquatic life forms, while UVA radiation (320–400 nm) can both damage and possibly even repair certain types of underwater life. Chemical dosimeters such as polysulphone have been tested to record underwater UV exposures and in turn quantify the relationship between water column depth and dissolved organic carbon levels to the distribution of biologically damaging UV underwater. However, these studies have only been able to intercept UV exposures over relatively short time intervals. This paper reports on the evaluation of a high exposure UV dosimeter for underwater use. The UV dosimeter was fabricated from poly 2,6‐dimethyl‐1,4‐phenylene oxide (PPO) film. This paper presents the dose response, cosine response, exposure additivity and watermarking effect relating to the PPO dosimeter as measured in a controlled underwater environment and will also detail the overnight dark reaction and UVA and visible radiation response of the PPO dosimeter, which can be used for error correction to improve the reliability of the UV data measured by the PPO dosimeters. These results show that this dosimeter has the potential for long‐term underwater UV exposure measurements.
Background: Geographically, Queensland presents an extreme ultraviolet exposure climate to members of the public engaged in outdoor recreational activity. The risk of developing a skin cancer or an ...eye disease as a result of incidental exposure to naturally occurring ultraviolet radiation in the outdoor environment is proportionately high in a Queensland population compared with fair‐skinned population groups residing in comparable Northern Hemisphere latitudes. In contrast to these risks, elderly members of this high growth population group have been reported to be vitamin D deficient. The risks and potential benefits of exposure to sunlight in southern Queensland are assessed in this study with respect to recreational golfing. This sport is a popular recreational activity for the Queensland population and must be played during daylight hours.
Methods: The erythemal and vitamin D effective ultraviolet exposure measured to the forearm, upper back and vertex are presented for individuals playing golf under various atmospheric conditions in a 7‐month period extending from summer to winter.
Results: Mean summertime exposures were measured in the 2008 study period as be 1.4, 2.2 and 3.2 standard erythema doses (SED) at forearm, upper back and vertex sites, respectively, compared with respective wintertime forearm, upper back and vertex exposures of 0.2, 0.3 and 0.5 SED, where summertime exposures were recorded in the mean solar zenith angle (SZA) ranges of 56–59° and wintertime exposures were recorded in the mean SZA range 74–83°. Vitamin D3 effective exposures were determined to vary from between 225, 325 and 475 J/m2 during summer and 48, 59 and 88 J/m2 during winter for the respective forearm, upper back and vertex body sites measured in the above mean SZA ranges.
Conclusion: Exposures to ambient ultraviolet during winter on the golf course between 15:00 and 17:30 hours could be beneficial for office workers for the production of vitamin D. Optimizing exposure periods to late afternoon in the winter months and taking adequate sun protection measures in the summer months are important strategies that golfers can utilize for long‐term preventative health.
This paper evaluates the global vitamin D effective UV (UVvitd) irradiances under cloudy conditions at a subtropical, southern hemisphere site. The UVvitd irradiances were analyzed on a horizontal ...plane and sampled at 5-min intervals over 18 months so that a wide range of parameters including cloud conditions, solar zenith angles (SZA) and ozone levels were taken into account. Cloud modification factors were determined from the influence of clouds on the global broadband solar radiation, and these were applied to the cloud-free vitamin D effective UV irradiance to evaluate the UVvitd irradiances on a horizontal plane for cloudy conditions. For vitamin D effective UV irradiance, cloud modification factors were found to range from 0.9 to 1.0 for no cloud and 0.4 to 0.5 for 8 octa of cloud cover. SZA played a minimal role in this variation. A comparison of the measured and calculated UVvitd irradiances for the 2004 data set in the range of SZA of 70° or less provided an R2 value of 0.90. The output of the model was compared to data measured during the first 6 months of 2005 for an SZA of 70° or less and provided an R2 value of approximately 0.82.
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