Relationship between erythemal UV and broadband solar irradiation at high altitude in Northwestern Argentina

Abstract

An analysis of the broadband solar irradiation, IT, and the erythemal UV irradiation, IUVER, has been performed using the measurements made from 2013 to 2015 at three sites located at altitudes over 1000 m a.s.l. In Northwestern Argentina (Salta, El Rosal, and Tolar Grande). The main objective of this paper is to determine a relationship between IT and IUVER, which would allow to estimate IUVER from IT in places with few IUVER measurements available, and especially in those where is important to establish adequate photoprotection measures given their dense population and location at high altitude. The relationship between the daily values of IUVER and IT has been fitted to a linear regression (IUVER = m IT + n), showing good correlation in the three measurement sites (R2 ≥ 0.77). Besides, the IUVER/IT ratio shows an increase with altitude of 0.32 ± 0.03 units per km, indicating a more significant influence of altitude on IUVER than on IT. Total ozone column also attenuates more IUVER than IT. In order to reduce the local nature of the relationship between IUVER and IT, the clearness indices kT and kTUVER have been used to obtain a multivariable linear regression of kTUVER as a function of the solar zenith angle, θz, and kT, which shows good correlation (R2 ≥ 0.89) for the three measurement sites.