Map for ultraviolet radiation index in clear sky conditions

             Ultraviolet radiation index (UV index) is an international estimation of the ultraviolet radiation at the Earth’s surface. It is computed to help the population protect against ultraviolet radiations in clear sky conditions.

The UV index value in clear sky conditions is estimated function of the ozone layer concentration, the geographic position, the position of the Sun, the terrestrial surface albedo and the aerosols. For this reason, the UV index can have different values o­n different days, in the same locality, or o­n the same day in different localities. When determining the UV index, account is taken of the wavelengths of the ultraviolet radiation that are the most dangerous for the human skin (100nm – 400 nm). The UV index gives a relative indication of the degree of hazard through exposure to ultraviolet radiation (UV). The scale of the index goes from 0 to 11+. The higher the index, the stronger the potential to deteriorate skin and eyes. The computation algorithm for this UV index in clear sky conditions has been developed by an international consortium of research institutes named “Satellite Application Facility o­n Ozone and Atmospheric Chemistry Monitoring” (O3M-SAF), under the aegis of the European Organization for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT)

We underline that since the used algorithms are different, slight differences may occur in the UV index values published by various meteorological centres.