Erythemal ultraviolet irradiation trends in the Iberian Peninsula from 1950 to 2011

Abstract

Erythemal ultraviolet (UVER) irradiation was reconstructed at nine Spanish locations, with series starting around 1950 in five of these places. Each series was checked by applying homogeneity tests in order to discard non-homogeneous series. Available series were used to create an averaged Iberian Peninsula UVER series. Results indicate that annual UVER irradiation in the Iberian Peninsula increased by 155 Jmg'2 (6.5%) between 1950 and 2011 due to the decrease observed in atmospheric ozone rather than changes in aerosol and clouds. By contrast, annual UVER irradiation increased by 135 Jmg'2 (5.6%) between 1985 and 2011, mainly due to changes in aerosol and clouds.