Understanding UV reflection in the urban environment

Understanding UV reflection in the urban environment

[Abstract]:
Outdoor workers in Australia are exposed to
very high ambient levels of ultraviolet (UV) radiation.
Studies have shown that up to 90% of outdoor workers
experienced UV exposures in excess of the occupational
UVR exposure standard. Surfaces that reflect UV have
been shown to significantly affect UV exposures and vary
with solar zenith angles (SZA) and orientation of the
surface and surface type.

This investigation shows that seasonal variation is just as
important to UV exposures affected by reflected UV
radiation. In fact, UV exposures received in cooler
seasons appear to be affected more by reflected UV than
in warmer seasons, despite higher levels of global UV.
Such high ambient UV levels are proposed as the reason
for the disparity between UV exposures measured in
spring and autumn, due to proportions of direct and
diffuse UV radiation, despite the use of a UV reflector that
has a high UV reflectivity in comparison to natural
surfaces (at least 20% in the UVB waveband).

© NIWA 2010.