Ultraviolet exposure measurements on a coral reef by application of polyphenylene oxide film dosimeters

Ultraviolet exposure measurements on a coral reef by application of polyphenylene oxide film dosimeters

The terrestrially available UVB was measured underwater on a fringing coral reef at the southern end of Australia's Great Barrier Reef marine park (25oS, 153oE) using poly 2,6-dimethyl-1, 4-phenylene oxide (PPO) film dosimeters. These dosimeters have been employed in previous research applications to measure long term terrestrial UV exposures on land and in controlled aquatic environments (typically for exposures lasting several days). The value of these dosimeters is discussed in reference to their use in an underwater coral reef environment extending over periods of several weeks. The UVB measured in the autumn at the test reef site indicates that exposures in a shallow coral reef located at a sub-tropical latitude vary from between 34 kJm-2 and 50 kJm-2 over a period of 28 days equating to a mean daily UVB exposure of between 1 and 2 kJm-2. These measurements made at an approximate depth of 2 m represent approximately 5% of the daily surface UVB. The results indicate that the film dosimeters used have the potential to be applied in a number of different underwater locations to investigate the impact of solar UV radiation on exposed coral surfaces.

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