NASA SOHO Mission,Yohkoh
science team
Give me the splendid silent sun, with all his beams full-dazzling...
-Walt Whitman
The sun provides the energy on which earthly life thrives. It's light allows photosynthetic plants that are the base of most food chains to fix carbon, it keeps the biosphere warm, and it provides visible light for vision. Life on Earth depends upon the constancy of the suns' rays. Unfortunately, recent emission of human produced chemicals has caused depletion of the ozone layer, a shield that protects us from some of the sun's most harmful wavelengths, in the ultraviolet B (UV-B) spectrum. The ozone layer is thinning more in some places, such as the Arctic and Antarctica , than in others, and places experiencing ozone depletion are also being exposed to more UV-B. Exposure to UV-B can cause physiological or morphological damage, behavioral changes, and even death in a wide range of microorganisms, plants, and animals. The long-term consequences of UV-B exposure on organisms and ecosystems are still relatively unknown.
The purpose of this web site is to offer background on decreases in stratospheric ozone and subsequent increases of UV-B in the biosphere, and to examine the effects of increased UV-B on organisms and ecosystems.