NASA Logo

NTRS

NTRS - NASA Technical Reports Server

Back to Results
Surface solar ultraviolet radiation for paleoatmospheric levels of oxygen and ozoneMany investigators have concluded that the level of solar ultraviolet radiation (200-300 nm) reaching the surface was a key parameter in the origin and evolution of life on earth. The level of solar ultraviolet radiation between 200 and 300 nm is controlled primarily by molecular absorption by ozone, whose presence is strongly coupled to the level of molecular oxygen. In this paper, a series of calculations is presented of the solar ultraviolet radiation reaching the surface for oxygen levels ranging from 0.0001 the present atmospheric level to the present level. The solar spectrum between 200 and 300 nm has been divided into 34 spectral intervals. For each spectral interval, the solar ultraviolet radiation reaching the earth's surface has been calculated by considering the attenuation of the incoming beam due to ozone and oxygen absorption. A one-dimensional photochemical model of the atmosphere was used for these calculations.
Document ID
19810033578
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Reprint (Version printed in journal)
External Source(s)
Authors
Levine, J. S.
(NASA Langley Research Center Atmospheric Environmental Sciences Div., Hampton, Va., United States)
Date Acquired
August 11, 2013
Publication Date
December 1, 1980
Publication Information
Publication: Origins of Life
Volume: 10
Subject Category
Geophysics
Accession Number
81A17982
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other

Available Downloads

There are no available downloads for this record.
No Preview Available