Is there an increase in the harmful solar ultraviolet radiation at the surface?
As noted previously, the thinning of the beneficial stratospheric (15-50 km above the surface) ozone layer will lead to increases in the harmful ultraviolet radiation (an average of 2% increase in radiation for every 1% loss in ozone) at the surface. Because of the angle of the rotation of the earth (the Coriolus), the jet stream in the northern hemisphere moves from west to east and in the southern hemisphere from east to west. These two general circulation patterns collide over the poles creating a polar vortex (vrtice). Because of that, pollutants transported to the stratosphere accumulate over the poles and thus the observed ozone hole due to its destruction by nitrous oxide, CFCs etc. Atmospheric models predict the thinning of the beneficial stratospheric ozone layer across all latitudes. However, beyond the polar locations, there are no spectrally resolved data (because of the complexity and cost associated with its measurement) to demonstrate increases in ultraviolet radiation a
