+ Visit NASA.gov + Advanced Search   + About the Server   + Animation List   + How to Use the Server   + RSS Feeds   + Podcasts   + Opportunities Previous Animation Next Animation Erythemal Index 2000: United States Loop The Erythemal Index is a measure of ultraviolet radiation (UV) at ground level on the Earth. UV exists to the left of the visible spectrum and is divided into three components (UV-A, UV-B and UV-C). UV-B (290-320 wavelengths) is the most dangerous form of UV radiation that can reach ground level. Atmospheric ozone shields life at the surface from most of the harmful components of solar radiation. Chemical processes in the atmosphere can effect the level of protection provided by the ozone in the upper atmosphere. This thinning of the atmospheric ozone in the stratosphere leads to elevated levels of UV-B at ground level and increases the risks of DNA damage in living organisms.    View of North America covered in purples (to the North) and blues (to the South), denoting low levels of ground level ultraviolet radiation in January, 2000. This animation shows the fluctuation in the levels through the year. By mid-year, the red showing high levels of ground level ultraviolet radiation creep in and then fade away. This data was collected over the year 2000. Duration: 4.0 seconds Available formats:   320x240 (30 fps) MPEG-1   565 KB   320x240     JPEG         6 KB   320x240 (30 fps) X-FLV       165 KB How to play our movies    View of North America, from data collected in April of 2000, covered with a rainbow. Purples are to the North and reds are to the South. Purple denotes the lowest levels of ground level ultraviolet radiation and red denotes the highest levels of ground level ultraviolet radiation. This data was collected over the year 2000. Available formats:   2560 x 1920     TIFF 1 MB   160 x 80           PNG       14 KB   320 x 240         JPEG     11 KB   80 x 40             PNG         4 KB Animation Number: 2200 Completed: 2001-06-25 Animator: Michael Mangos (GST) (Lead) Scientist: Richard McPeters (NASA/GSFC) Platform/Sensor/Data Set: Earth Probe/TOMS (2000/01/01-2000/12/31) Series: Erythemal UV Video: SVS2001-0020 * Keywords: DLESE >> Atmospheric science SVS >> Erythemal SVS >> Solar Radiation SVS >> UV SVS >> UV-B SVS >> Ultraviolet     Please give credit for this item to: NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center Scientific Visualization Studio *Please note: the SVS does not fulfill requests for copies of the tapes in our library. On some of our animation pages, there is a direct link to a video distribution service from which tapes, handled by the Public Affairs Office (PAO)/Goddard TV, including some of our animations may be ordered. General information on this service can be found here. Back to Top + Privacy Policy and Important Notices + Reproduction Guidelines NASA Official: Content Contact: Curator: