UV Radiation extremes

trocadero · Apr 12, 2009

In the future, if greenhouse gases increase, and the hole in the ozone layer increases, is it possible that UV radiation could be so extreme that UV rays could hang around the troposphere and make it unsafe to go outside at night?

I'm wondering if, after hitting earth, they could be trapped in the atmosphere and bounce around, if the greenhouse gases get dense enough.

I am creating the future for my dystopia novel and am trying to imagine the most extreme effects of UV radiation. Any expert knowedge most welcome!

RJK · Apr 12, 2009

Short answer - no. UV is light rays (at the extreme end of the spectrum) The only rays you would receive would be those that bounced off the moon and returned to earth. I don't believe the rays are strong enough to harm us after being mostly absorbed by the moon and then by what's left of our atmosphere.
Even in daytime, we will be able to live outside if we wear protective clothing and UV protective cream on the exposed skin surfaces. The damages will be to the plants and wildlife. God knows what will happen to the life in the oceans.

trocadero · Apr 14, 2009

Thanks for that information RJK. As I research the impact of UV radiation, the ozone hole, greenhouse gases, the Great Pacific Garbage Patch,effects of ice shelves breaking away and subsequent crust disturbances, pesticides, gm, and the poor bees, I'm actually starting to feel a little nervous about the future....

Thanks for sharing your knowledge

adktd2bks · Apr 14, 2009

I'm not sure about UV rays, but I watched a show on NOVA a while back that was very interesting. It had to do with the earth changing polarities and such and what effects it could have on how we live. I remember somewhere towards the end they talked about extreme radiation exposure. Here's a link to the tv show.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/magnetic/about.html

trocadero · Apr 14, 2009

That looks great, ad. Well, terrible, actually, but just what I'm after. I'll have a good look at it after work.

Thank you!

benbradley · Apr 14, 2009

trocadero said:
Thanks for that information RJK. As I research the impact of UV radiation, the ozone hole, greenhouse gases, the Great Pacific Garbage Patch,effects of ice shelves breaking away and subsequent crust disturbances, pesticides, gm, and the poor bees, I'm actually starting to feel a little nervous about the future....

Thanks for sharing your knowledge

You've read through all that and you didn't look up supervolcano?

blacbird · Apr 14, 2009

trocadero said:
In the future, if greenhouse gases increase, and the hole in the ozone layer increases, is it possible that UV radiation could be so extreme that UV rays could hang around the troposphere and make it unsafe to go outside at night?

Electromagnetic rays don't "hang around".

caw

blacbird · Apr 14, 2009

RJK said:
Even in daytime, we will be able to live outside if we wear protective clothing and UV protective cream on the exposed skin surfaces. The damages will be to the plants and wildlife. God knows what will happen to the life in the oceans.

Actually, oceanic life should be fine. Water blocks UV. In the early history of life on earth, it all existed in the oceans, in no small part because the atmosphere, having limited oxygen content, had not developed an ozone layer. Only when enough oxygen built up in the atmosphere, owing to biogenic processes, did an ozone layer develop to protect the land surface from UV and allow organisms to begin to colonize land.

caw

trocadero · Apr 14, 2009

Thanks for that blacbird. I will look up supervolcano. I had only read about crust events with respect to the weight shift in the ocean because of ice shelves melting. I used 'hang around' poorly - I was wondering if UV rays could be reflected backwards and forwards between the earth and things in the atmosphere, but that was answered. The fact that snow and ice reflect up to 80% started me on that track.

I look forward to finding out about supervolcano

RJK · Apr 15, 2009

blacbird said:
Actually, oceanic life should be fine. Water blocks UV. In the early history of life on earth, it all existed in the oceans, in no small part because the atmosphere, having limited oxygen content, had not developed an ozone layer. Only when enough oxygen built up in the atmosphere, owing to biogenic processes, did an ozone layer develop to protect the land surface from UV and allow organisms to begin to colonize land.

caw

I'm not an expert, what I know is what I've learned from NOVA, COSMOS, and other sources like that. I was referring to the ocean life depending on the solar energy (plancton, etc.). Too much UV will unbalance the system, and the entire ocean food chain will be affected.

benbradley · Apr 15, 2009

trocadero said:
Thanks for that blacbird. I will look up supervolcano. I had only read about crust events with respect to the weight shift in the ocean because of ice shelves melting. I used 'hang around' poorly - I was wondering if UV rays could be reflected backwards and forwards between the earth and things in the atmosphere, but that was answered. The fact that snow and ice reflect up to 80% started me on that track.

Yeah, and even presuming the clouds also reflect 80 percent (and the percentages are different depending on the frequency of light - a clear sky is blue because the air scatters that color more than the others), light goes at, well, the speed of light, and each bounce reduces the intensity, a few dozen bounces reduces it to practically zero, and that takes less than a second.

trocadero said:
I look forward to finding out about supervolcano

Are you sure?

FennelGiraffe · Apr 15, 2009

benbradley said:
trocadero said:

I look forward to finding out about supervolcano

Click to expand...

Are you sure?

Supervolcanoes are quite high on my list of things I wish I hadn't heard of. :scared:

trocadero · Apr 16, 2009

Okay, supervolcanoes are awful but amazing. So how about this... I don't need to know if it's likely, just if you think it COULD happen, and please let me know if something is impossible:

In the future, maybe a couple of hundred years??? I wish I could draw a diagram at this point, but...

There is extreme UV radiation because of the deterioration of the ozone layer due to a combination of:

* global warming (worsened by the decrease of plankton and subsequent CO2 absorption)
* volcanoes erupting because of shifts in the earth's crust due to ice shelves melting

Because of the exteme UV radiation, (but also partly because of the scarcity of bees and natural pollenation) many crops no longer grow. UV-resistant species are grown, but diet has had to change radically. The new trend is GMO - Genetially modified organic, if you can afford it.

Climate change has resulted in the drying up of some areas that were lush, and the reforestation of some desert areas.

Many small islands and low-lying coastal areas are now underwater.

People cannot safely eat anything from the sea. Plankton decrease has resulted in decimation of marina flora and fauna, anyway.

All water is recycled. Constructions are often made with concrete with old plastics mixed through it. I'm not sure whether paper and wood should be available - perhaps pine plantations are more extensive - when the trees reach full height they are immediately cut down and used, as I read that in the growing stage, vegetation absorbs more CO2. All inside air is constantly filtered and adjusted. Perhaps paper and wood will be precious. Recyclable plastics have been developed.

There won't be any supervolcanoes

Thanks!

UV Radiation extremes

trocadero

RJK

Sheriff Bullwinkle the Poet says:

trocadero

adktd2bks

addicted to books

trocadero

benbradley

It's a doggy dog world

blacbird

blacbird

trocadero

RJK

Sheriff Bullwinkle the Poet says:

benbradley

It's a doggy dog world

FennelGiraffe

It's green they say

trocadero