Database 4 - Field Description (Most requested data products)

For more information on data format see CHAPTER 6 of the Operations Report.
Column Fieldname Unit Description
1 DataScan - Filename of spectral scan. Filename is of the form SFYYHHMM.DDD, with
  • S = site code (A = McMurdo Station; B = Palmer Station; C = South Pole Station; D = Ushuaia; E = San Diego; F = Barrow)
  • F = Scan type (D stands for the data scan)
  • YY = Year
  • HH = Hour at start of scan
  • MM = Minute at start of scan
  • DDD = Julian Day
2 Volume - Volume of published data
3 TimeB - Date and Time at start of item 2 of a solar spectral irradiance scan. Date and time refer to Greenwich Mean Time and are encoded into a single number where the integer part is the day number relative to January 1, 1900 (day 1 corresponds to 1/1/1900). The fractional part is the time of day. (For example, the fractional part multiplied with 24 gives the hour of the measurement).

Note: When the file is decoded by Microsoft Excel, the date value will automatically be translated into a correct date/time string, if the box "1904 date system" of the "Tools -> Options -> Calculation"-menu is unchecked.

4 Site - Site identifier: 1 = McMurdo Station; 2 = Palmer Station; 3 = South Pole Station; 4 = Ushuaia; 5 = San Diego; 6 = Barrow
5 ZenithB degrees Solar zenith angle at start of item 2 of a solar spectral irradiance scan
6 AzimuthB degrees Solar azimuth angle at start of item 2 of a solar spectral irradiance scan
7 298_507to303_03 µW/cm² Spectral irradiance, integrated between 298.507 and 303.03 nm
8 E290to315 µW/cm² UV-B irradiance (integration range 290 - 315 nm)
9 E290to320 µW/cm² UV-B irradiance (integration range 290 - 320 nm)
10 E315to400 µW/cm² UV-A irradiance (integration range 315 - 400 nm)
11 E320to400 µW/cm² UV-A irradiance (integration range 320 - 400 nm)
12 400to600 µW/cm² Visible irradiance (integration range 400 - 600 nm)
13 Dose3_CIE_Erythema µW/cm² Erythemally weighted irradiance (action spectrum by McKinlay, A.F., and B.L. Diffey, CIE Research Note, 6, No.1, 1987).
14 Setlow µW/cm² DNA weighted irradiance (action spectrum quantifies the potential of UV irradiance to cause damage to DNA. It was suggested by R. B. Setlow in "The wavelengths in sunlight effective in producing skin cancer: a theoretical analysis", Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci., USA, 71 , No. 9, pp. 3363-3366, 1974).
15 Hunter µW/cm² Spectral irradiance weighted with the "Hunter"-action spectrum (Hunter, J.H., J.H. Taylor, and H.G. Moser, "The effect of ultraviolet irradiation on eggs and larvae of the northern anchovy, Engraulis mordax, and the pacific mackerel, Scomber japonicus, during the embryonic stage", Photochemistry and Photobiology, 29, 325-338, 1979.)
16 Caldwell µW/cm² Spectral irradiance weighted with the "Caldwell"-action spectrum (Caldwell, M. M., "Solar UV irradiation and the growth and development of higher plants," Photophysiology, 6, 131-177, 1971.)
17 UVindex - UV Index is a unit of measure of UV levels relevant to the effects on human skin. It serves as a vehicle to raise public awareness about the potential detrimental effects on health from solar UV exposure and to alert people of the need to adopt protective measures. The UV index is defined as erythemally (CIE) weighted irradiance, expressed in the units W/m², and multiplied by 40. Note that the UV Index is a dimensionless number. Since "Dose3_CIE_Erythema" (column 13) is given in the units of µW/cm², UV Index is calculated by multiplying "Dose3_CIE_Erythema" with 0.4.

Please see Section 4.2.3 of the Network Operations reports for details on the parametrization of action spectra.