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Book A Survey of the Potential Effects of Increasing UV B Radiation on the Biosphere  Revision

Download or read book A Survey of the Potential Effects of Increasing UV B Radiation on the Biosphere Revision written by and published by . This book was released on 1998 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: There are by now well-established connections between the introduction of chlorine-containing molecules into the stratosphere, a consequent decrease in the concentration of stratospheric ozone, and an increase in UV-B radiation at the surface of the Earth. An increase in UV-B on average would increase the incidence rate of non-melanoma skin cancer worldwide, with an unproved but likely increase in melanoma skin cancer. Other effects on humans could include cataracts and immune system inhibition, but these are less well established. The response of domestic and wild animal populations to UV-B is not thought to be a serious problem at this time, in part because they are protected by fur. The response of plants is complex because plants exist in a highly competitive situation with other plants for water and light, and must survive in an environment of pests and diseases, which may also be affected by UV-B. The oceanic phytoplankton are the basis of the ocean food chain and are responsible for half of the natural carbon dioxide fixation. Studies have indicated that the phytoplankton are adversely affected by UV-B, and thus there is a potential for excess UV-B to affect fishing yields and the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

Book A Survey of the Potential Effects of Increasing UV B Radiation on the Biosphere

Download or read book A Survey of the Potential Effects of Increasing UV B Radiation on the Biosphere written by and published by . This book was released on 1997 with total page 38 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A review of the literature an the potential effects of an increase in UV-B reaching the Earth's surface shows that there might have been very serious consequences if we had not restricted the production and use of chlorfluorocarbons. Even a modest increase of UV-B, on average, would in all likelihood have increased the amount of skin cancer worldwide, leading to an estimated 2,000 additional deaths per year per percentage point decrease in ozone. Small changes in agriculture and in the forests could cost a great deal of money, although these costs would likely be hidden by weather fluctuations. Small changes in the productivity of ocean phytoplankton could accelerate the greenhouse effect. The effect of space launch operations is a small perturbation on all this, with an average effect on the ozone of perhaps 0.02%, or about 40 additional skin cancer deaths out of 50,000 per year, at steady state. This estimate is based on a launch rate equivalent to about 600 tons of chlorine per year delivered to the stratosphere (7 shuttle or 12 Titan launches per year), and assumes that the solid rocket boosters would continue to be based on chlorine containing oxidizers. Without chlorine, there would be a negligible effect.

Book Exposure to Artificial UV Radiation and Skin Cancer

Download or read book Exposure to Artificial UV Radiation and Skin Cancer written by IARC Working Group on Risk of Skin Cancer and Exposure to Artificial Ultraviolet Light and published by World Health Organization. This book was released on 2006 with total page 84 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This report represents the views and expert opinions of an IARC Working Group that met in Lyon, France, 27-29 June 2005

Book DNA Fingerprinting in Plants

Download or read book DNA Fingerprinting in Plants written by Kurt Weising and published by CRC Press. This book was released on 2005-02-28 with total page 470 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Given the explosive development of new molecular marker techniques over the last decade, newcomers and experts alike in the field of DNA fingerprinting will find an easy-to-follow guide to the multitude of techniques available in DNA Fingerprinting in Plants: Principles, Methods, and Applications, Second Edition. Along with step-by-step annotated p

Book UV B Radiation and Plant Life

Download or read book UV B Radiation and Plant Life written by Brian R Jordan and published by CABI. This book was released on 2017-10-11 with total page 194 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Ultraviolet-B radiation (UV-B) has profound effects on plant growth and development, and exposure varies with ozone depletion and across geographic regions, with ecosystem and agricultural consequences. This book deals with large-scale impacts but also how UV-B affects plants at the molecular level is also fascinating, and the UV-B photoreceptor has only recently been characterised. While UV-B radiation can be damaging, it also has a more positive role in plant photomorphogenesis. Consequently UV-B treatments are being developed as innovative approaches to improve horticulture. This book is a timely synthesis of what we know and need to know about UV-B radiation and plants.

Book UV Effects in Aquatic Organisms and Ecosystems

Download or read book UV Effects in Aquatic Organisms and Ecosystems written by E Walter Helbling and published by Royal Society of Chemistry. This book was released on 2007-10-31 with total page 600 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book offers extensive coverage of the most important aspects of UVR effects on all aquatic (not just freshwater and marine) ecosystems, encompassing UV physics, chemistry, biology and ecology. Comprehensive and up-to-date, UV Effects in Aquatic Organisms and Ecosystems aims to bridge the gap between environmental studies of UVR effects and the broader, traditional fields of ecology, oceanography and limnology. Adopting a synthetic approach, the different sections cover: the physical factors controlling UVR intensity in the atmosphere; the penetration and distribution of solar radiation in natural waters; the main photochemical process affecting natural and anthropogenic substances; and direct and indirect effects on organisms (from viruses, bacteria and algae to invertebrate and vertebrate consumers). Researchers and professionals in environmental chemistry, photochemistry, photobiology and cell and molecular biology will value this book, as will those looking at ozone depletion and global change.

Book Challenges in Sun Protection

Download or read book Challenges in Sun Protection written by Christian Surber and published by . This book was released on 2021 with total page 388 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the early 20th century, tanned skin was associated with good health. However, people began to protect themselves against potential overexposure to avoid sunburns. Around 1945, the first sunscreen products became available. In the years to follow, a vast number of different sunscreen filters and frameworks regulating filter substances and preparations, and methods characterizing sunscreen products were developed. The perception regarding the tasks of sunscreen products changed several times - initially it was promoted as a lifestyle product, then as a skin cancer preventive means, and more recently also for anti-aging. Different purposes and the widespread use of these products have led to myriad studies and a wealth of information. In this volume, the editors present a current collection of information analyzing and discussing issues related to sunscreen products and their use. These include challenges regarding the ideal sunscreen product including filter selection and formulation issues, measurement methods, performance characterization, safety, and regulatory issues. Further papers address topics related to the use of sunscreen products in everyday life, in vulnerable cohorts and outdoor workers. Controversial topics such as environmental effects of sunscreen products and the risks and benefits of UV radiation in the context of skin cancer, vitamin D and cardiovascular and metabolic health are also covered.

Book American Journal of Botany

Download or read book American Journal of Botany written by and published by . This book was released on 2002 with total page 578 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Book Sensing the Environment  Regulation of Local and Global Homeostasis by the Skin s Neuroendocrine System

Download or read book Sensing the Environment Regulation of Local and Global Homeostasis by the Skin s Neuroendocrine System written by Andrzej T. Slominski and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2012-06-02 with total page 128 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The skin, the body’s largest organ, is strategically located at the interface with the external environment where it detects, integrates and responds to a diverse range of stressors, including solar radiation. It has already been established that the skin is an important peripheral neuroendocrine-immune organ that is closely networked with central regulatory systems. These capabilities contribute to the maintenance of peripheral homeostasis. Specifically, epidermal and dermal cells produce and respond to classical stress neurotransmitters, neuropeptides and hormones, production which is stimulated by ultraviolet radiation (UVR), biological factors (infectious and non-infectious) and other physical and chemical agents. Examples of local biologically active products are cytokines, biogenic amines (catecholamines, histamine, serotonin and N-acetyl-serotonin), melatonin, acetylocholine, neuropeptides including pituitary (proopiomelanocortin-derived ACTH, b-endorphin or MSH peptides, thyroid stimulating hormone) and hypothalamic (corticotropin-releasing factor and related urocortins, thyroid-releasing hormone) hormones, as well as enkephalins and dynorphins, thyroid hormones, steroids (glucocorticoids, mineralocorticoids, sex hormones, 7-δ steroids), secosteroids, opioids and endocannabinoids. The production of these molecules is hierarchical, organized along the algorithms of classical neuroendocrine axes such as the hypothalamic pituitary adrenal axis (HPA), hypothalamic-thyroid axis (HPT), serotoninergic, melatoninergic, catecholaminergic, cholinergic, steroid/secosteroidogenic, opioid and endocannabinoid systems. Disruptions of these axes or of communication between them may lead to skin and/or systemic diseases. These local neuroendocrine networks also serve to limit the effect of noxious environmental agents to preserve local and consequently global homeostasis. Moreover, the skin-derived factors/systems can also activate cutaneous nerve endings to alert the brain to changes in the epidermal or dermal environments, or alternatively to activate other coordinating centers by direct (spinal cord) neurotransmission without brain involvement. Furthermore, rapid and reciprocal communications between epidermal and dermal and adnexal compartments are also mediated by neurotransmission including antidromic modes of conduction. Lastly, skin cells and the skin as an organ coordinate and/or regulate not only peripheral but also global homeostasis.

Book Health Effects of Exposure to Low Levels of Ionizing Radiation

Download or read book Health Effects of Exposure to Low Levels of Ionizing Radiation written by National Research Council and published by National Academies. This book was released on 1990-02-01 with total page 436 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book reevaluates the health risks of ionizing radiation in light of data that have become available since the 1980 report on this subject was published. The data include new, much more reliable dose estimates for the A-bomb survivors, the results of an additional 14 years of follow-up of the survivors for cancer mortality, recent results of follow-up studies of persons irradiated for medical purposes, and results of relevant experiments with laboratory animals and cultured cells. It analyzes the data in terms of risk estimates for specific organs in relation to dose and time after exposure, and compares radiation effects between Japanese and Western populations.

Book Climate Intervention

    Book Details:
  • Author : National Research Council
  • Publisher : National Academies Press
  • Release : 2015-06-23
  • ISBN : 0309314852
  • Pages : 276 pages

Download or read book Climate Intervention written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2015-06-23 with total page 276 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The growing problem of changing environmental conditions caused by climate destabilization is well recognized as one of the defining issues of our time. The root problem is greenhouse gas emissions, and the fundamental solution is curbing those emissions. Climate geoengineering has often been considered to be a "last-ditch" response to climate change, to be used only if climate change damage should produce extreme hardship. Although the likelihood of eventually needing to resort to these efforts grows with every year of inaction on emissions control, there is a lack of information on these ways of potentially intervening in the climate system. As one of a two-book report, this volume of Climate Intervention discusses albedo modification - changing the fraction of incoming solar radiation that reaches the surface. This approach would deliberately modify the energy budget of Earth to produce a cooling designed to compensate for some of the effects of warming associated with greenhouse gas increases. The prospect of large-scale albedo modification raises political and governance issues at national and global levels, as well as ethical concerns. Climate Intervention: Reflecting Sunlight to Cool Earth discusses some of the social, political, and legal issues surrounding these proposed techniques. It is far easier to modify Earth's albedo than to determine whether it should be done or what the consequences might be of such an action. One serious concern is that such an action could be unilaterally undertaken by a small nation or smaller entity for its own benefit without international sanction and regardless of international consequences. Transparency in discussing this subject is critical. In the spirit of that transparency, Climate Intervention: Reflecting Sunlight to Cool Earth was based on peer-reviewed literature and the judgments of the authoring committee; no new research was done as part of this study and all data and information used are from entirely open sources. By helping to bring light to this topic area, this book will help leaders to be far more knowledgeable about the consequences of albedo modification approaches before they face a decision whether or not to use them.

Book Some Drinking water Disinfectants and Contaminants  Including Arsenic

Download or read book Some Drinking water Disinfectants and Contaminants Including Arsenic written by IARC Working Group on the Evaluation of Carcinogenic Risks to Humans and published by IARC. This book was released on 2004 with total page 540 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A working group of 23 experts from 13 countries met in Lyon to evaluate the evidence for carcinogenicity of arsenic (mostly naturally occurring) as a contaminant of drinking-water, and of the water-disinfectant chloramine. The working group also evaluated or re-evaluated four chlorination by-products found in drinking-water, namely chloral hydrate, di- and trichloroacetic acids, and 3-chloro-4-(dichloromethyl)-5-hydroxy-2(5H)-furanone (also known as MX). High-level exposure to arsenic in drinking-water occurs in some regions such as China, Latin America, Bangladesh and West Bengal. The Working Group reviewed epidemiological studies of human cancer (mainly ecological studies in Taiwan and Chile, and several case-control and cohort studies) in relation to arsenic in drinking-water. Arsenic in drinking-water (primarily inorganic, as arsenate and to a lesser extent arsenite) was evaluated as carcinogenic to humans (Group 1) on the basis of sufficient evidence for an increased risk for cancer of the urinary bladder, lung and skin. Studies on inorganic arsenic in experimental animals provided limited evidence for its carcinogenicity, but sufficient evidence was found in experimental animals for the carcinogenicity of dimethylarsinic acid (an organic form of arsenic), which produced urinary bladder tumours in rats and lung tumours in mice after oral administration.

Book Photomovement

    Book Details:
  • Author : D.-P. Häder
  • Publisher : Elsevier
  • Release : 2001-06-19
  • ISBN : 008053886X
  • Pages : 959 pages

Download or read book Photomovement written by D.-P. Häder and published by Elsevier. This book was released on 2001-06-19 with total page 959 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume emphasizes the involvement of all facets of biology in the analysis of environmentally controlled movement responses. This includes biophysics, biochemistry, molecular biology and as an integral part of any approach to a closer understanding, physiology. The initial euphoria about molecular biology as the final solution for any problem has dwindled and the field agrees now that only the combined efforts of all facets of biology will at some day answer the question posed more than hundred years ago: "How can plants see?". One conclusion can be drawn from the current knowledge as summarized in this volume. The answer will most likely not be the same for all systems.

Book UV Radiation in Global Climate Change

Download or read book UV Radiation in Global Climate Change written by Wei Gao and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2010-09-08 with total page 565 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Numerous studies report that ultraviolet (UV) radiation is harmful to living organisms and detrimental to human health. Growing concerns regarding the increased levels of UV-B radiation that reach the earth's surface have led to the development of ground- and space-based measurement programs. Further study is needed on the measurement, modeling, and effects of UV radiation. The chapters of this book describe the research conducted across the globe over the past three decades in the areas of: (1) current and predicted levels of UV radiation and its associated impact on ecosystems and human health, as well as economic and social implications; (2) new developments in UV instrumentation, advances in calibration (ground- and satellite-based), measurement methods, modeling efforts, and their applications; and (3) the effects of global climate change on UV radiation. Dr. Wei Gao is a Senior Research Scientist and the Director of the USDA UV-B Monitoring and Research Program, Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory, Colorado State University. Dr. Gao is a SPIE fellow and serves as the Editor-in-Chief for the Journal of Applied Remote Sensing. Dr. Daniel L. Schmoldt is the National Program Leader for instrumentation and sensors at the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Dr. Schmoldt served as joint Editor-in-Chief of the journal, Computers & Electronics in Agriculture, from 1997 to 2004. Dr. James R. Slusser retired in 2007 from the USDA UV-B Monitoring and Research Program at Colorado State University. He was active in the Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers, the American Geophysical Union, and the American Meteorological Society. Dr. Slusser is currently pursuing his interests in solar energy and atmospheric transmission.

Book Solar Ultraviolet Radiation

    Book Details:
  • Author : Christos S. Zerefos
  • Publisher : Springer Science & Business Media
  • Release : 2013-06-29
  • ISBN : 3662033755
  • Pages : 360 pages

Download or read book Solar Ultraviolet Radiation written by Christos S. Zerefos and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2013-06-29 with total page 360 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Following the rapid developments in the UV-B measurement techniques and the rapidly growing research in the field in the late 80's and early 90's, we organized a large gathering of distinguished experts in a NATO Advanced Study Institute, held in Halkidiki, Greece on October, 2-11. 1995. The Institute was organized so as to include state of the art lectures on most aspects of solar ultraviolet radiation and its effects. This was achieved by extended lectures and discussions given in five sessions by 27 lecturers and a demonstration of filed measurements and calibration techniques at the end of the Institute. The ASI began with the sun and fundamentals on solar radiative emissions and their variability in time and continued with the interaction of solar Ultraviolet with the atmosphere through the complex scattering processes and photochemical reactions involved. Particular emphasis was given to changes in atmospheric composition imposed by different manifestations of the solar activity cycle. as well as on the modelling of radiative transfer through the atmosphere and the ocean under variable environmental conditions. Overviews on the ozone issue. its monitoring and variability were extensively discussed with emphasis on the observed acceleration of ozone decline in the early 90's. This acceleration had as a consequence, significant increases in UV-B radiation observed at a few world-wide distributed stations.