ORIGINAL PAPER Charles Cockell ® Gerda Horneck ® Petra Rettberg Jo Arendt ® Kerstin Scherer ® Rainer Facius Anton Gugg-Helminger Human exposure to ultraviolet radiation at the Antipodes – a comparison between an Antarctic (678S) and Arctic (758N) location Accepted: 12 March 2002 / Published online: 30 April 2002 Ó Springer-Verlag 2002 Abstract We used ultraviolet radiation dosimeters to investigate human exposure at two polar latitudes with a 24-h photoperiod: at Rothera Station (UK) (67°S) and at a field camp in the Haughton impact structure in the Canadian High Arctic (75°N). Mean personal UV ra- diation exposure in the Antarctic location was 4.3 times greater than that in the Arctic location, even in the abence of ozone depletion. More than zenith angle accounted for the higher UV exposure. Widespread snow and ice covers, and probably less atmospheric pollution, caused higher personal exposures. Although the mean exposures were higher in the Antarctic loca- tion, the mean exposure ratio in the Antarctic (0.20±0.09) was similar to the value measured in the Arctic (0.27±0.09) on clear days. We use the Antarctic ratio to provide quantitative estimates of UV-radiation exposure for workers at the Geographical South Pole for the winter solstice under a constant 24-h photoperiod. Exposure ratios can be used to translate measurements of UV radiation by horizontally fixed spectroradiome- ters into estimates of the mean exposures expected in populations at polar latitudes, although variations be- tween individuals are large. The data have implications for determining the UV exposures of indigenous high- latitude populations. Introduction Improving estimates of human exposure to ultraviolet radiation during outdoor activities has attracted interest because of ozone depletion in the southern hemisphere and the possible threat of increasing depletion at northern latitudes (Madronich et al. 1998). A number of medical conditions have been directly linked to UV ex- posure, including changes in the immune condition, the formation of ocular cataracts and skin carcinomas (e.g. deGruijl 1997). Some of these are recognized to have importance in relation to ozone depletion in the Antarctic (Lugg and Roy 1999). A variety of factors influence human exposure to UV radiation (Fig. 1). Personal habits (such as wearing sun- blocking creams and sunglasses) must be evaluated using questionnaires, but dosimetric techniques can be used to obtain an accurate idea of the potential exposure of human subjects to UV radiation during typical outdoor activities (Ronto´ et al. 1995; Knuschke and Barth 1996; Munakata 1999; Moehrle and Garbe 2000). Because there are many spectroradiometers in different locations in the world that measure UV radiation on a fixed horizontal plane, an important scientific question is whether personal exposures can be approximated from these horizontal measurements. Polar-regions (here meaning regions above the Arctic or Antarctic circle at 66°33¢) are particularly affected by ozone depletion and present a special case of UV ex- posure because people can be exposed to a 24-h photo- period. The diurnal variation during the light summer months decreases as one goes to higher latitudes. Some populations are adapted to the UV climate of polar-regions, such as the Inuit that inhabit the Arctic (Miller and Gaudette 1999), but they are not necessarily adapted to elevated UV radiation caused by ozone de- pletion (Noonan and DeFabio 1999). The Antarctic does not have an indigenous population; however, workers that expose themselves to elevated UV radiation on or near the continent can be at risk of the adverse effects of UV radiation. Furthermore, snow and ice Polar Biol (2002) 25: 492–499 DOI 10.1007/s00300-002-0381-z C. Cockell (&) British Antarctic Survey, High Cross, Madingley Road, Cambridge, CB3 0ET, UK E-mail: csco@bas.ac.uk G. Horneck ® P. Rettberg ® K. Scherer ® R. Facius German Aerospace Center, Institute of Aerospace Medicine, 51170 Cologne, Germany J. Arendt School of Biological Sciences, University of Surrey, Guildford, Surrey, GU2 5XH, UK A. Gugg-Helminger Gigahertz Optik, Fischerstrauss 4, Puchheim, 82178, Germany