NSW: Solar radiation levels in Sydney rise by up to 7 pc

AAP General News (Australia)
12-10-1998
NSW: Solar radiation levels in Sydney rise by up to 7 pc

SYDNEY, Dec 10 AAP - Radiation levels over Sydney had risen by up to seven per cent due to
the destruction of upper level air over the city and southern parts of Australia, it was
reported today.

The increased exposure levels, comparable to cities close to the equator, were being
experienced year-round, The Daily Telegraph reported.

A CSIRO report revealed the Antarctic "ozone-hole" this spring was the largest on record,
covering 25 million square kilometres.

It was reported that a new investigation by the Bureau of Meteorology into the destruction
of the ozone layer, which shields the Earth from solar radiation, found a general decline of
between five and seven per cent, resulting in increased radiation of up to 10 per cent over
the past 20 years.

A CSIRO spokesman said Sydneysiders this month would get the same levels of UV radiation to
people living in Darwin.

"International scientists suggest that UV levels over northern Australia are likely to have
risen by approximately five per cent," the spokesman said.

"However, measurements of UV radiation trends are difficult and these figures are
preliminary and may not be statistically significant."

AAP shm/jel

KEYWORD: SOLAR

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