Solar ultraviolet irradiance at Tierra del Fuego: Comparison of measurements and calculations over a full annual cycle

A spectroradiometer located at Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina obtained a high quality data set on the solar ultraviolet (UV) spectral irradiance for a full annual cycle during 1992. The unique aspect of the ground-based irradiances is their ability to characterize the effects of cloudiness. Measured irradiances at 340 nm can be used to characterize the attenuation provided by cloudy skies. When irradiances at shorter wavelengths, 302.5-320.0 nm, are adjusted for this attenuation, they show good agreement with radiative transfer calculations which assume clear skies and utilize data from the Total Ozone mapping spectrometer (TOMS) as inputs. The differences which exist are qualitatively consistent with the neglect of spherical geometry in the calculated irradiances.