Consequently, the strongest fluctuations in ambient levels of damaging UV-B radiation are experienced there by a terrestrial ecosystem with substantial vegetal ground cover. By analysing data from a series of days with high and low levels of overhead ozone, the authors find a clear correlation between DNA damage in the leaves of the herb Gunnera magellanica and the ambient level of UV-B radiation. Earlier, the authors had reported that leaf expansion of this herb was inhibited by current ambient levels of solar UV radiation. In the longterm, the UV-induced DNA damage may conceivably enhance genetic changes that could affect competition between species in an ecosystem. Effect of climatic change relative to ozone depletion on UV exposure in subarctic lakes.
Organic material is known to be an excellent absorber of UV radiation.
Any shift in the tree line through the draining area of a high-latitude lake due to a climatic change is likely to alter the composition and concentration of the organic material in the lake, and thus alter the level of UV exposure in the lake. Thus, the geologic record shows that changes in UV exposure can have dramatic impacts on aquatic ecosystems in near-polar regions. Conventional sunscreens simulate nature's strategy to absorb the damaging UV radiation before it reaches vulnerable, viable cells. To improve sunscreens investigators are looking for ways to reinforce the defence mechanisms of the cells. No immediate ad verse side effects were apparent in these first experiments in humans.