The primary motivation behind the considerable effort in studying stratospheric ozone depletion is the potential for biological consequences of increased solar UVB (280 -315 nm) radiation. Yet, direct links between ozone depletion and biological impacts have been established only for organisms of Antarctic waters under the influence of the ozone ''hole;'' no direct evidence exists that ozone-related variations in UVB affect ecosystems of temperate latitudes. Indeed, calculations based on laboratory studies with plants suggest that the biological impact of ozone depletion (measured by the formation of cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers in DNA) is likely to be less marked than previously thought, because UVA quanta (315-400 nm) may also cause significant damage, and UVA is unaffected by ozone depletion. Herein, we show that the temperate ecosystems of southern South America have been subjected to increasingly high levels of ozone depletion during the last decade. We found that in the spring of 1997, despite frequent cloud cover, the passages of the ozone hole over Tierra del Fuego (55°S) caused concomitant increases in solar UV and that the enhanced ground-level UV led to significant increases in DNA damage in the native plant Gunnera magellanica. The fluctuations in solar UV explained a large proportion of the variation in DNA damage (up to 68%), particularly when the solar UV was weighted for biological effectiveness according to action spectra that assume a sharp decline in quantum efficiency with increasing wavelength from the UVB into the UVA regions of the spectrum.cyclobutane pyrimidine dimer ͉ global change ͉ Gunnera ͉ Tierra del Fuego T he most important consequence of the depletion of stratospheric ozone is the increased transmission of solar UVB radiation to the Earth's surface. Present levels of stratospheric ozone are at the lowest point since measurements began in the 1970s (1). Ozone depletion is most pronounced over the Antarctic continent, where ozone levels commonly decline by more than 70% during late winter and early spring [data available in the NASA Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS) site: http:͞͞jwocky.gsfc.nasa.gov͞TOMSmain.html]. Acute effects of ozone depletion on native organisms have been documented only for marine ecosystems of Antarctic waters (for a review, see ref.2). For example, it has been shown that increased UVB can reduce phytoplankton photosynthesis in the marginal ice zone when the ozone hole is overhead (3), reduce phytoplankton cell densities (4), and increase the DNA damage burden in icefish eggs (5). Virtually nothing is known about the consequences of ozone depletion and increased solar UVB on natural ecosystems located outside Antarctica.We have set up a long-term experiment to study the responses of terrestrial ecosystems to elevated solar UVB resulting from stratospheric ozone reduction near Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina. The area, dominated by temperate forests, is on the southern tip of South America, across the Drake Passage from the Antarctic Peninsula, an...

Stratospheric ozone depletion occurs over Tierra del Fuego, southern Argentina and Chile, in the austral spring and summer due to the precession of the Antarctic ‘ozone hole’ and the general erosion of the ozone layer. Plots receiving either near‐ambient or reduced UV‐B radiation were established using different louvered plastic film filters over Sphagnum bog and Carex fen ecosystems in October 1996. In the Sphagnum bog system, growth measurements during the late spring and summer showed no significant differences in the moss Sphagnum magellanicum, or the vascular plants (Empetrum rubrum, Nothofagus antarctica, and Tetroncium magellanicum) between near‐ambient and attenuated UV‐B radiation treatments. In the Carex fen system, leaf length and spike height did not differ in the two dominant species, Carex decidua and C. curta, between UV‐B radiation treatments. The length of individual spikelets of C. curta under near‐ambient UV‐B radiation was less than under the reduced UV‐B radiation treatment, but this was not evident in C. decidua. No differences in seed number, seed mass, or viability were seen in either Carex species between the UV‐B treatments. Two important constituents of the microfauna that inhabit the Sphagnum bog are testate amoebae and rotifers. These both appeared to be more numerous under near‐ambient UV‐B radiation than under reduced UV‐B radiation. The subtle responses of the Sphagnum and Carex ecosystems may become more apparent in subsequent years as the treatments are continued. Trophic‐level changes, such as the differences in number of amoebae and rotifers, may be more sensitive to solar UV‐B radiation than growth and productivity of the vegetation.

Summary1 Plant growth and pigmentation of the moss Sphagnum magellanicum and the vascular plants Empetrum rubrum , Nothofagus antarctica and Tetroncium magellanicum were measured under near-ambient (90% of ambient) and reduced (20%) ultraviolet-B (UV-B) radiation for three growing seasons in a Sphagnum peatland in Tierra del Fuego, Argentina (55 ° S). 2 Reduction of solar UV-B increased height growth but decreased volumetric density in S. magellanicum so that biomass production was not influenced during the 3 years. The morphology of vascular plants tended not to respond to UV-B reduction. 3 A 10-20% decrease in UV-B-absorbing compounds occurred in T. magellanicum under solar UV-B reduction. No effects were seen on chlorophyll or carotenoids in S. magellanicum , although, for UV-B-absorbing compounds, a significant interaction between UV-B and year suggests some response to solar UV-B reduction. 4 The climate-related growth of the dwarf shrub E. rubrum was assessed retrospectively by correlating an 8-year record of annual stem elongation with macroclimatic factors including solar UV-B and visible radiation, precipitation and temperature. 5 No significant negative correlations were found between annual E. rubrum stem elongation and ambient solar UV-B, the ratio of UV-B : visible radiation, or the 305-nm : 340-nm irradiance ratio for an 8-year record (1990 -91 to 1997-98), nor was stem elongation affected by solar UV-B reduction in our experimental field plots after 3 years. 6 The role of solar UV-B radiation on plant growth in Sphagnum peatlands in Tierra del Fuego, Argentina, is likely to depend on the severity of stratospheric ozone depletion over the next several decades. The increases in ambient solar UV-B associated with ozone depletion over the last 20 years are less than the difference between our radiation treatments. Therefore, providing that the ozone layer substantially recovers by the middle of this century, only modest effects of increased solar UV-B on plant growth may be expected.

Measurements of the UV solar irradiance are available from Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego during the spring and summer seasons of 4 consecutive years beginning in 1989. In addition, column ozone amounts derived from satellite-based measurements exist for this location over the entire period from 1980 through 1991. Monthly mean column ozone over Ushuaia shows a general decline over the observing period, and a large day-to-day variability exists within a given month. Ozone amounts for the years 1980 through 1986 combined with a model of radiative transfer provide a climatological baseline against which to interpret the more recent ground-based irradiance data. We focus on monthly mean noontime irradiances integrated over 5 nm wide spectral bands near 305 nm and 340 nm, respectively. Measurements in the 340 nm band show that cloudiness has a large influence on both the absolute monthly mean irradiances and their interannual variability. For example, during December the 340 nm band irradiance varied from approximately 509/0 of the clear-sky value in 1992 to 65% in 199 1. When the influence of cloudiness is removed, most of the months show irradiances in the 305 nm band that are larger than predicted from the climatological ozone amounts. The largest percentage enhancement occurred in October 199 1 when the irradiance exceeded the baseline by 56%. The largest absolute irradiances occur in December, where the measurements range from 5.8% below the baseline in 199 1 to 3 1% above in 1990.

Ozone and UV radiation were analyzed at eight stations from tropical to sub-Antarctic regions in South America. Ground UV irradiances were measured by multichannel radiometers as part of the Inter American Institute for Global Change Radiation network. The irradiance channels used for this study were centered at 305 nm (for UV-B measurements) and 340 nm (for UV-A measurements). Results were presented as daily maximum irradiances, as monthly averaged, daily integrated irradiances and as the ratio of 305 nm to 340 nm. These findings are the first to be based on a long time series of semispectral data from the southern region of South America. As expected, the UV-B channel and total column ozone varied with latitude. The pattern of the UV-A channel was more complex because of local atmospheric conditions. Total column ozone levels of < 220 Dobson Units were observed at all sites. Analysis of autocorrelations showed a larger persistence of total column ozone level than irradiance. A decreasing cross-correlation coefficient between 305 and 340 nm and an increasing cross-correlation coefficient between 305 nm and ozone were observed at higher latitudes, indicating that factors such as cloud cover tend to dominate at northern sites and that ozone levels tend to dominate at southern sites. These results highlight the value of long-term monitoring of radiation with multichannel radiometers to determine climatological data and evaluate the combination of factors affecting ground UV radiation.

The incidence of nutritional rickets in the southern part of Argentina is 8-12 times higher than in the rest of the country. Winter 25(OH)D serum levels in normal population of southern areas are lower than in central and northern areas. To elucidate these differences, we compared the photoconversion of provitamin D3 (7-DHC) to previtamin D3 in two cities: Ushuaia (latitude 55 degrees S) and Buenos Aires (34 degrees S). Ampules containing 7-DHC were exposed to sunlight one day in the middle of each month either from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. or from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The percentages of photoproducts formed were determined by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Previous studies have proved that this is a valid model to assess "in vitro" the photoproduction of vitamin D3 in human skin. Previtamin D3 + vitamin D3 formed in Ushuaia were less (p < 0.02) than those found in Buenos Aires during all seasons: summer, (X +/- SEM) 6.4 +/- 0.8% vs. 13.2 +/- 1.8%; autumn, 1.2 +/- 0.7% vs. 6.3 +/- 1.3%; winter, 0.8 +/- 0.7% vs. 3.6 +/- 0.7%; spring, 3.4 +/- 0.5% vs. 9.1 +/- 1.1%. The photoproducts produced from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. were similar for each month and latitude to those formed when the ampules were exposed from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. We conclude that in Ushuaia there is a prolonged "vitamin D winter" during which cutaneous synthesis of vitamin D is absent, leading to lower serum values of 25(OH)D and contributing to the higher incidence of rickets.

A nearly continuous data set of solar ultraviolet spectral irradiance exists for Ushuaia, Argentina, latitude 54°59′ S, over the period from mid‐September 1990 to mid‐March 1991. This includes a season of prolonged depletion in column ozone over Antarctica, 10° or more in latitude poleward of Ushuaia. Cloudiness provides a major source of variance in the measurements. When this influence is removed, the irradiances at wavelengths between 300 and 310 nm are enhanced relative to clear sky calculations based on a 10‐year ozone climatology. During December the average noontime irradiance at 306.5 nm, which is a good proxy for erythemal irradiance, is 45% larger than the zonal mean climatological prediction. The largest noontime radiation levels observed at Ushuaia are equivalent to moving 20° in latitude closer to the equator at the summer solstice.

Solar ultraviolet (UV) radiation at 300 and 305 nm, measured by a Biospherical Instruments high resolution scanning spectroradiometer at Ushuaia, southern Argentina (55°S, 68°W), as a part of the US National Science Foundation Network for Polar Regions, was compared with total ozone satellite measurements. A statistical relationship between UV and total ozone was derived. On the basis of this relationship, the differences in 300 and 305 nm irradiance between 1979–1983 and 1989–1993 intervals are estimated; for October, the 15% observed decline of total ozone has led to irradiance increases of 80% at 300 nm and 35% at 305 nm. During the days with “ozone hole” conditions, the 300 nm irradiance is as high as it would be at the summer solstice three months later, and is ∼4 times higher than the UV irradiance corresponding to the “normal” ozone condition for early October, as further illustrated for October 1994. Inclusion of the 340 nm cloudy‐dependent predictor is discussed.