9420550 Deluisi There is growing concern in the scientific community and the public at large regarding reports of increasing solar ultraviolet radiation reaching the Earth's surface. Of particular concern is the increase in biologically damaging ultraviolet-B radiation as a consequence of stratospheric ozone depletion. In response to these concerns, several U.S. federal agencies are conducting ultraviolet- monitoring and research activities to better understand trends and effects of ultraviolet radiation. These efforts are coordinated through the development of a U.S. interagency ultraviolet radiation monitoring plan. The establishment of a National Ultraviolet Radiation Calibration Facility is critical to the interagency efforts. The mission of the facility is to insure that the data archived by networks that utilize the facility's calibration resources will not suffer from disparate and ambiguous calibrations that could compromise the validity of scientific conclusions derived from the use of the data. This award provides funds for equipment for the facility, which is being supported through the efforts of the National Science Foundation, the Environmental Protection Agency, the United States Department of Agriculture, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
