Stratospheric Ozone and Human Health World Wide Web Site

CIESIN and its Socioeconomic Data and Applica-
tions Center (SEDAC) are pleased to announce the availability of the Stratospheric Ozone and Human Health World Wide Web (WWW) site. This is an on-line service that integrates NASA remote-sensing and atmospheric data on stratospheric ozone depletion and ultraviolet radiation with health-related data and information to provide a multidisciplinary data resource for health officials, decision makers, government officials, researchers, and the general public. The Uniform Resource Locator (URL) for the Stratospheric Ozone and Human Health WWW site is: http://sedac.ciesin.org/ozone.

The Stratospheric Ozone and Human Health WWW site has several components:

1.) The Ultraviolet Interactive Service (UVIS)

This service provides ultraviolet (UV) radiation climatology data for selected locations around the United States. Average hourly, daily, and monthly estimates of biologically effective doses from 1979-1990 are accessible through an interactive query engine that allows users to visualize data of interest. These data are derived using NASA satellite data and other geophysical input parameters in an atmospheric radiative transfer model. A description of the model used to develop this service is also provided.

UVIS allows users such as epidemiologists to access detailed historical estimates of UV radiation exposure. These data can be useful for a variety of purposes, including the reconstruction of historical exposure patterns. It can help answer a range of questions such as:

• How much higher are exposure levels in Albuquerque compared with Seattle?

• How many days in the summer of 1988 were exposure levels higher in Detroit as compared with Atlanta?

• What was the estimated cumulative DNA-damaging exposure amount during the spring of 1990 in the Salt Lake City area?

• What was the range in hourly exposure levels during the month of August 1980 in Honolulu?

2.) Searchable Bibliographic Database

This service provides a searchable index containing more than 3,000 citations of journal articles, conference presentations, books, and other periodicals on the topics of ozone depletion, UV radiation, and ecological and human health. Users may query the database through several search fields: text string, author, source, subject category, year, and title. Users can find results such as:

• a list of publications by a particular author;

• recent publications on possible links between UV exposure and skin cancer incidence; and

• early efforts and studies on ecological impacts of UV exposure.

3.) Human Health Data Resources

This service provides a guide to statistical and epidemiological data sets and related resources from disease registries, surveys, and studies that provide information on human health effects related to UV exposure. It includes links to subnational as well as national and international data sources, disease registries, surveys, and epidemiological studies. Data sources accessible through this service include:

• the New South Wales Cancer Registry;

• State Cancer Registries in the United States;

• the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Cancer Statistics Review, 1973-1991; and

• the North American Association of Central Cancer Registries (NAACCR).

4.) Related Internet Resources

This component of the Stratospheric Ozone and Human Health WWW site provides a guide to additional resources available via the Internet in the areas of ozone depletion, UV radiation, and human health.

CIESIN's Thematic Guide resource provides overview documents and full-text access to peer-reviewed publications related to stratospheric ozone depletion, potential impacts on human and ecosystem health, chlorofluorocarbons, and more.

You will need a forms-capable WWW browser to take full advantage of this WWW site. Alternatively, if you have telnet access to the Internet, you may telnet to infoserver.ciesin.org and log in as "lynx" to use a character-oriented WWW browser.

For more information, please contact CIESIN User Services by e-mail at ozone@ciesin.org or by telephone at 517/797-2727.