The Licancabur volcano lies on the border of Bolivia and Chile (Photo credit: Pirindao, flickr.com)
A team of researchers has measured the highest level of UV radiation ever recorded on Earth’s surface. On December 29, 2003, the UV index peaked at 43 at the summit of Licancabur volcano (5,917 meters high) and near Laguna Blanca (4,340 meters high) in Bolivia.
In comparison, the UV index in Toronto never exceeded 10 in 2013. The authors says that tropical stratospheric ozone will slightly decrease in the coming decades, potentially resulting in more UV anomalies.
Original research paper published in the journal Frontiers in Environmental Science on July 8, 2014.
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