Influence of snow and clouds on erythemal UV radiation: Analysis of Swiss measurements and comparison with models

Global, direct and diffuse measurements of erythemal UV radiation with UV‐Biometer and radiative transfer calculations are used to estimate the influences of (1) a snow‐covered surface, (2) an overcast sky, and (3) a joined snow‐covered surface and overcast sky at Davos (1610 m asl, Swiss Alps). The influence of total ozone, zenith angle, and aerosol are first investigated. The influence of surface albedo and clouds are then estimated as a function of the zenith angle after normalization of the data to a fixed ozone amount. If the ground is covered with snow on clear‐sky days at Davos, erythemal irradiance increases by 15 to 25% due to multiple reflections between the surface and the atmosphere. This relative increase may reach 80% on overcast days. The highly significant dependence of the albedo on solar elevation is most probably due to inhomogeneities in the surrounding terrain leading to a strong non‐Lambertian behavior. The impact of clouds on radiation is highly variable: on overcast days with a snow free surface, erythemal UV radiation at Davos is reduced to a level ranging between 8% (very thick cloud cover) and 70% (thin cloud layer) relative to the radiation under clear‐sky conditions.