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The UV Index was established more than 20 years ago as a tool for sun protection and health care. Shortly after its introduction, UV Index monitoring started in several countries either by newly acquired instruments or by converting measurements from existing instruments into the UV Index. The number of stations and networks has increased over the years. Currently, 160 stations in 25 European countries deliver online values to the public via the Internet. In this paper an overview of these UV Index monitoring sites in Europe is given. The overview includes instruments as well as quality assurance and quality control procedures. Furthermore, some examples are given about how UV Index values are presented to the public. Through these efforts, 57% of the European population is supplied with high quality information, enabling them to adapt behaviour. Although health care, including skin cancer prevention, is cost-effective, a proportion of the European population still doesn't have access to UV Index information.

Daylight downward longwave irradiance data recorded over a flat place for the period between April 2001 and December 2004 in Valladolid, Spain, have been compared with estimates generated using four different schemes. The parameterization schemes of Brutsaert, Swinbank, Idso, and Brunt have been considered and calibrated for the comparison. Root-mean-square errors (rmse), mean bias errors, and linear regression correlations have been used to compare measured and estimated values. The results of this comparison show that, for clear-sky conditions, rmse values range between 19.57 and 8.85 W m Ϫ2 for calibrated schemes and between 39.78 and 11.13 W m Ϫ2 for original ones. The Idso and Brunt schemes give the best results with calibrated coefficients, and the Brunt scheme performs the best with original coefficients. A new scheme for estimating daylight downward longwave irradiance under "all-sky" conditions has been developed based on clear-sky schemes and solar global shortwave irradiance, and, after comparing measured and estimated values by calibrated schemes, it has been found that the Idso and Brunt schemes give the best results.

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Abstract. Erythemal ultraviolet (UVER) irradiation was reconstructed at nine Spanish locations, with series starting around 1950 in five of these places. Each series was checked by applying homogeneity tests in order to discard nonhomogeneous series. Available series were used to create an averaged Iberian Peninsula UVER series. Results indicate that annual UVER irradiation in the Iberian Peninsula increased by 155 Jm −2 (6.5 %) between 1950 and 2011 due to the decrease observed in atmospheric ozone rather than changes in aerosol and clouds. By contrast, annual UVER irradiation increased by 135 Jm −2 (5.6 %) between 1985 and 2011, mainly due to changes in aerosol and clouds.