Degradation of microbial fluorescence biosignatures by solar ultraviolet radiation on Mars

Degradation of microbial fluorescence biosignatures by solar ultraviolet radiation on Mars

Recent and proposed robotic missions to Mars are equipped with implements to expose or excavate fresh material from beneath the immediate surface. Once brought into the open, any organic molecules or potential biosignatures of present or past life will be exposed to the unfiltered solar ultraviolet (UV) radiation and face photolytic degradation over short time courses. The key question, then, i...

Degradation of cyanobacterial biosignatures by ionizing radiation.

Primitive photosynthetic microorganisms, either dormant or dead, may remain today on the martian surface, akin to terrestrial cyanobacteria surviving endolithically in martian analog sites on Earth such as the Antarctic Dry Valleys and the Atacama Desert. Potential markers of martian photoautotrophs include the red edge of chlorophyll reflectance spectra or fluorescence emission from systems of...

Solar ultraviolet radiation on the ground level of Isfahan

Introduction: Ultraviolet (UV) radiation affects human organs such as skin, eyes and immune system, as well as animals and plants. The main natural source of UV radiation is the Sun. To study the effects of solar UV radiation there is a need to quantify variations of solar energy received on the earth surface at different intervals. Materials and Methods: To measure UV radiation a broadband fib...

Ultraviolet Radiation on the Surface of Mars

Measurement of solar ultraviolet radiation in Yazd, Iran

Background: Ultraviolet (UV) radiation is divided into three regions: UVA, UVB, and UVC. Both the quality and quantity of solar UV radiation vary with various factors including the elevation of the sun above the horizon, as well as absorption and scattering of UV photons by molecules in the atmosphere, notably ozone and clouds. It is clear that whereas a moderate amount of UV exposure ...