Application of poly (2,6-dimethyl-1, 4-phenylene oxide) film for the long - term measurement of underwater solar UVB

Abstract

For underwater ultraviolet radiation (UV) measurements, the usage of chemical dosimeters has been relatively low in comparison to measurements made with optical meters. However, dosimeters such as the Poly (2,6-dimethyl-1, 4-phenylene oxide) film (PPO) offer an inexpensive, easy to deploy and accurate alternative to the optical meters, and could prove to be an invaluable tool for researchers investigating the underwater effects of solar UV. To date, no literature has been produced detailing how to adequately calibrate and deploy chemical dosimeters for long-term underwater usage. The following paper details a basic methodology on how to calibrate the PPO dosimeter for underwater use and also demonstrates how in-air and in-water dosimetric calibrations cannot be transferred while shallow calibrations for different water types can be with only a small reduction in accuracy.