Measuring the diffuse component of solar UV beneath shade structures: a practical activity for an Australian summer

Abstract

This article presents an investigation to provide students with the opportunity to study the physics of electromagnetic radiation, particularly UV radiation, and the way it interacts with different environments. The protective ability of shade structures is generally misunderstood, and this investigation will give students the basic knowledge that even though shade structures protect the human body from direct UV radiation, it is now the diffuse UV radiation that is significant in the shade.