glUV: A global UV-B radiation dataset for macroecological studies

glUV: A global UV-B radiation dataset for macroecological studies

UVB1_to_UVB3glUV is a set of climate surfaces containing information on various aspects of the global distribution of ultraviolet-B radiation (UV-B). The data represents a potentially useful addition to existing climate datasets (e.g. CliMond, WorldClim) and may help refine macroecological analyses and bioclimatic modelling.

glUV may help address research questions related to the range-limiting capacities UV-B radiation has on terrestrial and marine life. The applicability of glUV is not limited to bioclimatic modelling and may be used for planning experiments along UV-B gradients or for reanalysing existing species distributions. Studies investigating the intra-annual variability of UV-B radiation may also benefit from implementing the provided monthly mean UV-B datasets used to derive the bioclimatic UV-B variables. glUV may even find applications outside the realms of ecology and biology, for example, in estimating material degradation rates or addressing UV-B related health issues.

The data (version 1.0) may be downloaded at the Download page.

Details on the methods used to generate glUV may be found on the Methodology page and in the publication.

The glUV dataset should be cited using the following reference:

Beckmann M., Václavík T., Manceur A.M., Šprtová L., von Wehrden H., Welk E., Cord A.F. (2014) glUV: A global UV-B radiation dataset for macroecological studies, Methods in Ecology and Evolution, 5: 372–383. doi: 10.1111/2041-210X.12168