Reptile Lamp Database

Spectrum 403: SUN Edit
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Full Spectrum

SOLAR SPECTRUM: SOLAR ELEVATION 20 DEGREES
2395 daylight measurements of spectral irradiance, measured from the roof of the University of Granada’s Science Faculty (Granada, Spain, 37°11'N 3°35'W,
elevation 680·m) from February 1996 to February 1998 using a LI-1800 spectroradiometer (LI-COR Bioscience, Lincoln, NE, USA) fitted with a cosine-corrected receptor. Measurements were taken at all solar elevations greater than –4° and in all weather except for rain or snowfall.
From: Johnsen S, Kelber A, Warrant E, Sweeney AM, Widder EA, Lee RL Jr, Hernández-Andrés J. Crepuscular and nocturnal illumination and its effects on color perception by the nocturnal hawkmoth Deilephila elpenor. (2006) Journal of Experimental Biology 209, 789-800

Measurement

Brand other
other
Lamp Product Sun
Direct sunlight
Lamp ID SUN (01/2000)
Spectrometer -
Ballast - no ballast or default/unknown ballast -
Reflector
Distance 0 cm
Age 0 hours
Originator (measurement) Publication
Database entry created: Frances Baines 1/May/2011 ; updated: Frances Baines 1/May/2011

Colorimetry

Colorimetry is the science to describe physically the human color perception. The wavelength range 380 nm - 780 nm is visible to humans and detected by three different photoreceptors. Many Reptiles see the range 350 nm - 800 nm and have an additional UV photoreceptor in their retina.

WARNING: The measurement range (350 - 800 nm) is not sufficient for this evaluation! Data is only available in the range 355 - 700 nm. Results are shown anyway but should be ignored by anyone except experts.

Spectrum in the visible wavelength range

Whereas a spectrometer measures the intensity in every tiny wavelength interval resulting in thousands of individual intensities, the human eye only measures three intensities detected by the three cones. The same is true for the reptile eye with usually three or four photoreceptors. Effectively the detailled spectrum displayed above reduces to a much compacter bar graph displayed below. The photoreceptor sensitivites from these L-Cone, M-Cone, S-Cone, and U-Cone are used, they are chosen as an average of measured reptile photoreceptor sensitivity curves. The bar graph also shows as reference the intensity seen by the three or four photoreceptors for average sunlight (id 1).

From these three numbers the colour coordinate and the correlated colour temperature for humans are calculated using the CIE standard method. I adapted this concept to a "3 cone reptile (M,S,U)" and a "4 cone reptile (L,M,S,U)". I am sure, that this adaption to other colour spaces makes sense mathematically and this is also done in scientific research regarding colour vision of animals, however I have not seen calculation of colour temperatures for other animals in the scientific literature. Even if it is hypothetical, at least this shows, how arbitrary the colour temperature is, and that the colour temperature calculated for humans does not apply to reptiles. The colour spaces also show the colour coordinates of different phases of daylight ((ids 1, 338451, 511513 ), indicated by crosses, coloured in the appriximate colour perceived by a human.

Human (CIE) 3 cone reptile 4 cone reptile
Cone Excitation
Colour Coordinate ( 0.34 ; 0.35 ) ( 0.43 ; 0.36 ) ( 0.3 ; 0.3 ; 0.25 )
CCT 5300 Kelvin 4500 Kelvin 4900 Kelvin
distance 0.026 0.027
colour space 3-D-graph not implemented yet

Vitamin D3 Analysis

Vitamin D3 is produced by UVB radiation around 300 nm. 7DHC/ProD3 present in the skin is converted to PreD3 when absorbing an UV photon. PreD3 can be converted back to ProD3, to Lumisterol, or to Tachysterol when absorbing another UV photon or can be converted to Vitamin D3 in a warm environment.

This process prevents any overdose of vitamin D3 from UV radiation with a spectrum similar to sunlight. As a comparison the solar spectra at 20°(id:14) and at 85°(id:21) solar angle are shown.

Spectrum in the vitamin D3 active wavelength range

The ratio of the two solarmeters 6.2 (UVB) and 6.5 (UV index) readings has proven a useful and very simply number to acess the spectral shape in the vitamin-d3-active region.

Effective Irradiances

Effective irradiances are calculated for all ranges, actionspectra and radiometers currently present in this database.

The calculation method is a numerical implementation (Simpson's rule) of the formula

To learn more about calculating effective irradiances and radiometers I recommend this excellent report on UVB meters: Characterizing the Performance of Integral Measuring UV-Meters (pdf).

The numbers in the following tables can also be used to estimate certain (effective) irradiances from radiomer readings. Example: If the database lists

  • range: UVB (US) = 13.8 µW/cm²
  • radiometer: Solarmeter 6.2 = 19.6 µW/cm²
then any Solarmeter 6.2 reading multiplied with 0.7 (0.7=13.8/19.6) is an estimate of UVB irradiance for this specific lamp. If you do so, always make sure, that the calculated (effective) irradiance is valid. The calculated value is not valid, if the lamp's spectrum is not measured in the relevant range.

Ranges
total ( 0 nm - 0 nm) 11600 µW/cm² = 116 W/m²
UVC ( 0 nm - 280 nm) 0 µW/cm² = 0 W/m²
non-terrestrial ( 0 nm - 290 nm) 0 µW/cm² = 0 W/m²
total2 ( 250 nm - 880 nm) 11600 µW/cm² = 116 W/m²
UVB (EU) ( 280 nm - 315 nm) 0 µW/cm² = 0 W/m²
UVB (US) ( 280 nm - 320 nm) 0 µW/cm² = 0 W/m²
UVA+B ( 280 nm - 380 nm) 391 µW/cm² = 3.91 W/m²
Solar UVB ( 290 nm - 315 nm) 0 µW/cm² = 0 W/m²
UVA D3 regulating ( 315 nm - 335 nm) 0 µW/cm² = 0 W/m²
UVA (EU) ( 315 nm - 380 nm) 391 µW/cm² = 3.91 W/m²
UVA2 (medical definition) ( 320 nm - 340 nm) 0 µW/cm² = 0 W/m²
UVA (US) ( 320 nm - 380 nm) 391 µW/cm² = 3.91 W/m²
UVA1 (variant) ( 335 nm - 380 nm) 391 µW/cm² = 3.91 W/m²
UVA1 (medical) ( 340 nm - 400 nm) 722 µW/cm² = 7.22 W/m²
vis. UVA ( 350 nm - 380 nm) 391 µW/cm² = 3.91 W/m²
VIS Rep3 ( 350 nm - 600 nm) 7940 µW/cm² = 79.4 W/m²
VIS Rep4 ( 350 nm - 700 nm) 11600 µW/cm² = 116 W/m²
purple ( 380 nm - 420 nm) 881 µW/cm² = 8.81 W/m²
VIS ( 380 nm - 780 nm) 11300 µW/cm² = 113 W/m²
PAR ( 400 nm - 700 nm) 10900 µW/cm² = 109 W/m²
blue ( 420 nm - 490 nm) 2450 µW/cm² = 24.5 W/m²
green ( 490 nm - 575 nm) 3300 µW/cm² = 33 W/m²
yellow ( 575 nm - 585 nm) 387 µW/cm² = 3.87 W/m²
orange ( 585 nm - 650 nm) 2450 µW/cm² = 24.5 W/m²
red ( 650 nm - 780 nm) 1790 µW/cm² = 17.9 W/m²
IRA ( 700 nm - 1400 nm) 0 µW/cm² = 0 W/m²
IRB ( 1400 nm - 3000 nm) 0 µW/cm² = 0 W/m²
Actionspectra
Erythema 0.0772 UV-Index
Pyrimidine dimerization of DNA 0 µW/cm²
Photoceratitis 0 µW/cm²
Photoconjunctivitis 0 µW/cm²
DNA Damage 0.000289
Vitamin D3 0 µW/cm²
Photosynthesis 7420 µW/cm²
Luminosity 29400 lx
Human L-Cone 4420 µW/cm²
Human M-Cone 3630 µW/cm²
Human S-Cone 1990 µW/cm²
CIE X 3970 µW/cm²
CIE Y 4080 µW/cm²
CIE Z 3720 µW/cm²
PAR 50600000 mol photons
Extinction preD3 0 e-3*m²/mol
Extinction Tachysterol 0 e-3*m²/mol
Exctincition PreD3 0 m²/mol
Extinction Lumisterol 0 m²/mol
Exctincition Tachysterol 0 m²/mol
Extinction 7DHC 0 m²/mol
L-Cone 3790 µW/cm²
M-Cone 3830 µW/cm²
S-Cone 3240 µW/cm²
U-Cone 1860 µW/cm²
UVR - ICNIRP 2004 0.0515 Rel Biol Eff
Melatonin Supression 3090 µW/cm²
Blue Light Hazard 2280 µW/cm² (77.5 µW/cm² per 1000 lx)
CIE 174:2006 PreVit D3 0 µW/cm²
Lumen Reptil 29900 "pseudo-lx"
Vitamin D3 Degradation 0 µW/cm²
Actinic UV 0.0515 µW/cm² (0.0175 mW/klm)
Exctincition Lumisterol 0 m²/mol
Exctincition 7DHC 0 m²/mol
Exctincition Toxisterols 0 m²/mol
Broadbandmeters
Solarmeter 6.2 (UVB, pre 2010) 2.37 µW/cm²
Solarmeter 6.5 (UV-Index, pre 2010) 0.034
Leybold UVB 0 µW/cm²
Leybold UVA 282 µW/cm²
Leybold UVC 0 µW/cm²
DeltaOhm UVB 0 µW/cm²
DeltaOhm UVC 0 µW/cm²
Vernier UVB 0 µW/cm²
Vernier UVA 141 µW/cm²
Gröbel UVA 304 µW/cm²
Gröbel UVB -0.0352 µW/cm²
Gröbel UVC 0 µW/cm²
Solarmeter 6.4 (D3) 0.106 IU/min
UVX-31 8.49 µW/cm²
IL UVB 0.00117 µW/cm²
IL UVA 379 µW/cm²
Solarmeter 6.5 (UVI, post 2010) 0.0109 UV-Index
Solarmeter 6.2 (UVB, post 2010) 0.1 µW/cm² (Solarmeter Ratio = 9.15)
Solarmeter AlGaN 6.5 UVI sensor 0.0964 UV Index
GenUV 7.1 UV-Index 0.105 UV-Index
Solarmeter 10.0 (Global Power) 119 W/m²
Solarmeter 4.0 (UVA) 7.47 mW/cm²
LS122 0 W/m²
ISM400 83.7 W/m²