Reptile Lamp Database

Spectrum 436: SUN Edit
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Full Spectrum

2008-06-19; 13:22 (solar altitude 61.6)
overcast sky
with baseline at 293nm set at zero

Measurement

Brand other
other
Lamp Product Sun
Direct sunlight
Lamp ID SUN (01/2000)
Spectrometer USB2000+
Ballast - no ballast or default/unknown ballast -
Reflector
Distance 0 cm
Age 0 hours
Originator (measurement) Frances Baines
Database entry created: Sarina Wunderlich 12/Jan/2012 ; updated: Sarina Wunderlich 12/Jan/2012

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 290.19 - 750.27 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 ( 0.3 ; 0.31 ) ( 0.37 ; 0.39 ) ( 0.23 ; 0.29 ; 0.3 )
CCT 7500 Kelvin 5400 Kelvin 6100 Kelvin
distance 0.043 0.046
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) 12100 µW/cm² = 121 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) 12100 µW/cm² = 121 W/m²
UVB (EU) ( 280 nm - 315 nm) 36.9 µW/cm² = 0.369 W/m²
UVB (US) ( 280 nm - 320 nm) 74.4 µW/cm² = 0.744 W/m²
UVA+B ( 280 nm - 380 nm) 1100 µW/cm² = 11 W/m²
Solar UVB ( 290 nm - 315 nm) 36.9 µW/cm² = 0.369 W/m²
UVA D3 regulating ( 315 nm - 335 nm) 229 µW/cm² = 2.29 W/m²
UVA (EU) ( 315 nm - 380 nm) 1060 µW/cm² = 10.6 W/m²
UVA2 (medical definition) ( 320 nm - 340 nm) 270 µW/cm² = 2.7 W/m²
UVA (US) ( 320 nm - 380 nm) 1020 µW/cm² = 10.2 W/m²
UVA1 (variant) ( 335 nm - 380 nm) 833 µW/cm² = 8.33 W/m²
UVA1 (medical) ( 340 nm - 400 nm) 1170 µW/cm² = 11.7 W/m²
vis. UVA ( 350 nm - 380 nm) 594 µW/cm² = 5.94 W/m²
VIS Rep3 ( 350 nm - 600 nm) 8020 µW/cm² = 80.2 W/m²
VIS Rep4 ( 350 nm - 700 nm) 10500 µW/cm² = 105 W/m²
purple ( 380 nm - 420 nm) 1110 µW/cm² = 11.1 W/m²
VIS ( 380 nm - 780 nm) 11000 µW/cm² = 110 W/m²
PAR ( 400 nm - 700 nm) 9540 µW/cm² = 95.4 W/m²
blue ( 420 nm - 490 nm) 2810 µW/cm² = 28.1 W/m²
green ( 490 nm - 575 nm) 2790 µW/cm² = 27.9 W/m²
yellow ( 575 nm - 585 nm) 295 µW/cm² = 2.95 W/m²
orange ( 585 nm - 650 nm) 1770 µW/cm² = 17.7 W/m²
red ( 650 nm - 780 nm) 2250 µW/cm² = 22.5 W/m²
IRA ( 700 nm - 1400 nm) 1060 µW/cm² = 10.6 W/m²
IRB ( 1400 nm - 3000 nm) 0 µW/cm² = 0 W/m²
Actionspectra
Erythema 2.41 UV-Index
Pyrimidine dimerization of DNA 25.8 µW/cm²
Photoceratitis 3.48 µW/cm²
Photoconjunctivitis 0.0857 µW/cm²
DNA Damage 0.285
Vitamin D3 8.77 µW/cm²
Photosynthesis 6900 µW/cm²
Luminosity 24000 lx
Human L-Cone 3550 µW/cm²
Human M-Cone 3070 µW/cm²
Human S-Cone 2290 µW/cm²
CIE X 3240 µW/cm²
CIE Y 3320 µW/cm²
CIE Z 4230 µW/cm²
PAR 44400000 mol photons
Extinction preD3 78.9 e-3*m²/mol
Extinction Tachysterol 295 e-3*m²/mol
Exctincition PreD3 42800 m²/mol
Extinction Lumisterol 9.17 m²/mol
Exctincition Tachysterol 500000 m²/mol
Extinction 7DHC 9.25 m²/mol
L-Cone 2970 µW/cm²
M-Cone 3690 µW/cm²
S-Cone 3800 µW/cm²
U-Cone 2370 µW/cm²
UVR - ICNIRP 2004 1.85 Rel Biol Eff
Melatonin Supression 3410 µW/cm²
Blue Light Hazard 2640 µW/cm² (110 µW/cm² per 1000 lx)
CIE 174:2006 PreVit D3 9.48 µW/cm²
Lumen Reptil 28700 "pseudo-lx"
Vitamin D3 Degradation 15.4 µW/cm²
Actinic UV 1.85 µW/cm² (0.769 mW/klm)
Exctincition Lumisterol 14000 m²/mol
Exctincition 7DHC 11600 m²/mol
Exctincition Toxisterols 9880 m²/mol
Broadbandmeters
Solarmeter 6.2 (UVB, pre 2010) 105 µW/cm²
Solarmeter 6.5 (UV-Index, pre 2010) 2.75
Leybold UVB 68 µW/cm²
Leybold UVA 768 µW/cm²
Leybold UVC 0.00604 µW/cm²
DeltaOhm UVB 251 µW/cm²
DeltaOhm UVC 25.7 µW/cm²
Vernier UVB 17 µW/cm²
Vernier UVA 589 µW/cm²
Gröbel UVA 868 µW/cm²
Gröbel UVB 30.8 µW/cm²
Gröbel UVC -0.0161 µW/cm²
Solarmeter 6.4 (D3) 8.59 IU/min
UVX-31 294 µW/cm²
IL UVB 0.0503 µW/cm²
IL UVA 896 µW/cm²
Solarmeter 6.5 (UVI, post 2010) 2.29 UV-Index
Solarmeter 6.2 (UVB, post 2010) 77 µW/cm² (Solarmeter Ratio = 33.6)
Solarmeter AlGaN 6.5 UVI sensor 33.2 UV Index
GenUV 7.1 UV-Index 2.21 UV-Index
Solarmeter 10.0 (Global Power) 120 W/m²
Solarmeter 4.0 (UVA) 14.5 mW/cm²
LS122 0 W/m²
ISM400 85.7 W/m²