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Why do high mountains receive stronger ultraviolet radiation?
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mountain
Mount Sir Donald in the Selkirk Mountains, British Columbia,
looms
above
a segment of the Trans-Canada Highway.
High mountains receive stronger ultraviolet radiation primarily because of the reduced amount of air overhead at higher elevations.1
As altitude increases, the density of the atmosphere decreases, leading to higher atmospheric transparency. With less air and fewer particles—such as dust and moisture—to scatter or absorb incoming light, a greater intensity of solar radiation, particularly in the ultraviolet spectrum, reaches the surface.1