Usnic Acid in Antarctic Lichens Related to Ozone Depletion, 30-Year Period

A 30-year collection period from Antarctica provides data on the accumulation of usnic acid in two lichen species: Neuropogon aurantiaco-ater and Ramalina terebrata. The dataset, sourced from NASA EarthData and last updated in 1996, examines the relationship between this UV-B absorbing compound and critical levels of ozone depletion.

Use Cases

• Modeling the correlation between ozone levels and lichen phenol concentrations based on the described 30-year time series.
• Studying biological photoprotection mechanisms in polar regions based on the UV-absorbing properties of usnic acid.
• Investigating long-term environmental change indicators in Antarctica based on lichen chemical data.
• Validating in vivo and in vitro methods for assessing photoprotector capacity based on the described UV radiation absorption.

Strengths

• Focuses on a specific, well-defined biological compound (usnic acid) and its environmental driver.
• Covers a long-term observational period of 30 years in a unique geographic region (Antarctica).
• Explicitly links biological measurements (lichen phenol concentrations) to a physical atmospheric phenomenon (ozone depletion).

Limitations

• Last updated 1996-02-01 23:59:59.999000; freshness should be verified.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.

Provenance

Source

NASA EarthData, organization SCIOPS

Collection Method

Likely contains field measurements of lichen samples collected in Antarctica.

Time Range

30-year collection period (specific dates not provided)

Freshness

1996-02-01 23:59:59.999000

Geography

Antarctica