Clarifoil UV filter film aids climate change study

Clarifoil’s UV filter film, normally used in packaging of luxury foods which can suffer UV discoloration, is helping scientists from Halle University in Germany to measure the effects of climate change in one of the world’s most northerly regions.
 
The scientists’ study of algae and plankton in ponds in Lapland is tracing the effects of UV radiation caused by the hole in the arctic ozone layer.
 
The Halle zoologists working in Lapland used Clarifoil’s clear cellulose acetate films to cover samples of water containing Daphnia (water fleas) from the ponds, covering some with untreated film and covering others with UV filter film.
 
The study – apart from demonstrating that Clarifoil’s UV filter film does indeed successfully counter UV radiation – has provided valuable ecological information showing that the Daphnia longispina population has been affected by increased UV radiation in the region and so have the algae on which they feed. The tiny water creatures are a key part of the food chain for fish and insects in the ponds and their condition and numbers are a reliable indicator of ecological conditions. The scientists have now moved on to test the effect on the Daphnia of temperature change in the ponds, since increased UV radiation generally creates higher temperatures.
 
Zoologist Dr Iris Zellmer said: ‘Measurements taken in the field have subsequently been double-checked in the laboratory, using UV lamps to create standardized conditions and again using Clarifoil film to protect a sample against UV radiation. The results of our study will be available soon.’
 
Clarifoil UV filter film is used by packaging technologists as a transparent window material for cartons of delicate products such as white chocolate and seafood, which can be affected by discoloration when exposed to bright light in the retail environment.

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