| ASL | above sea level |
| BCC | basal cell carcinoma (s) |
| Br | bromine (an ozone depleting chemical) |
| CAS | Chemical Abstracts Service |
| CC | cortical cataract(s) |
| CDK | climatic droplet keratopathy |
| CDOC | colored dissolved organic carbon |
| CDOM | colored (or chromophoric) dissolved organic matter |
| CFC | chlorofluorocarbons |
| CH | contact hypersensitivity |
| CH4 | methane (a greenhouse gas) |
| Cl | chlorine (an ozone depleting chemical) |
| CM | cutaneous melanoma |
| CO2 | carbon dioxide (a greenhouse gas) |
| CPD | cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers |
| DIC | dissolved inorganic carbon |
| DMS | dimethyl sulfide |
| DNA | deoxyribonucleic acid |
| DOC | dissolved organic carbon |
| DOM | dissolved organic matter |
| DTH | delayed type hypersensitivity |
| DU | Dobson Unit (used for the measurement of total column ozone (1 DU=2.69 × 1016 molecule cm−2) |
| EDUCE | European Database for Ultraviolet Radiation Climatology and Evaluation |
| EP | Earth Probe (a NASA satellite) |
| EPA | Environmental Protection Agency |
| GHG | greenhouse gas |
| Halon | bromine-containing compound |
| HALS | Hindered Amine Light Stabilizer |
| HCFC | hydrochlorofluorocarbon |
| HFC | hydrofluorocarbon |
| HIV | human immunodeficiency virus |
| HPV | human papilloma virus |
| IL | interleukin |
| INK4a | human inhibitor of kinase 4a protein (gene in italics) |
| Ink4a | murine inhibitor of kinase 4a protein (gene in italics) |
| kda | kilodalton |
| MAA | mycosporine-like amino acids |
| NC | nuclear cataract(s) |
| NaTFA | sodium trifluoroacetate |
| NCAR | National Centre for Atmospheric Research, USA |
| NIMBUS-7 | a NASA satellite |
| NMHCs | non-methane hydrocarbons |
| NO | nitric oxide (an ozone depleting gas) |
| NO2 | nitrogen dioxide (an ozone depleting gas) |
| N2O | nitrous oxide (a greenhouse gas that is also a source of NO2) |
| NOx | nitrogen oxides |
| NOAA | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, USA |
| NOEC | no observed effect concentration |
| OCS | carbonyl sulfide |
| CDFA | chlorodifluoroacetic acid |
| ODS | ozone depleting substance(s) |
| OH | hydroxyl radical (and important atmospheric cleaning agent) |
| PAR | photosynthetically active radiation, 400–700 nm waveband |
| PAUR II | Photochemical Activity and solar Ultraviolet Radiation campaign 2 |
| PEC | predicted environmental concentration |
| POC | particulate organic carbon |
| PSC | posterior subcapsular cataract(s) |
| PSC | Polar Stratospheric Cloud (ice crystals which form at high altitudes in Polar regions when the temperature is below a critical threshold) |
| PNEC | predicted no effect concentration |
| Ptc | murine ‘patch’ protein (gene in italics) |
| PTCH | human ‘patch’ protein (gene in italics) |
| QBO | quasi biennial oscillation (a shift in wind patterns – especially over the tropics – with a period of approximately 2.2 years) |
| RAF | radiation amplification factor (a measure of sensitivity to ozone change) |
| ROS | reactive oxygen species |
| SAGE | Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment, a satellite-based instrument |
| SCC | squamous cell carcinoma |
| SZA | solar zenith angle (i.e. the angle between zenith and the centre of the solar disk) |
| TFA | trifluoroacetic acid |
| TFM | the lampricide 3-fluoromethyl-4-nitrophenol |
| TOMS | Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer, a satellite-based instrument |
| Troposphere | lowest part of the Earth's atmosphere (0–16 km) |
| UCA | urocanic acid |
| UV | ultraviolet |
| UV-A | electromagnetic radiation of wavelengths in the 315 to 400 nm range |
| UV-B | electromagnetic radiation of wavelengths in the 280 to 315 nm range |
| UV-C | electromagnetic radiation of wavelengths in the 100 to 280 nm range |
| UV index | A standardised unit for providing UV information to the public |
| VOC | volatile organic compounds |
| WOUDC | world ozone and UV data centre |
| XP | xeroderma pigmentosum |
