Incoming irradiance at the surface and transmitted through snow and sea ice was measured during a cruise to the Chukchi Sea in August 2019 with the Korean RV Araon using TriOS RAMSES planar radiometers. The data was collected to improve understanding of how the physical and optical properties of various sea ice conditions affect the solar partitioning by snow and sea ice in the Arctic Ocean and how this might affect the ecosystem trophic levels relying on photosynthesis. The data is also used to improve parameterisation in models or for remote sensing applications in order to upscale to a pan-Arctic level. This dataset resulted from the NERC project (NE/R012725/1) Eco-Light, part of the Changing Arctic Ocean programme, jointly funded by the UKRI Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF).

Biologically relevant radiation has been recorded since February 1997 using a Bentham spectroradiometer at Rothera. The Bentham spectroradiometer is sited on the roof of the Bonner Laboratory at Rothera. It measures spectral global irradiance between 280 and 600 nm (wavelengths from below UV-B to the middle of the visible range) with a step size of 0.5 nm and a resolution of 1 nm. Scans are recorded at various time intervals depending on the time of day and season peaking at every 30 minutes while the sun is above the horizon from the beginning of September until the end of April. These scans can be used to measure the amount of solar radiation reaching the earth''s surface at Rothera. It provides particularly useful background data for studies on the effects of increased UV-B, due to the ozone hole, on the plants and microbes in regions around Rothera.