Abstract Marine fouling, or the unwanted accumulation of plants and animals on submerged surfaces, can lead to many functional and financial setbacks. Standard methods of combating fouling can be labor intensive or otherwise limiting in their effectiveness and value. Thus, novel efforts are being studied to achieve antifouling in more cost-friendly and environmentally sustainable ways. One emerging approach is the application of ultraviolet C (UVC) light. This study compared the results from modeled relative irradiance to in situ observations by analyzing consequential field effectiveness and other secondary UVC impacts. UVC-emitting lamps (254 nm) were modeled using ray tracing simulations to mimic light scatter underwater. Simulations contained surfaces placed at 25-mm intervals from the light source until a consistently negligible UVC reach was found at 150 mm. The computed findings were then validated through comparison to field immersions in the marine environment of Port Canaveral, FL. Test surfaces and the UVC lamps were placed in frames with 25-mm and 50-mm standoff distances (from light to panel). Surfaces were exposed for 10 min/day for 8 weeks with respective resulting UVC doses of 636.20 mJ/cm 2 and 429.67 mJ/cm 2 . Following underwater immersion, surfaces were examined for fouling development and other UVC impacts. The field results resembled the modeled simulations in both fouling and surface degradation patterns, with the most impact occurring in areas of the highest modeled irradiance. This improves understanding of how modeling can be used to predict impacts of UVC exposure in optimizing fouling prevention, including considering photodegradation and energy usage. Additionally, numerical data were gathered, which helps to inform species- and material-specific thresholds to be used in future development of biofouling management systems.
Kozee et al. (Thu,) studied this question.