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In the Gulf of St. Lawrence, Canada, productivity-determining biophysical interactions occur in the upper 0 to 30 m of the water column. The eggs and larvae of several commercially important marine invertebrates and fishes (e.g. Gadus morhua L.) are found in this layer. Measurements of the diffuse attenuation coefficients for ultraviolet-B radiation (280 to 320 nm, UV-B) at various locations in this geographic region indicated maximum 10% depths (the depth to which 10% of the surface energy penetrates at a given wavelength) of 3 to 4 m at a wavelength of 310 nm. This represents a significant percentage of the summer mixed-layer water column: organisms residing in this layer are exposed to UV-B radiation. Laboratory experiments using a Xenon-arc-lamp based solar simulator revealed that cod embryos exposed to UV-B exhibited high wavelength-dependent mortality. The strongest effects occurred …