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An Enlightened Look at an Over-Lighted World
Saige writes "Every night, as darkness descends, countless street lamps and lights turn on to keep the darkness at bay, bathing countless square feet of the planet in light that sometimes rivals daytime. But has anyone stopped to consider what effect all this light may have on people and animals that have evolved to fit an environment where a significant part of the 24 hour day is spent in lightless conditions? Some scientists have, and they are claiming that all this light is causing numerous problems."
I live in England and a popular BBC science TV programme, "Tomorrow's World" was doing reports on this phenomenon as far back as 1998/1999. If I recall correctly, they even asked viewers to do an informal study whereby they looked at the night sky through a toilet roll tube and counted the number of visible stars, then to send in that number and geographical location in so that they could figure out where light pollution was worst. As far as I can tell, the south of the country was a lot more afflicted than the north, with major cities (particularly London) often having no stars visible at all at some times.
Bash script for FP whores
The International Dark Sky Association is an organization that has been looking at these issues for some time, if you want to get involved. They have some interesting information and data about night-time lighting and its relationship to crime, as well as other things.
On March 31, 1880, the good people of Wabash, Indiana (population 320), launched a technological revolution. Atop the town's courthouse dome, they mounted two crossarms with a 3,000-candlepower carbon-arc bulb at both ends of each. They then fired up a threshing-machine steam engine to generate electricity, and at 8 p.m. sharp, flipped a switch. Sparks showered, and Wabash became the first electrically lit city in the world. "The strange, weird light, exceeded in power only by the sun, rendered the square as light as midday," one witness reported. "Men fell on their knees, groans were uttered at the sight, and many were dumb with amazement. We contemplated the new wonder of science as lightning brought down from the heavens.
A century and a quarter later, electric light turns night into day around the globe. In the first world atlas of artificial night-sky brightness, released in 2001 by the Italian astronomer Pierantonio Cinzano and based on high-resolution satellite data, the heavily developed urban corridors of Japan, Western Europe, and the United States blaze like amusement parks. We flood the heavens with so much artificial light that nearly two-thirds of the world's people can no longer see the Milky Way. On a clear, dark night far from light-polluted skies, roughly 2,500 celestial points of light can be discerned by the naked eye. For people living in the suburbs of New York, that number dwindles to 250; residents of Manhattan are lucky to see 15. Moreover, as the stars fade from view, a growing body of research suggests that excessive exposure to artificial night light can alter basic biological rhythms in animals, change predator-prey relationships, and even trigger deadly hormonal imbalances in humans.
Many creatures are genetically programmed to navigate by the dim glow of the stars and the moon. For them, night lights can be deadly: Michael Mesuren, founder of the Toronto-based Fatal Light Awareness Program, estimates that 100 million songbirds collide with lit buildings in North America each year. Likewise, artificial light is a source of confusion for the nocturnal cousins of butterflies. Entomologist Rod Crawford, of the Burke Museum at the University of Washington, believes that light pollution may be the leading cause, after habitat loss, of the decline of the spectacular giant silk moths that were once a source of summer visual delight. "The farther from lights and altered habitats you get, the more moths you find," he says.
Kenneth Frank, a Philadelphia physician and lepidopterist, says that light-lured moths often miss their brief opportunities to mate, or succumb to light-stalking predators. Bright lights also disrupt migration routes, confining some moth populations to isolated islands of darkness. But Frank concedes that the plight of moths is unlikely to rouse public outcry. "Never argue against something on behalf of moths," he warns. "People will just laugh at you. Talk about ecosystems instead."
And there is plenty to talk about. Just ask Marianne Moore, a limnologist at Wellesley College who studies the life cycles of zooplankton--minute crustaceans and rotifers that rise toward the surface of nearby lakes at night to feed on algae and then descend by day to escape predators. Her research suggests that the sky glow reflected from streetlights prompts the tiny organisms to remain well below the surface. This deprives the zooplankton of nutrients and allows runaway algae to grow, which in turn suffocates other aquatic plant life. At the same time, artificial light appears to wreak havoc on the mating habits of the little lake creatures. "Lunar cues are very important for reproduction," Moore says, and sky glow simulates those cues.
Many people might consider such subtle changes in the environment a small price to pay for brightly lit communities. But new medical data suggest humans are not immune to light pollution. In 2001 the Journal of the National Cancer Institute published two studies that the editors argued revealed "
Sure. Some links below, found on google. I'd show you my textbook, if I could :)
c tion.html
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c tures/extinction/extinction.html
0 _notes.html
http://library.thinkquest.org/26026/Science/extin
http://biomed.brown.edu/Courses/BIO48/38.Extincti
http://nitro.biosci.arizona.edu/courses/EEB105/le
http://fig.cox.miami.edu/Faculty/Tom/bil160sp98/1
Simon
Researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston reviewed the health histories of 78,562 nurses and found a lower but still significant correlation: Those with one to 29 years on the night shift showed, on average, an 8 percent increase in breast cancer; those with 30 or more years showed a 36 percent increase.
Just about every study shows 3rd shift workers suffering from more adverse health problems than those who are productive in the daytime. I think this has more to do with sunlight and being in a more natural cycle. I personally think depression caused by working overnight has far more to do with these health problems. The typical health of most night-time workers I've known (over 35) have been in rough shape from mostly preventable conditions like smoking, drinking, etc.
Elizabeth Alvarez, the International Dark-Sky Association's associate director, counters with photos of bright streetlights casting deep shadows where bad guys could lurk. "Glare does not help visibility!" she says. "Too much light is blinding."
This is very true. When I grew up out in the country, I could walk outside and see several hundred feet on any night with even a slight moon. Once I moved to the city, this was not the case. So many bright lights everywhere, that where one is not appears pitch black. No way in hell could you ever manage to sneak up on me out in the woods, but in a city, it'd be about as hard as standing past where the street lamp's light is cast.
The thing that bothers me about all this extra lighting at night is the wasting of resources. I'd rather get a cut on my state and local taxes and do without the massive lighting infrastructure on my local freeways. My car has headlights that illuminate everything I need to see to drive safely and the only cost is energy my motor would have wasted anyway.
On a more reasonable note, what we really need is a few more technical hurdles overcome and move to LED lighting. The safety factor of lower operating tempuratures and saved energy would be immensely beneficial.
Arizona has light pollution laws, because of the astronomy work that is done here. Lights have to be pointed down and must have a cover. Parking lots have to use this funky amber color that doesn't spread out as far. It really is possible to strike a compromise.
because I have been enjoined by this Holy Office to abandon the false opinion which maintains that the Sun is the centre
I haven't seen this mentioned yet. I would urge everyone concerned with this issue to become members of the International Dark Sky Association. They have wonderful information on the issue and are very active in trying to get light pollution laws enforced.
Streetlights provide that load, and make us safer.
People who think they know everything really piss off those of us that actually do.
Last month I drove from my old home (Orlando, FL) to my new one (Spokane, WA). I was amazed at the difference in the night sky between the two places.
The last night of my drive, I stopped at Lookout Pass to camp for the night. Since it is summer, and the ski facilities are closed, there were only three cars besides myself up there.
Lookout Pass is 4725 ft. up in the mountains, right on the border between Montana and Idaho (Exit 0 on I -90).
Not a small town for miles, and not a city of mention for 50+ miles in any direction. Almost zero light pollution.
I've never been able to see so many stars before. The Milky Way stood out and was easily visible. I was able to watch sattelites pass overhead. You can understand how the ancient Greeks saw the constellations -- it really helps when you can see the fainter stars.
It is all out-of-sight, out-of-mind. Most people don't know what they are missing with all the light pollution.
Learning HOW to think is more important than learning WHAT to think.
....especially in the winter. Downtown lights up low hanging clouds and gives us a nice well lit evening. It's really nice when walking at home at 10pm in the evenin. Then again, though, on winter days the sun sets before 5pm.
Frankly, I'd like a lot less city light. I came from a small rural area and live in a big city. The light (and noise) at night still throws off my sleeping even after 9 years here. I very much miss the quiet darkness at night, especially laying out and actually seeing the stars.