Light Pollution Research
Recent Article Reviews
Light Pollution and Environmental Justice
On September 15, 1982, Dollie Burwell dropped her 10-year-old daughter Kim off at the bus stop, went home, and prepared to be arrested. That morning, 125 people were gathering at the Coley Springs Baptist Church in Afton, NC, steeling themselves to walk the mile and a half to the sight of a hazardous waste landfill where 60 police officers dressed in full riot gear were waiting for them. As she was preparing to leave her house she turned and saw Kim standing at the door. “I want to come with you”
Light pollution alters mountain lion behavior: But not in the way you might think
On January 14, 1991, Scott Lancaster, 18, left for a trail run on a rocky hillside above his Idaho Springs high school. He was never seen alive again. A few days later his body was found about a half mile away. A 100 lb mountain lion was spotted nearby. Scott had become the first confirmed mountain lion fatality in Colorado history.
Solving the puzzle of Scott’s death requires an understanding of a complex network of social and ecological factors that developed over many decades. A recent study adds a new piece to this puzzle: light pollution. Learn more about how light pollution affects mountain lion behavior, possibly resulting in more encounters with humans.
Light pollution from coastal development can affect seafloor organisms.
Roll on, thou deep and dark blue Ocean – roll! – Lord Byron
For generation, the seas have been synonymous with darkness. Deep and dark are among the most common descriptors for the oceans. We all know that light gets absorbed quickly by water. We see it when we’re swimming at the beach. At night, we know that below the surface the sea is dark, black, devoid of light. To poets and philosophers, it is the inky depths, the great void.
Well, then again, maybe not.
General Overview
Bennie, J., Duffy, J. P., Davies, T. W., Correa-Cano, M. E., & Gaston, K. J. (2015). Global trends in exposure to light pollution in natural terrestrial ecosystems. Remote Sensing, 7(3), 2715–2730.
Davies, T. W., Bennie, J., Inger, R., & Gaston, K. J. (2013). Artificial light alters natural regimes of night-time sky brightness. Scientific Reports, 3, 1722.
Falchi, F., Cinzano, P., Elvidge, C. D., Keith, D. M., & Haim, A. (2011). Limiting the impact of light pollution on human health, environment and stellar visibility. Journal of Environmental Management, 92(10), 2714–2722.
Meier, J., Hasenöhrl, U., Krause, K., & Pottharst, M. (2014). Urban lighting, light pollution and society. Routledge.
Narisada, K., & Schreuder, D. (2013). Light pollution handbook (Vol. 322). Springer Science & Business Media.
Schwarz, H. E. (2013). Light pollution: The global view (Vol. 284). Springer Science & Business Media.
Upgren, A. R. (1996). Nightblindness: Light pollution is changing astronomy, the environment, and our experience of nature. Amicus Journal, 17(4).
Wildlife
Aulsebrook, A. E. (2019). Impacts of streetlights on sleep in urban birds [PhD Thesis].
Bliss-Ketchum, L. L., de Rivera, C. E., Turner, B. C., & Weisbaum, D. M. (2016). The effect of artificial light on wildlife use of a passage structure. Biological Conservation, 199, 25–28.
Bobkowska, K., Janowski, A., Jasinska, K., Kowal, P., & Przyborski, M. (2016). Light pollution in the context of threats to the wildlife corridors. International Multidisciplinary Scientific GeoConference: SGEM: Surveying Geology & Mining Ecology Management, 3, 665–670.
Cabrera-Cruz, S. A., Smolinsky, J. A., McCarthy, K. P., & Buler, J. J. (2019). Urban areas affect flight altitudes of nocturnally migrating birds. Journal of Animal Ecology.
Colman, L. P., Lara, P. H., Bennie, J., & Broderick, A. C. (2018). Chapter IV: Assessing coastal artificial light and potential exposure of wildlife at a national scale: the case of marine turtles in Brazil. Ecology and Conservation of the Leatherback Sea Turtle (Dermochelys Coriacea) Nesting in Brazil, 162.
Colman, L. P., Lara, P. H., Bennie, J., Broderick, A. C., de Freitas, J. R., Marcondes, A., Witt, M. J., & Godley, B. J. (2020a). Assessing coastal artificial light and potential exposure of wildlife at a national scale: The case of marine turtles in Brazil. Biodiversity and Conservation, 1–18.
Colman, L. P., Lara, P. H., Bennie, J., Broderick, A. C., de Freitas, J. R., Marcondes, A., Witt, M. J., & Godley, B. J. (2020b). Assessing coastal artificial light and potential exposure of wildlife at a national scale: The case of marine turtles in Brazil. Biodiversity and Conservation, 1–18.
Fang, Y.-H., Gao, Y., Yang, Y., Tan, K., Li, Y.-P., Ren, G.-P., Huang, Z.-P., Cui, L.-W., & Xiao, W. (2019). Effects of reflective warning markers on wildlife. PeerJ, 7, e7614.
Hamacher, D. W., De Napoli, K., & Mott, B. (2020). Whitening the Sky: Light pollution as a form of cultural genocide. ArXiv Preprint ArXiv:2001.11527.
Kernbach, M. E., Cassone, V. M., Unnasch, T. R., & Martin, L. B. (2020). Broad-spectrum light pollution suppresses melatonin and increases West Nile virus–induced mortality in House Sparrows (Passer domesticus). The Condor.
La Sorte, F. A., Fink, D., Buler, J. J., Farnsworth, A., & Cabrera-Cruz, S. A. (2017). Seasonal associations with urban light pollution for nocturnally migrating bird populations. Global Change Biology, 23(11), 4609–4619.
Lotzof, K., Van Grouw, H., & West, S. (2018). Bye-bye dark sky: Is light pollution costing us more than just the night-time?
McLay, L. K. R. (2019). The effects of artificial light at night on the behaviour and physiology of Drosophila melanogaster [PhD Thesis].
Meredith, K., & McCulloch, A. (2020). Lakeshore Environment and Night Sky Sensor (LENSS)—Student Engagement in Dark Skies Monitoring Through Nested Mentorship and Environmental Action. AAS, 104–05.
Miller, C. R., Barton, B. T., Zhu, L., Radeloff, V. C., Oliver, K. M., Harmon, J. P., & Ives, A. R. (2017). Combined effects of night warming and light pollution on predator–prey interactions. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 284(1864), 20171195.
Miller, M. W. (2006). Apparent Effects of Light Pollution on Singing Behavior of American Robins. The Condor, 108(1), 130–139. https://doi.org/10.1093/condor/108.1.130
Rodríguez, A., Moffett, J., Revoltós, A., Wasiak, P., McIntosh, R. R., Sutherland, D. R., Renwick, L., Dann, P., & Chiaradia, A. (2017). Light pollution and seabird fledglings: Targeting efforts in rescue programs. The Journal of Wildlife Management, 81(4), 734–741.
Schirmer, A. E., Gallemore, C., Liu, T., Magle, S., DiNello, E., Ahmed, H., & Gilday, T. (2019). Mapping behaviorally relevant light pollution levels to improve urban habitat planning. Scientific Reports, 9(1), 1–13.
Schultz, G., Murali, S., & Walker, C. E. (2019). Saving the Dark: Screening of New Documentary Movie. ASPC, 524, 105.
Sparks, R. T., Walker, C. E., Newhouse, M., & Kisiel, E. (2019). Communicating Light Pollution Awareness with Citizen-Science. ASPC, 524, 309.
Swindall, J. E., Ober, H. K., Lamont, M. M., & Carthy, R. R. (2019). Informing sea turtle outreach efforts to maximize effectiveness. Wildlife Society Bulletin, 43(3), 436–446.
Truscott, Z., Booth, D. T., & Limpus, C. J. (2017). The effect of on-shore light pollution on sea-turtle hatchlings commencing their off-shore swim. Wildlife Research, 44(2), 127–134.
Voigt, C. C., Scholl, J. M., Bauer, J., Teige, T., Yovel, Y., Kramer-Schadt, S., & Gras, P. (2020). Movement responses of common noctule bats to the illuminated urban landscape. Landscape Ecology, 35(1), 189–201.
Yi-Hao, F., Gao, Y., Yang, Y., Tan, K., Yan-Peng, L., Guo-Peng, R., Zhi-Pang, H., Liang-Wei, C., & Xiao, W. (2019). Effects of reflective warning markers on wildlife. PeerJ.
Human Health
Chepesiuk, R. (2009). Missing the dark: Health effects of light pollution. National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.
Contín, M., Benedetto, M., Quinteros-Quintana, M., & Guido, M. (2016). Light pollution: The possible consequences of excessive illumination on retina. Eye, 30(2), 255–263.
Falchi, F., Cinzano, P., Elvidge, C. D., Keith, D. M., & Haim, A. (2011). Limiting the impact of light pollution on human health, environment and stellar visibility. Journal of Environmental Management, 92(10), 2714–2722.
Lamphar, H. A. S., & Kocifaj, M. (2013). Light pollution in ultraviolet and visible spectrum: Effect on different visual perceptions. PloS One, 8(2).
Reiter, R. J., Gultekin, F., Manchester, L. C., & Tan, D.-X. (2006). Light pollution, melatonin suppression and cancer growth. Journal of Pineal Research, 40(4), 357–358.
Romeo, S., Viaggi, C., Di Camillo, D., Willis, A. W., Lozzi, L., Rocchi, C., Capannolo, M., Aloisi, G., Vaglini, F., Maccarone, R., & others. (2013). Bright light exposure reduces TH-positive dopamine neurons: Implications of light pollution in Parkinson’s disease epidemiology. Scientific Reports, 3, 1395.
Spivey, A. (2010). Light pollution: Light at night and breast cancer risk worldwide. National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.
Wyse, C. A., Selman, C., Page, M., Coogan, A., & Hazlerigg, D. (2011). Circadian desynchrony and metabolic dysfunction; did light pollution make us fat? Medical Hypotheses, 77(6), 1139–1144.
Measurement and Modeling
Aubé, M., & Kocifaj, M. (2012). Using two light-pollution models to investigate artificial sky radiances at Canary Islands observatories. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 422(1), 819–830.
Benn, C., & Ellison, S. (1998). Brightness of the night sky over La Palma. New Astronomy Reviews, 42(6–8), 503–507.
Bennie, J., Duffy, J. P., Davies, T. W., Correa-Cano, M. E., & Gaston, K. J. (2015). Global trends in exposure to light pollution in natural terrestrial ecosystems. Remote Sensing, 7(3), 2715–2730.
Hale, J. D., Davies, G., Fairbrass, A. J., Matthews, T. J., Rogers, C. D., & Sadler, J. P. (2013). Mapping lightscapes: Spatial patterning of artificial lighting in an urban landscape. PloS One, 8(5).
Han, P., Huang, J., Li, R., Wang, L., Hu, Y., Wang, J., & Huang, W. (2014). Monitoring trends in light pollution in China based on nighttime satellite imagery. Remote Sensing, 6(6), 5541–5558.
Kyba, C. C., Wagner, J. M., Kuechly, H. U., Walker, C. E., Elvidge, C. D., Falchi, F., Ruhtz, T., Fischer, J., & Hölker, F. (2013). Citizen science provides valuable data for monitoring global night sky luminance. Scientific Reports, 3(1), 1–6.
Luginbuhl, C. B., Lockwood, G. W., Davis, D. R., Pick, K., & Selders, J. (2009). From the ground up I: light pollution sources in Flagstaff, Arizona. Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, 121(876), 185.
Olsen, R. N., Gallaway, T., & Mitchell, D. (2014). Modelling US light pollution. Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, 57(6), 883–903.
Pun, C. S. J., So, C. W., Leung, W. Y., & Wong, C. F. (2014). Contributions of artificial lighting sources on light pollution in Hong Kong measured through a night sky brightness monitoring network. Journal of Quantitative Spectroscopy and Radiative Transfer, 139, 90–108.
Rabaza, O., Galadí-Enríquez, D., Estrella, A. E., & Dols, F. A. (2010). All-sky brightness monitoring of light pollution with astronomical methods. Journal of Environmental Management, 91(6), 1278–1287.
Economics
Gallaway, T., Olsen, R. N., & Mitchell, D. M. (2010). The economics of global light pollution. Ecological Economics, 69(3), 658–665.
Kyba, C. C., Hänel, A., & Hölker, F. (2014). Redefining efficiency for outdoor lighting. Energy & Environmental Science, 7(6), 1806–1809.
Lyytimäki, J. (2013). Nature’s nocturnal services: Light pollution as a non-recognised challenge for ecosystem services research and management. Ecosystem Services, 3, e44–e48.