Artificial light pollution at night (ALAN) disrupts the distribution and circadian rhythm of a sandy beach isopod

2019 ◽  
Vol 248 ◽  
pp. 565-573 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cristian Duarte ◽  
Diego Quintanilla-Ahumada ◽  
Cristobal Anguita ◽  
Patricio H. Manríquez ◽  
Stephen Widdicombe ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Circadian Rhythm ◽  
Sandy Beach ◽  
Light Pollution ◽  
Artificial Light

Artificial Light Pollution at Night: A Risk for Normal Circadian Rhythm and Physiological Functions in Humans

2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 111-125
Author(s):  
Pravin Kumar ◽  
Mahendra S. Ashawat ◽  
Vinay Pandit ◽  
Dinesh K. Sharma
Keyword(s):  
Circadian Rhythm ◽  
Biological Clock ◽  
Light Pollution ◽  
Artificial Light ◽  
Suprachiasmatic Nuclei ◽  
Metabolic Disturbances ◽  
Dark Cycle ◽  
Physiological Level ◽  
Physiological Functions ◽  
Endocrine Hormone

From the past three to four decades, ecologists and scientists have exhaustively studied the effect of increased artificial light pollution at night on the ecological and physiological behavior of mammals. The Suprachiasmatic Nuclei (SCN) or master clock in the brain of mammals including humans synchronizes the physiological functions with the light: dark cycle. The prolongation of light period in the light: dark cycle disrupts the circadian rhythm of mammals causing several negative or modified physiological consequences. Changed physiological level of melatonin, an important endocrine hormone, had been identified as an important factor causing different consequences such as cancer, diabetes mellitus, metabolic disturbances, oxidative stress, and depression. The presence of artificial light at night is the demand of the era but thoughts must be given to the prevention of consequences due to artificial light pollution and ‘how much is needed’. The review paper discusses the effect of artificial light pollution on the biological clock of humans and associated negative physiological consequences. Further, the paper also briefly discusses the economics of light pollution and measures needed to prevent physiological disorders in humans.

scholarly journals The Effects of Anthropogenic Sound and Artificial Light Exposure on Microbiomes: Ecological and Public Health Implications

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jake M Robinson ◽  
Ross Cameron ◽  
Brenda Parker
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Human Health ◽  
Critical Appraisal ◽  
Scientific Literature ◽  
Light Exposure ◽  
Microbial Interactions ◽  
Light Pollution ◽  
Artificial Light ◽  
Future Studies ◽  
Health Implications

Globally, anthropogenic sound and artificial light pollution have increased to alarming levels. Evidence suggests that these can disrupt critical processes that impact ecosystems and human health. However, limited focus has been given to the potential effects of sound and artificial light pollution on microbiomes. Microbial communities are the foundations of our ecosystems. They are essential for human health and provide myriad ecosystem services. Therefore, disruption to microbiomes by anthropogenic sound and artificial light could have important ecological and human health implications. In this mini-review, we provide a critical appraisal of available scientific literature on the effects of anthropogenic sound and light exposure on microorganisms and discuss the potential ecological and human health implications. Our mini-review shows that a limited number of studies have been carried out to investigate the effects of anthropogenic sound and light pollution on microbiomes. However, based on these studies, it is evident that anthropogenic sound and light pollution have the potential to significantly influence ecosystems and human health via microbial interactions. Many of the studies suffered from modest sample sizes, suboptimal experiments designs, and some of the bioinformatics approaches used are now outdated. These factors should be improved in future studies. This is an emerging and severely underexplored area of research that could have important implications for global ecosystems and public health. Finally, we also propose the photo-sonic restoration hypothesis: does restoring natural levels of light and sound help to restore microbiomes and ecosystem stability?

scholarly journals A Systematic Review of Research Investigating the Combined Ecological Impact of Anthropogenic Noise and Artificial Light at Night

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wouter Halfwerk ◽  
Paul Jerem
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Observational Studies ◽  
Ecological Impact ◽  
Experimental Studies ◽  
Ecological Impacts ◽  
Anthropogenic Noise ◽  
Light Pollution ◽  
Artificial Light ◽  
Light At Night ◽  
The Impact

Levels of anthropogenic noise and artificial light at night (ALAN) are rapidly rising on a global scale. Both sensory pollutants are well known to affect animal behavior and physiology, which can lead to substantial ecological impacts. Most studies on noise or light pollution to date have focused on single stressor impacts, studying both pollutants in isolation despite their high spatial and temporal co-occurrence. However, few studies have addressed their combined impact, known as multisensory pollution, with the specific aim to assess whether the interaction between noise and light pollution leads to predictable, additive effects, or less predictable, synergistic or antagonistic effects. We carried out a systematic review of research investigating multisensory pollution and found 28 studies that simultaneously assessed the impact of anthropogenic noise and ALAN on animal function (e.g., behavior, morphology or life-history), physiology (e.g., stress, oxidative, or immune status), or population demography (e.g., abundance or species richness). Only fifteen of these studies specifically tested for possible interactive effects when both sensory pollutants were combined. Four out of eight experimental studies revealed a significant interaction effect, in contrast to only three out seven observational studies. We discuss the benefits and limitations of experimental vs. observational studies addressing multisensory pollution and call for more specific testing of the diverse ways in which noise and light pollution can interact to affect wildlife.

Light pollution reduces activity, food consumption and growth rates in a sandy beach invertebrate

2016 ◽  
Vol 218 ◽  
pp. 1147-1153 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Luarte ◽  
C.C. Bonta ◽  
E.A. Silva-Rodriguez ◽  
P.A. Quijón ◽  
C. Miranda ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Food Consumption ◽  
Growth Rates ◽  
Sandy Beach ◽  
Light Pollution

Autonomous Light Assessment Drone for Dark Skies Studies

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew N. Goodell ◽  
Takara E. Truong ◽  
Stephanie R. Marston ◽  
Brett J. Smiley ◽  
Elliot R. Befus ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Low Cost ◽  
Field Tests ◽  
Global Scale ◽  
Local Scale ◽  
Light Pollution ◽  
Artificial Light ◽  
Remote Site ◽  
Improper Use ◽  
Initial Results

Abstract The improper use of artificial light causing skyglow is detrimental to many types of wildlife and can potentially cause irregular human sleeping patterns. Studies have been performed to analyze light pollution on a global scale. However, light pollution data on a local scale is not of ten available and the effects at local scale have rarely been studied. Herein, a new custom-designed autonomous light assessment drone (ALAD) is described for evaluating light pollution at local scale. The ALAD is designed and equipped with a sky quality meter (SQM) to measure skyglow and a low-cost illuminance sensor to measure light from artificial sources. Outdoor field tests are performed at a remote site in central Utah and the measured results are validated against data from lightpollution-map.info. The SQM measurements are in agreement with the estimates from the light pollution map, and the initial results demonstrate feasibility of the ALAD for local-scale skyglow assessment.

Light and Sleep

2021 ◽  
pp. 101-112
Author(s):  
Morgan P. Reid ◽  
Natalie D. Dautovich ◽  
Joseph M. Dzierzewski
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Circadian Rhythm ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Bright Light ◽  
Light Pollution ◽  
Poor Sleep ◽  
Appropriate Use ◽  
Sleep Period ◽  
Circadian Phase ◽  
Environmental Light

Sleep has been consistently demonstrated as a key component of overall health, and poor sleep is associated with various negative physical, cognitive, and mental health outcomes. Optimal sleep requires the sleep–wake circadian rhythm to be synchronized to a 24-hour period. Light is a key determinant in the synchronization of the circadian rhythm to this period. Exposure to bright light in the morning can advance the sleep period, while bright light in the evening can delay the sleep period and lead to negative sleep outcomes. The home environment should make appropriate use of light so as to optimize sleep and eliminate environmental light pollution. Light can also be utilized to treat circadian phase sleep disorders.

scholarly journals Emission spectra of light-pollution sources determined from the light-scattering spectrometry of the night sky

2019 ◽  
Vol 491 (4) ◽  
pp. 5586-5594
Author(s):  
Miroslav Kocifaj ◽  
František Kundracik ◽  
Ondrej Bilý
Keyword(s):  
Light Scattering ◽  
Field Experiments ◽  
Spectral Composition ◽  
Emission Spectra ◽  
Pollution Sources ◽  
Light Pollution ◽  
Ambient Atmosphere ◽  
Artificial Light ◽  
Measuring Device ◽  
Night Sky

ABSTRACT The emission spectrum of a light-pollution source is a determining factor for modelling artificial light at night. The spectral composition of skyglow is normally derived from the initial spectra of all artificial light sources contributing to the diffuse illumination of an observation point. However, light scattering in the ambient atmosphere imposes a wavelength-specific distortion on the optical signals captured by the measuring device. The nature of the emission, the spectra and the light-scattering phenomena not only control the spectral properties of the ground-reaching radiation, but also provide a unique tool for remote diagnosis and even identification of the emission spectra of the light-polluting sources. This is because the information contained in the night-sky brightness is preferably measured in directions towards a glowing dome of light over the artificial source of light. We have developed a new method for obtaining the emission spectra using remote terrestrial sensing of the bright patches of sky associated with a source. Field experiments conducted in Vienna and Bratislava have been used to validate the theoretical model and the retrieval method. These experiments demonstrate that the numerical inversion is successful even if the signal-to-noise ratio is small. The method for decoding the emission spectra by the light-scattering spectrometry of a night sky is a unique approach that enables for (i) a systematic characterization of the light-pollution sources over a specific territory, and (ii) a significant improvement in the numerical prediction of skyglow changes that we can expect at observatories.

scholarly journals Artificial light pollution: are shifting spectral signatures changing the balance of species interactions?

2013 ◽  
Vol 19 (5) ◽  
pp. 1417-1423 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas W. Davies ◽  
Jonathan Bennie ◽  
Richard Inger ◽  
Natalie Hempel Ibarra ◽  
Kevin J. Gaston
Keyword(s):  
Species Interactions ◽  
Light Pollution ◽  
Artificial Light ◽  
Spectral Signatures
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