Artificial light alters natural regimes of night-time sky brightness

Davies, Thomas W.; Bennie, Jonathan; Inger, Richard; Gaston, Kevin J.

doi:10.1038/srep01722

Cited by 97 publications

(76 citation statements)

References 48 publications

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“…Data from two sites in Australia were taken between 21 and 29 November 2011 (Alice Springs) and from 15 March to 29 April 2012 and 21 May to 1 October 2012 (Adelaide). Some subsamples of these data have been reported previously293033353738, but this is the first time the datasets have been systematically contrasted with each other.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Worldwide variations in artificial skyglow

Kyba

Tong

Bennie

et al. 2015

Sci Rep

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158

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Despite constituting a widespread and significant environmental change, understanding of artificial nighttime skyglow is extremely limited. Until now, published monitoring studies have been local or regional in scope, and typically of short duration. In this first major international compilation of monitoring data we answer several key questions about skyglow properties. Skyglow is observed to vary over four orders of magnitude, a range hundreds of times larger than was the case before artificial light. Nearly all of the study sites were polluted by artificial light. A non-linear relationship is observed between the sky brightness on clear and overcast nights, with a change in behavior near the rural to urban landuse transition. Overcast skies ranged from a third darker to almost 18 times brighter than clear. Clear sky radiances estimated by the World Atlas of Artificial Night Sky Brightness were found to be overestimated by ~25%; our dataset will play an important role in the calibration and ground truthing of future skyglow models. Most of the brightly lit sites darkened as the night progressed, typically by ~5% per hour. The great variation in skyglow radiance observed from site-to-site and with changing meteorological conditions underlines the need for a long-term international monitoring program.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Worldwide variations in artificial skyglow

Kyba

Tong

Bennie

et al. 2015

Sci Rep

Self Cite

158

127

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“…While the cost benefits of LED lighting for humans is clear, our findings suggest that these short‐wavelengths are increasing the potential for misleading photic cues, disrupting physiological processes, and ultimately increasing the potential for long‐term ecological, physiological, and health consequences in natural systems (Davies et al., ; Gaston, Visser, & Hölker, ). With over 400,000 LEDs already installed in Australia, it is clear there is an urgent need for an improved understanding of the physiological costs associated with their use.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 84%

“…Worldwide human population growth has resulted in the rapid expansion of artificial light into previously unlit areas leading to a novel anthropogenic pressure on wildlife (Dominoni & Partecke, ; Lyytimäki, ; Swaddle et al., ). As artificial light encroaches into these untouched habitats, it leads to changes in the irradiance, direction, duration, and spectral composition of light (Blumstein & Berger‐Tal, ; Davies, Bennie, Inger, & Gaston, ; Davies, Bennie, Inger, Ibarra, & Gaston, ; Gaston, Duffy, Gaston, Bennie, & Davies, ; Longcore & Rich, ). These changes mask natural photoperiods providing misleading cues and ultimately result in daily and seasonal desynchronization in photo‐dependent animals (Duffy, Bennie, Durán, & Gaston, ; Gaston, Bennie, Davies, & Hopkins, ; Hölker, Wolter, Perkin, & Tockner, ; Le Tallec, Perret, & Théry, ; Pawson & Bader, ; Stone, Jones, & Harris, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Artificial light pollution: Shifting spectral wavelengths to mitigate physiological and health consequences in a nocturnal marsupial mammal

Dimovski

Robert

2018

J Exp Zool Pt A

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The focus of sustainable lighting tends to be on reduced CO emissions and cost savings, but not on the wider environmental effects. Ironically, the introduction of energy-efficient lighting, such as light emitting diodes (LEDs), may be having a great impact on the health of wildlife. These white LEDs are generated with a high content of short-wavelength 'blue' light. While light of any kind can suppress melatonin and the physiological processes it regulates, these short wavelengths are potent suppressors of melatonin. Here, we manipulated the spectral composition of LED lights and tested their capacity to mitigate the physiological and health consequences associated with their use. We experimentally investigated the impact of white LEDs (peak wavelength 448 nm; mean irradiance 2.87 W/m ), long-wavelength shifted amber LEDs (peak wavelength 605 nm; mean irradiance 2.00 W/m ), and no lighting (irradiance from sky glow < 0.37 × 10 W/m ), on melatonin production, lipid peroxidation, and circulating antioxidant capacity in the tammar wallaby (Macropus eugenii). Night-time melatonin and oxidative status were determined at baseline and again following 10 weeks exposure to light treatments. White LED exposed wallabies had significantly suppressed nocturnal melatonin compared to no light and amber LED exposed wallabies, while there was no difference in lipid peroxidation. Antioxidant capacity declined from baseline to week 10 under all treatments. These results provide further evidence that short-wavelength light at night is a potent suppressor of nocturnal melatonin. Importantly, we also illustrate that shifting the spectral output to longer wavelengths could mitigate these negative physiological impacts.

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“…This derives from a diversity of sources, including street lighting, advertising lighting, architectural lighting, security lighting, domestic lighting and vehicle lighting. ALAN disrupts natural patterns of light both via direct effects of illumination from these sources as well as via skyglow (the scattering by atmospheric molecules or aerosols in the atmosphere of ALAN that is emitted or reflected upwards; [8][9][10]). …”

Section: The Challengementioning

confidence: 99%