(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Climate Brief: Light pollution poses a serious threat-impacts include insects animals and us [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.'] Date: 2023-06-18 space.com: Light pollution poses serious threat to astronomy, skywatching and more, study says Sharmila Kuthunur The impacts extend far beyond those of us who treasure the night sky More information phys. Losing darkness: Satellite data shows global light pollution on the rise . Scientific evidence suggests that artificial light at night has negative and deadly effects on many creatures including amphibians, birds, mammals, insects.… shift work that involves circadian disruption was listed as a probable carcinogen by the World Health Organization's International Agency for Research on Cancer Dk images library How does light pollution effect insects? Light pollution disrupts natural processes in nocturnal insects like fireflies and moths. It also increases predation of aquatic insects that lie in wait until the cover of darkness to move or eat. Light Pollution Negatively Impacts Wildlife Including Insects it's only going to get worse. In the coming years, about 400,000 satellites are predicted to crowd low-Earth orbit . "The astronomical community did not become aware of the issue until spacecraft were already being launched," Perez wrote in the new study. astronomers have long voiced concerns about increasing yet mostly unregulated artificial urban lighting and satellite megaconstellations such as SpaceX's Starlink impacting valuable observations of deep-space objects by ground-based observatories, which are considered the real workhorses of space science and are more severely impacted by light pollution than their space-based counterparts. It says that more than 80% of the world's population currently lives under light-polluted skies that are getting contaminated at a breakneck pace of nearly 10% each year, which is much higher than previously thought. Meanwhile, the sales of LEDs (light-emitting diodes) — which emit large amounts of blue light that scatters widely in Earth's atmosphere and deteriorates the quality of telescope observations — have increased by 18% in the last five years and are expected to spike by a further 15% by 2027, reaching a revenue of $141 million per year, according to study author Antonia Perez, an astrophysicist at the Institute of Astrophysics of the Canary Islands (IAC) in Tenerife, Spain. . Humans too, are impacted. Previous research has found that light pollution messes with the light-driven circadian clock and prolongs the time it takes for us to fall asleep. And other studies have linked light pollution to a higher risk of obesity and depression . . Public health impact "Our choices today will set consequences and precedents for centuries to come," Aparna Venkatesan, a cosmologist at the University of San Francisco who advocates for space to be viewed as a globally shared environment and heritage , told Space.com. "We are accountable not only to future scientists, but also future storytellers, artists, songwriters and practitioners of cultural sky traditions." . We've known for decades how to reduce light pollution technically. The big question is, How do we get the individuals who choose and install lighting to make good choices?" Christopher Kyba, a light pollution researcher at the Ruhr University Bochum in Germany, told Space.com. Kyba led a recent study that quantified the likely coming effects of light pollution. Locations where 250 stars are currently visible with the naked eye in the night sky will see that stellar bounty shrink to 100 in less than two decades , Kyba's team found. Read more: www.space.com/… . Light pollution is the presence of unwanted, inappropriate, or excessive artificial lighting. In a descriptive sense, the term light pollution refers to the effects of any poorly implemented lighting, during the day or night. Ecological impact Ecological light pollution Main article: While light at night can be beneficial, neutral, or damaging for individual species, its presence invariably disturbs ecosystems. For example, some species of spiders avoid lit areas, while other species are happy to build their webs directly on lamp posts. Since lamp posts attract many flying insects, the spiders that tolerate the light gain an advantage over the spiders that avoid it. This is a simple example of the way in which species frequencies and food webs can be disturbed by the introduction of light at night. Light pollution poses a serious threat in particular to nocturnal wildlife, having negative impacts on plant and animal physiology. It can confuse animal navigation, alter competitive interactions, change predator-prey relations,[75] and cause physiological harm.[76] The rhythm of life is orchestrated by the natural diurnal patterns of light and dark, so disruption to these patterns impacts the ecological dynamics.[77] Many species of marine plankton, such as Calanus copepods, can detect light levels as low as 0.1 μWm−2;[78] using this as a threshold a global atlas of marine Artificial Light at Night has been generated,[79] showing its global widespread nature. Studies suggest that light pollution around lakes prevents zooplankton, such as Daphnia, from eating surface algae, causing algal blooms that can kill off the lakes' plants and lower water quality.[80] Light pollution may also affect ecosystems in other ways. For example, entomologists have documented that nighttime light may interfere with the ability of moths and other nocturnal insects to navigate.[81] It can also negative impact on insect development and reproduction.[82] Night-blooming flowers that depend on moths for pollination may be affected by night lighting, as there is no replacement pollinator that would not be affected by the artificial light. This can lead to species decline of plants that are unable to reproduce, and change an area's longterm ecology.[83] Among nocturnal insects, fireflies (Coleoptera: Lampyridae, Phengodidae and Elateridae) are especially interesting study objects for light pollution, once they depend on their own light to reproduce and, consequently, are very sensitive to environmental levels of light.[84][85][86] Fireflies are well known and interesting to the general public (unlike many other insects)[87] and are easily spotted by non-experts, and, due to their sensibility and rapid response to environmental changes, good bioindicators for artificial night lighting.[88] Significant declines in some insect populations have been suggested as being at least partially mediated by artificial lights at night Wikipedia insects pdf light pollution effects on insects Light pollution is a driver of insect declines Owens · Cited by 268 scholar.google.com/… Firefly- Angmar Fireflies Nov 25, 2019 — A new study shows excess outdoor light is impacting how insects hunt, mate and make them more vulnerable to predators Light pollution is a side effect of industrial civilization. Its sources include building exterior and interior lighting, advertising, commercial properties. . BBC www.bbc.com The argument for switching off lights at night Jul 20, 2021 — The light pollution produced by street lamps, advertising boards, flood lights and our homes is so bad that 80% of the world's population..… . from Nature.org: "The average carbon footprint for a person in the United States is 16 tons, one of the highest rates in the world. Globally, the average carbon footprint is closer to 4 tons." About 20% of greenhouse gases in the US come from homes amp.cnn.com/… HELP SAVE THE PLANET AND OURSELVES: *Turn out the lights when- not in use/use less* Turn down the heat or AC vent out at night if cooler Avoid creating nighttime light pollution Don’t waste water Avoid burning wood (or other things), as wood fires are both pollutant and carcinogenic Don't use pesticides Limit your use of cars and planes (if possible) Don't use gas powered vehicles Take out grass and put in a garden or pond (or xeriscape ) xeriscape ) Mow, blow, and whack with electric or by hand Plant for the animals (bees, birds etc) Plant trees Don't micro manage yards, go wilder Try to use solar Take a bus, trolley or train Encourage your city/town to use electric buses Use energy efficient products or products that work on clean fuels Reduce dependence on non-biodegradable items Walk, bike or carpool Reuse items- give to Goodwill or Craig's list rather than dumping Cut down or cease eating meat Use reusable carry bags for grocerie; second choice, paper bags; not plastic Compost Save the bees Be informed Write your representative, sign petitions E lect pro-environment candidates and demand action Support the Green New Deal Get involved March Blog about the environment Control population 🌎 Earth Matters with Meteor Blades Earth Matters with Meteor Blades News: [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/6/18/2176039/-Climate-Brief-Light-pollution-poses-a-serious-threat-impacts-include-insects-animals-and-us Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/