So, if you are an eco-freak, turn-up to this blog to learn
more about the earth. Well! If this is your motive then chill, you are at the right
place. Here you can get all the information regarding earth and environment.
We, human beings are well aware of the fact that many of our activities
adversely affect the environment. We are more responsible in polluting our
planet instead of knowing the fact that the earth is our only home. There are
various kinds of pollution that are deteriorating earth’s ecological
balance; some are commonly known and some are uncommon. Light pollution is one
such kind of problem that has been overlooked by an average number of people.
Therefore, this blog post is for all you people, who do not know about light
pollution. Here I go......
An Introduction
Light pollution is a man made disturbance in the natural
day-night landscape.
With rapid modernization, we are all creating light sprinkles all around
us. In the name of safety and security day by day we are losing the "dark
night sky". Even the villages which were the ones known for peaceful dark
night landscapes are in the race of lightening every nook and corner. It has
resulted in the misuse or overuse of electricity in many forms. Light pollution is
also termed as photo-pollution or luminous pollution.
Types of Light
Pollution
Sky Glow: If you are residing at a place where
luminous pollution is high, then you may have noticed ‘orange smog’
in the sky at night. This ‘smog’ is termed as sky glow. It is due to
natural and man-made sources.
Light Trespass: Light trespass occurs due to unwanted
lighting in an area. It happens when light spreads to an area where it is not
required. Example: Lighting in apartments because of streetlights.
Glare: It can be described as the expansion in a
given field of view. Glare causes uncomfortableness in the eyes and can even
lead to serious road accidents. Example- sometimes while driving in the night,
suddenly we cover our eyes with hands because glare makes it difficult to see.
Light Pollution and Human Beings
- Light pollution has some serious consequences on human health. Due to light pollution:
- Human’s night vision can be seriously affected.
- Due to light pollution, aging eyes can experience stain.
- Over exposure to the artificial light can lead to disruption in circadian rhythm which further leads to depression insomnia, depression, and cardiovascular disease.
- It interferes with scientific studies related to astronomical observations.
Light Pollution and
Environment
Mammals
- Light pollution causes decline in population of mammals.
- Due to much light mammals find difficulty in searching food.
Reptiles
·
Decrease in population of reptiles because of
decrease in mating. Further the newly hatched out sea turtles confuses their
way to the sea and get caught by predators or dies due to unfavorable
conditions.
·
Weight loss in reptiles due to appetite problems
caused by abnormal level and spectrum of light.
Birds
- Migratory birds lose their destination due to artificial light.
- Disturbance occurred due to artificial light causes birds crash which then drop from the sky.
For the past few years, people from different part of the
world are showing concern over this issue. They are coming forward to protect
the beautiful dark night landscape. In the year 1988,the International Dark-Sky Association came into existence. It is the
first organization to call attention of hazards of light pollution. It promotes
the simple idea "light what you need, when you need it. Let us stick to
this idea and enjoy the aesthetic gift of the mother nature.
What We Can Do to
Prevent Light Pollution?
- Always switch off bulbs when not in use for security purposes.
- Make sure all lighting equipments are properly installed in your house.
- Educate people around you about light pollution and its adverse effects.
- Replace traditional high energy bulbs with CFLs and LED.
- Replace outside lights with low-glare lighting equipment.
References:-
1. C. Robertson
McClung. Plant Circadian Rhythms. Plant Cell. 2006 April; 18(4):
792–803.
2. Report 4 Of The
Council On Science And Public Health (A-12) 2012. Light Pollution: Adverse
Health Effects of Night time Lighting.
3. "Light
Pollution and the Palomar Observatory". Palomar Observatory:Caltech Astronomy. Retrived 14 september 2013 from
http://www.astro.caltech.edu/palomar/lp.html.
4. Salmon M. (2003). "Artificial
night lighting and sea turtles". Biologist 50: 163–168.
5. RodrÍguez, Airam;
RodrÍguez, Beneharo (2009). "Attraction of petrels to artificial lights in
the Canary Islands: effects of the moon phase and age class". Ibis151 (2):
299.
6. Retrieved 14
September 2013 from http://www.darksky.org/about-ida. 7. Chepesiuk R.(2009) Missing the Dark: Health
Effects of Light Pollution. Environ Health Perspect. 2009 January; 117(1):
A20–A27.
