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Longcore, T., Rodriguez, A., Witherington, B., Penniman, J. F., Herf, L., & Herf, M. (2018). Rapid assessment of lamp spectrum to quantify ecological effects of light at night. J Exp Zool A Ecol Integr Physiol, in press.
Abstract: For many decades, the spectral composition of lighting was determined by the type of lamp, which also influenced potential effects of outdoor lights on species and ecosystems. Light-emitting diode (LED) lamps have dramatically increased the range of spectral profiles of light that is economically viable for outdoor lighting. Because of the array of choices, it is necessary to develop methods to predict the effects of different spectral profiles without conducting field studies, especially because older lighting systems are being replaced rapidly. We describe an approach to predict responses of exemplar organisms and groups to lamps of different spectral output by calculating an index based on action spectra from behavioral or visual characteristics of organisms and lamp spectral irradiance. We calculate relative response indices for a range of lamp types and light sources and develop an index that identifies lamps that minimize predicted effects as measured by ecological, physiological, and astronomical indices. Using these assessment metrics, filtered yellow-green and amber LEDs are predicted to have lower effects on wildlife than high pressure sodium lamps, while blue-rich lighting (e.g., K >/= 2200) would have greater effects. The approach can be updated with new information about behavioral or visual responses of organisms and used to test new lighting products based on spectrum. Together with control of intensity, direction, and duration, the approach can be used to predict and then minimize the adverse effects of lighting and can be tailored to individual species or taxonomic groups.
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Grubisic, M., Van Grunsven, R. H. A., Kyba, C. C. M., Manfrin, A., & Hölker, F. (2018). Insect declines and agroecosystems: does light pollution matter? Annals of Applied Biology, in press.
Abstract: Drastic declines in insect populations, ‘Ecological Armageddon’, have recently gained increased attention in the scientific community, and are commonly considered to be the consequence of large‐scale factors such as land‐use changes, use of pesticides, climate change and habitat fragmentation. Artificial light at night (ALAN), a pervasive global change that strongly impacts insects, remains, however, infrequently recognised as a potential contributor to the observed declines. Here, we provide a summary of recent evidence of impacts of ALAN on insects and discuss how these impacts can drive declines in insect populations in light‐polluted areas. ALAN can increase overall environmental pressure on insect populations, and this is particularly important in agroecosystems where insect communities provide important ecosystem services (such as natural pest control, pollination, conservation of soil structure and fertility and nutrient cycling), and are already under considerable environmental pressure. We discuss how changes in insect populations driven by ALAN and ALAN itself may hinder these services to influence crop production and biodiversity in agricultural landscapes. Understanding the contribution of ALAN and other factors to the decline of insects is an important step towards mitigation and the recovery of the insect fauna in our landscapes. In future studies, the role of increased nocturnal illumination also needs to be examined as a possible causal factor of insect declines in the ongoing ‘Ecological Armageddon’, along with the more commonly examined factors. Given the large scale of agricultural land use and the potential of ALAN to indirectly and directly impact crop production and biodiversity, a better understanding of effects of ALAN in agroecosystems is urgently needed.
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Fehrer, D., & Krarti, M. (2018). Spatial distribution of building energy use in the United States through satellite imagery of the earth at night. Building and Environment, in press.
Abstract: Despite the importance of geospatial analysis of energy use in buildings, the data available for such exercises is limited. A potential solution is to use geospatial information, such as that obtained from satellites, to disaggregate building energy use data to a more useful scale. Many researchers have used satellite imagery to estimate the extent of human activities, including building energy use and population distribution. Much of the reported work has been carried out in rapidly developing countries such as India and China where urban development is dynamic and not always easy to measure. In countries with less rapid urbanization, such as the United States, there is still value in using satellite imagery to estimate building energy use for the purposes of identifying energy efficiency opportunities and planning electricity transmission. This study evaluates nighttime light imagery obtained from the VIIRS instrument aboard the SUOMI NPP satellite as a predictor of building energy use intensity within states, counties, and cities in the United States. It is found that nighttime lights can explain upwards of 90% of the variability in energy consumption in the United States, depending on conditions and geospatial scale. The results of this research are used to generate electricity and fuel consumption maps of the United States with a resolution of less than 200 square meters. The methodologies undertaken in this study can be replicated globally to create more opportunities for geospatial energy analysis without the hurdles often associated with disaggregated building energy use data collection.
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Netzel, H., & Netzel, P. (2018). High-resolution map of light pollution. Journal of Quantitative Spectroscopy and Radiative Transfer, in press.
Abstract: In 1976 Berry created a very simple model describing artificial night sky brightness due to light emitted by cities. He used several assumptions and simplifications, due to which, map calculated with this model does not properly describes the night sky brightness. Especially, this is the case for highly urbanized areas. We used Berry’s idea, but we changed some assumptions and used very different input data. As in Berry’s approach, we focused on total sky brightness and did not analyze spectral properties of artificial light emission. Resultant map has a resolution of 100 meters, and so far it is the most detailed map of night sky brightness. Moreover we included the shadowing effect, which is very important on mountainous areas. Map is calculated for Poland and for several other places in Europe. We also describe the comparison between calculated values and measurements for different areas in Europe. Also we present comparison between our approach and the new world atlas of artificial night sky brightness.
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Rosebrugh, D. W. (1935). Sky-Glow from large cities. Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, 29, 79.
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