Petržala, J., & Kocifaj, M. (2017). Research on spectral factors towards determining nocturnal ground irradiance under overcast sky conditions in densely populated regions. Journal of Quantitative Spectroscopy and Radiative Transfer, 189, 126–132.
Abstract: Light pollution is closely correlated with the meteorological factors, specifically cloudiness that is one of the major amplifiers of night sky radiances in urban regions. Although the decisive effects of cloud deck on artificial nighttime skyglow have been recognized experimentally, the radiative transfer modelling in a heterogeneous nocturnal environment illuminated from many light sources is a non-trivial problem that is difficult to solve both theoretically and numerically. A satisfactorily accurate evaluation of ground-reaching diffuse light is, however, an important issue as some optical properties (e.g. horizontal irradiance) are usually difficult to obtain with common instruments. Overcast sky represents a special class of situations in which clouds can act as amplifiers of the light pollution of the city.
In this paper we proceeded with a simple two-stream approach to solve the scalar radiative transfer equation (RTE) under overcast conditions. The technique we are using allows for a rapid prediction of ground irradiances in densely populated regions assuming various emission functions. We have shown that the classical RTE concept can be adopted in determining the diffuse irradiance, while the model abilities are illustrated in a set of numerical experiments for low and high turbidity states.
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Stevens, R. G. (2018). Comment on 'Domestic light at night and breast cancer risk: a prospective analysis of 105 000 UK women in the Generations Study'. Br J Cancer, in press.
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Leise, T. L., Goldberg, A., Michael, J., Montoya, G., Solow, S., Molyneux, P., et al. (2018). Recurring circadian disruption alters circadian clock sensitivity to resetting. Eur J Neurosci, in press.
Abstract: A single phase advance of the light:dark (LD) cycle can temporarily disrupt synchrony of neural circadian rhythms within the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) and between the SCN and peripheral tissues. Compounding this, modern life can involve repeated disruptive light conditions. To model chronic disruption to the circadian system, we exposed male mice to more than a month of a 20 h light cycle (LD10:10), which mice typically cannot entrain to. Control animals were housed under LD12:12. We measured locomotor activity and body temperature rhythms in vivo, and rhythms of PER2::LUC bioluminescence in SCN and peripheral tissues ex vivo. Unexpectedly, we discovered strong effects of the time of dissection on circadian phase of PER2::LUC bioluminescent rhythms, which varied across tissues. White adipose tissue was strongly reset by dissection, while thymus phase appeared independent of dissection timing. Prior light exposure impacted the SCN, resulting in strong resetting of SCN phase by dissection for mice housed under LD10:10, and weak phase shifts by time of dissection in SCN from control LD12:12 mice. These findings suggest that exposure to circadian disruption may desynchronize SCN neurons, increasing network sensitivity to perturbations. We propose that tissues with a weakened circadian network, such as the SCN under disruptive light conditions, or with little to no coupling, e.g., some peripheral tissues, will show increased resetting effects. In particular, exposure to light at inconsistent circadian times on a recurring weekly basis disrupts circadian rhythms and alters sensitivity of the SCN neural pacemaker to dissection time. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
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Pulgar, J., Zeballos, D., Vargas, J., Aldana, M., Manriquez, P., Manriquez, K., et al. (2018). Endogenous cycles, activity patterns and energy expenditure of an intertidal fish is modified by artificial light pollution at night (ALAN). Environ Pollut, 244, 361–366.
Abstract: The increase of global light emissions in recent years has highlighted the need for urgent evaluation of their impacts on the behaviour, ecology and physiology of organisms. Numerous species exhibit daily cycles or strong scototaxic behaviours that could potentially be influenced if natural lighting conditions or cycles are disrupted. Artificial Light Pollution at Night (ALAN) stands for situations where artificial light alters natural light-dark cycles, as well as light intensities and wavelengths. ALAN is increasingly recognized as a potential threat to biodiversity, mainly because a growing number of studies are demonstrating its influence on animal behaviour, migration, reproduction and biological interactions. Most of these studies have focused on terrestrial organisms and ecosystems with studies on the effects of ALAN on marine ecosystems being more occasional. However, with the increasing human use and development of the coastal zone, organisms that inhabit shallow coastal or intertidal systems could be at increasing risk from ALAN. In this study we measured the levels of artificial light intensity in the field and used these levels to conduct experimental trials to determine the impact of ALAN on an intertidal fish. Specifically, we measured ALAN effects on physiological performance (oxygen consumption) and behaviour (activity patterns) of “Baunco” the rockfish Girella laevifrons, one of the most abundant and ecologically important intertidal fish in the Southeastern Pacific littoral. Our results indicated that individuals exposed to ALAN exhibited increased oxygen consumption and activity when compared with control animals. Moreover, those fish exposed to ALAN stopped displaying the natural (circatidal and circadian) activity cycles that were observed in control fish throughout the experiment. These changes in physiological function and behaviour could have serious implications for the long-term sustainability of fish populations and indirect impacts on intertidal communities in areas affected by ALAN.
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Ashford, O. M. (1947). A portable cloud searchlight. Weather, 2, 103–104.
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