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Bará, S., Ulla, A. (2018). Light Pollution in the Galician Atlantic Islands Maritime-Terrestrial National Park 2018 Report. USC Tragsa.
Abstract: The Galician Atlantic Islands Maritime-Terrestrial National Park (PNMTIAG), with the exception of the island of Cortegada, still has night skies of acceptable quality. However, the PNMTIAG islands are under strong photic pressures, both internal and external, that hinder the preservation of the basic features of the natural night, and call for an immediate action of all concerned stakeholders
Keywords: Conservation; Spain; Galicia; Europe; national park
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Barentine, J. C. (2016). Going for the Gold : Quantifying and Ranking Visual Night Sky Quality in International Dark Sky Places. IJSL, 18, 9–15.
Abstract: Since the invention of electric lighting in the nineteenth century, the steadily increasing use of artificial light at night in outdoor spaces has grown to threaten the integrity of dark night skies and nocturnal terrestrial spaces. The conservation community has gradually come to accept the need to protect natural nighttime darkness, which finds expression in dark sky parks and similar protected areas. As these places begin to reap tangible economic benefits in the form of sustainable ‘astrotourism,’ the movement to actively protect them gains strength. The International Dark-Sky Association designates Dark Sky Parks and Reserves under a comparative ranking scheme that assigns night sky quality tiers according to a combination of objective and subjective characteristics, but shortcomings in the consistency of these ratings exist that undermine the consistency and reputation of the designation program. Here we consider potential changes to the qualification regime to make the ratings system more robust for the benefit of future designations.
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Collison, F. M., & Poe, K. (2013). “Astronomical Tourism”: The Astronomy and Dark Sky Program at Bryce Canyon National Park. Tourism Management Perspectives, 7, 1–15.
Abstract: Astronomical tourism represents a less-studied segment of sustainable tourism, where a dark night sky is the underlying resource. This article evaluates an astronomical tourism program, in this case at a national park with dark skies for observing. Bryce Canyon National Park (BCNP) in the southwestern United States has a well-developed astronomy program to serve visitors. The program consists of solar viewing during the day, multimedia evening programs, and night-time star gazing with telescopes. Depending on the specific measure used, it appears that up to 10% of park visitors may be involved with the formal Astronomy and Dark Sky Program and/or more informal astronomy activities. BCNP appears well positioned to take advantage of the dark sky attributes of the park and to educate visitors about the importance of maintaining and/or increasing the darkness of night skies. Potential future developments in the program may serve to further increase the number of visitors to BCNP.
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Cox, D. T. C., Sánchez de Miguel, A., Dzurjak, S. A., Bennie, J., & Gaston, K. J. (2020). National Scale Spatial Variation in Artificial Light at Night. Remote Sensing, 12(10), 1591.
Abstract: The disruption to natural light regimes caused by outdoor artificial nighttime lighting has significant impacts on human health and the natural world. Artificial light at night takes two forms, light emissions and skyglow (caused by the scattering of light by water, dust and gas molecules in the atmosphere). Key to determining where the biological impacts from each form are likely to be experienced is understanding their spatial occurrence, and how this varies with other landscape factors. To examine this, we used data from the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) day/night band and the World Atlas of Artificial Night Sky Brightness, to determine covariation in (a) light emissions, and (b) skyglow, with human population density, landcover, protected areas and roads in Britain. We demonstrate that, although artificial light at night increases with human density, the amount of light per person decreases with increasing urbanization (with per capita median direct emissions three times greater in rural than urban populations, and per capita median skyglow eleven times greater). There was significant variation in artificial light at night within different landcover types, emphasizing that light pollution is not a solely urban issue. Further, half of English National Parks have higher levels of skyglow than light emissions, indicating their failure to buffer biodiversity from pressures that artificial lighting poses. The higher per capita emissions in rural than urban areas provide different challenges and opportunities for mitigating the negative human health and environmental impacts of light pollution.
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Derrien, M. M., Patricia A. Stokowski, P. A., & Manning, R. E. (2015). A Rhetorical Analysis of National Park Service and Community Leader Discourses about Night Skies at Acadia National Park. J. of Park and Rec. Admin., 33(3), 32–47.
Abstract: Dark night skies are becoming increasingly scarce as human populations increase and development continues to sprawl. Light pollution, and its ecological, social, and cultural impacts are transboundary, multi-jurisdictional issues that require planning and management involving multiple actors on multiple scales. This study examines management of dark night skies at Acadia National Park, where the park and community have worked to keep the night skies relatively dark. Park service managers and community leaders were interviewed, and qualitative methods were used to better understand how each group discursively made the case for the meaning and management of dark night skies at Acadia. In addition to analyzing the explicit content of interviews, enthymemes--arguments with implicit claims--were also evaluated. The rhetorical analysis also focused on the stylistic techniques that supported enthymematic claims; these included establishing legitimacy and credibility, positioning leaders relative to others, and ambiguity. This study showed that NPS arguments tended to frame the role of the community as “buying in” to NPS's efforts to uphold its new night sky-inclusive management policies, while community leaders argued that the night sky was an economic asset, discursively retaining their autonomous interests. Rhetorical discourses functioned to forge the semblance of agreement and the appearance of a “win-win” situation for both groups, even though the underlying premises of their arguments were often and the goals of its management. Other research has found that contested case, contested meanings seemed to represent a case of adjustment and shared responsibility.
Keywords: Society; parks; outreach; Acadia National Park
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