Among the types of contamination that exist we have one that cannot be directly touched or analyzed. It's about light pollution. This light pollution is the alteration of the levels of natural light that are produced by the sources of artificial light that we humans have. In order to classify and analyze the impacts that this pollution has on the rest of living beings and natural ecosystems, the light pollution maps.
In this article, we are going to explain what light pollution maps are and what they do.
What is light pollution
Light pollution consists of that alteration in the amount of illumination that a certain place has and that does not match the natural light that is produced. That is to say, human beings use artificial lighting to live at night in cities. The excess of urbanization that we have experienced in the last century is what is causing an excess of artificial lighting that affects the rest of living beings and the landscape.
Surely you have ever heard astronomers speak that observing the night sky is difficult due to this light pollution. Animal species with nocturnal habits are also affected by this artificial lighting. Species such as fireflies, which are increasingly rare throughout the planet.
A team of scientists has published a map of light pollution from around the world that reveals the impact that artificial lighting has around the world. Approximately 83% of the world's population and more than 99% of developed countries live under skies contaminated by artificial light.
Across Europe we have such powerful light pollution that more than 60% of the population cannot see the Milky Way. In our country, we also have great light pollution that causes less than 4% of the population to live in areas with low artificial lighting.
Impacts of light pollution
We are going to analyze below the different impacts that light pollution causes both on the health of humans and other living beings.
Light scattering to the sky
It is a phenomenon in which light is deflected in all directions due to their interaction with the rest of the molecules in the air and the pollutant particles in suspension. This immediate consequence is what we can see how the typical luminous halo that covers cities and that is visible from hundreds of kilometers away. We can also see the glowing clouds as if they were fluorescent.
Light intrusion and glare
Light inclusion occurs when light is emitted in a direction where it can invade other neighboring areas. This happens many times in urban areas where artificial light enters private homes. This causes a loss of quality of life since, although the effect on humans is not fully identified, it is known to cause sleep disturbances.
Glare occurs when people are on public roads and your visibility is hampered or impossible by the effect of light emitted by the different artificial installations. This is being seen in large part by over-lighting roads thinking that road safety is increased. However, drivers tend to go faster on brighter sections as they can see better.
Effects on biodiversity
The rest of living beings are also affected by excess artificial light. The nocturnal flora and fauna have a different biological activity than the one that acts during the day. This indiscriminate lighting on the beaches is an attack on marine life. For example, this Artificial light alters the rise and fall cycles of marine plankton. It also affects the reproduction cycles of sea turtles, because it is guided by the light of the moon and is confused by the light of the street lamps.
Birds, for their part, are also dazzled and disoriented by excess artificial light. Such is the impact that many species lose their way completely and others search for food or much later than normal and end up with an empty stomach. All these impacts disrupt the balance between different populations and tend to break. Insects are also altered by nocturnal habits and the presence of light bulbs that cause a break in their natural cycle of day and night.
Destruction of the celestial landscape
Let's not forget that the urban sky has a gray and orange hue that completely destroys the nightscape. We cannot see the stars in the sky, these being the heritage of all generations and important in the origin of culture and civilization. This leads to an impoverishment of culture Since many of the legends that are linked to the celestial stars are lost, you can know their position and in relation to the time of year in which we are. Just looking at the sky is very complicated.
Maps of light pollution and its importance
There are light pollution maps showing the impact of this lighting worldwide. The brightness shown in the maps is the result of the combination of different satellite images and many measurements. It can be perfectly observed in the most urbanized areas since they are those where there is more artificial lighting. One of the areas of the world that attracts the most attention is the stream of light that exists around the river Nile. These are all the urbanizations and villages that have developed their way of life around the Nile River.
Various colors are used to designate the level of light pollution that exists. Those in yellow cannot clearly see the night sky, while those in the red areas cannot see the Milky Way. According to some studies more than a third of the entire world's population cannot see our galaxy.
I hope that with this information you can learn more about light pollution maps and the impact it has on biodiversity and human beings.