Light Pollution

Submitted by;
Hazoor Bux (20202-26927)
Assignment No. 2
Environmental Issues and Management (EEM-401)

Submitted to;
Prof. Dr. Jamshaid Iqbal
Assistand Professor,
Environment and Energy Management,
Institute of Business Management (IoBM), Karachi, Pakistan.
• Light pollution and types
• Causes of light pollution
• Effect of light pollution
• Solution
• Conclusion
Light Pollution
• Light pollution also called photo pollution or
luminescence pollution refers to a brightening of night
sky due to scattering of artificial light by gaseous
molecule and dust particle in the air.
• The scattering result in an orange foggy glow that
spread out over the horizon. It blights the night sky a
precious natural resource and an area of scientific and
educational interest.
• Light pollution is a consequences of poor engineering
practices that are both unnecessary and to a large
extent, avoidable its fallout is waste of money and
energy as well as degradation of the environment.
Types of Light Pollution

• Sky glow
• Glare
• Light Trespass
• Over-illumination
Sky Glow

Sky Glow
Most of the times the lightning are not endowed with adequate shielding provisions as a result the light is reflected by the object it illuminates and spills
away into the sky.
In the atmosphere it is refracted causing orange color sky glow sky glow refers to the glow effect that can be seen over populated areas.
 Light Trespass

Light Trespass
• Light may go across property lines and illuminates some
one else premises. This condition is called light
trespass.
• This is not only a nuisance but also a security risk. A
common light trespass problem occur when a beam of
light from one house enters a window of another house.
Glare

Glare
A bright light in your field of view can make it
impossible for your eye to adapt to see in your
otherwise dark surroundings
 Over-Illumination

Over-Illumination
Use of more artificial illumination than required is
expensive and energy-intensive. This includes
consideration both of the appropriate level of illumination
when spaces are in use, and when they are unoccupied.
It commonly ignored between 1950 and 1995 in offices,
retail, and interior designing.
Light Clutter

Light clutter
Excessive groups of lights. Grouping of light may
generate confusion, distract from obstacles and
potentially cause accident clutter is particularly
noticeable as roads where the street light are badly
designed or where brightly light advertising
Causes of Light Pollution
Light pollution is unique as it is caused by man only. There is no
comparable natural form of the pollution like there is with carbon
dioxide. The main causes of light pollution are:
• Poor Planning – The placement of signage and street lights is
planned by engineers, if they do not take into account the effect
placement has on the surrounding environment they can create
glare, light trespass and light clutter.
• Irresponsible use – You may love Christmas lights but leaving
them on all night is a form of pollution, as is leaving a room with
the lights still on or setting the timers on streetlamps and not
adjusting the timer for the season. Not actively choosing to
minimize energy waste is a huge source of light pollution.
• Overpopulation – That is really a zoning issue. Too many
businesses, or too many residences, grouped in one area can
cause light pollution of many kinds.
Effect of light pollution
• Harmful to Human Life
• Effects on the Ecosystem
• Wastes Energy
• Effects on Astronomy
• Atmospheric Pollution
Effect on Human health
Various negative health effects on the health of people have
been linked to light pollution.
• Over-illumination may cause increased headache, fatigue,
stress and anxiety.
• Light trespass during nights can disrupt our sleep which may
lead to long term health problems. Exposure to excessive
light at night is known to suppress the production of
melatonin which is responsible for boosting our immune
system.
• Glare from outdoor lighting decreases our vision and
increases chances of accidents at light.
Effects on the ecosystem 
Light pollution is especially threatening to nocturnal wildlife. It
adversely effects the physiology of plants and animals.
• Light pollution around lakes impedes zooplanktons from
consuming surface algae which leads to algal blooms that may
disrupt plant life and lower the quality of water.
• Light pollution is also linked to change in migratory patterns of
birds
• Light pollution around beaches and river shores may effect
predatory-prey roles and mating and hunting habits of pelagic
organisms. For example, sea turtles hatch when its dark and the
hatchlings use the light over the water to return to the ocean.
Light from the buildings on the beaches draws hatchlings away
from the water. In this way, millions of sea turtles die every year
in Florida.
Wastes energy

Wastes Energy
Light that is not directed down toward the ground where it can be
used is completely wasted—no one uses it.
Effects on astronomy
The field of astronomy is also affected because of light
pollution.
• Sky glow, caused by light scattering in the atmosphere,
tends to reduce the contrast of the night sky which
makes it harder for astronomers to view the heavenly
bodies.
Photochemical Smog

Atmospheric Pollution
A study presented the American Geophysical Union in
San Francisco established that excessive light destroys
nitrate radicals. This prevents the natural reduction of
photochemical smog at night which consequently
increases atmospheric pollution.
Solution
There are different ways to reduce the light pollution,
following are some of them;
• Install reflector
• Light shields
• Warm lighting
• Cut off light
• Motion sensors
• Turn off the lights
• Make your contribution
• Convince others
conclusion
Over the past 120 years- since the invention of Edison’s
bulb-human beings have deviated from natures age old
protections that are afforded by rest and repair during
sleep and darkness. Just as we need daily exposure to
natural sunlight to reset our biological clocks, we need to
sleep in total darkness to reset our diurnal rhythm. Light
during darkness is a potentially serious threat, not only to
human being, but to other organism as well.