LIGHT POLLUTION

S BALAGURU
I Msc GEOGRAPHY
ENVIRONMENTAL GEOGRAPHY
BALAGURU S DEPARTMENT OF GEOGRAPHY
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DEPARTMENT OF GEOGRAPHY PRESIDENCY COLLEGE CHENNAI
 INTRODUCTION
• Light pollution is the alteration of
night natural lighting levels caused by
anthropogenic sources of light.
• This alteration of light is usually the
result of inefficient or excessive
Earth at night. Recorded by the Defense
artificial light. MeteorologicalSatellite Program (DMSP)
OperationalLinescan System (OLS).NASA (2014)

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DEPARTMENT OF GEOGRAPHY
 TYPES OF LIGHT POLLUTION
• Over-illumination
• Glare
• Sky-glow
• Light clutter and
• Light trespass

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DEPARTMENT OF GEOGRAPHY
Over-illumination
• Incorrect choice of light bulbs and lamp used for street illumination
• Massive use of LED panels for publicity during night-time
• Lack of illumination maintenance

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DEPARTMENT OF GEOGRAPHY
 Glare
Glare is the result of high contrast between dark areas and light
resulting from a source of light

• Blinding glare
• Disability glare
• Discomfort glare

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DEPARTMENT OF GEOGRAPHY
 Sky-glow
• Sky-glow or simply glow, is the effect
of light pollution that can be easily
seen from all populated areas.
• It can be described as an orange cloud
that lays above highly populated
areas.
• This type of light pollution is the one affecting the most astronomical
observations.

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DEPARTMENT OF GEOGRAPHY
 Light clutter
Light clutter refers to excessive grouping of lights that
can cause confusion and is usually present on badly
designed road illumination. Light trespass Light trespass
refers to unwanted light that enters one’s property (light
passing through fences, trees). This part of light pollution
directly affects people during night-time by sleep
deprivation.

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DEPARTMENT OF GEOGRAPHY
 Night lights can kill moths, other
insects
Bengaluru is home to about 2,000 species of insects, of
which nocturnal insects may be the most affected by
artificial lights. While moths make up the majority of
these insects, those including fireflies, stick insects and
termites are also active at night.

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DEPARTMENT OF GEOGRAPHY
 A study from the UK published in 2017 has shown that
street lights affect moths as they die of exhaustion
after hovering over the light source or fall prey to
predators like bats easily. While it could seem that the
same detrimental effects could happen in Indian cities,
there is not enough data to prove it.

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DEPARTMENT OF GEOGRAPHY
 Light pollution no doubt affects moths and butterflies
in India, as has been shown elsewhere. Unfortunately,
there are no studies on the effects of light pollution
on moths and crepuscular (active during twilight)
butterflies in India,” said Krushnamegh Kunte, an
associate professor at the National Centre for
Biological Sciences, Bengaluru affiliated with the
initiative Moths of India. “We urgently need such
studies to be able to manage the night light near
wildlife habitats, including the woodlands inside
urban areas.”
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DEPARTMENT OF GEOGRAPHY
 Shashank Pathour, an entomologist and scientist
at the Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New
Delhi, whose research focuses on moths said,
“Light pollution is a poorly-studied area, and
until now there have been no systematic studies
on its effects on insects in India.”

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DEPARTMENT OF GEOGRAPHY
 IMPACT ON BIRDS
Artificial light can cause migratory birds to wander off course. Every
year millions of birds die by colliding with needlessly illuminated buildings and
towers.
Artificial lights can cause them to migrate too early or too late and
miss ideal climate...
IMPACT ON PLANTS AND ANIMALS
According to US-based non-profit organisation International Dark
Sky Association, frogs, toads, zebrafish, bees, butterflies, salmon, bats, as well as
owls and many other birds are affected by light pollution. Many of these are
found in and around Bengaluru.

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DEPARTMENT OF GEOGRAPHY
CONCLUSION:
Increased artificial light affects the growth and development of plants too. Studies in
Europe have shown that plants in urban areas retained their leaves for a long time in
the fall season, and started to bud back into life early in the spring, increasing their
risk of exposure to pathogens and frost.

Agricultural crops like maize and soya grow rapidly but do not produce flowers in the
presence of artificial light, thereby affecting yields. Some wild trees are known to
produce fewer flower heads, attracting fewer pollinators, and aphids that feed on
them.

The much-awaited LED streetlights of Bengaluru could do more harm to the city’s
biodiversity if they are not dark-sky-friendly.

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DEPARTMENT OF GEOGRAPHY