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Light pollution

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Today, 80 percent of the world’s population now lives in places where the sky #burns *glows #radiates #shines at night from lights on streets and buildings. Artificial light has become another *form #mode #model #pattern of pollution — one that scientists say poses threats both to the natural environment and to human health. | The extent of light pollution is evidenced by a November 2017 #data #research #results *study in the journal Science Advances, in which researchers used measurements taken by satellites to study the artificial brightness of the Earth’s surface during nighttime. They #deduced #discussed *found #studied that between 2012 and 2016, the outdoor area that was artificially lit grew at a rate of 2.2 percent per year. As more spaces are being illuminated, they’ve become brighter as well, with the radiance of those areas #falling #fluctuating *increasing #strengthening at an annual rate of 1.8 percent. | The researchers found nighttime brightness #decreased #fluctuated #increased *stayed_the_same in the U.S. and 38 other countries during the time period studied, while it increased in 79 countries — mostly in fast-developing areas in Asia, Africa and South America. Only 16 nations — including Syria, whose cities have been #developed *devastated #exterminated #spoiled by a brutal civil war — saw decreases in light. | An October 2017 study found that powerful beams of light from the National September 11 Museum and Memorial #adjusted *altered #halted #moved the flight paths and speed of 1.1 million migrating birds over a seven-day period alone, with simulations revealing "a high #forecast #odds #possibility *probability of disorientation" and other effects. | And in Florida, light pollution along beaches is disrupting the hatchling behavior of sea turtles, causing thousands of young animals to die each year, *according_to #argued #in_the_words_of #suggests the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

Source: Kiger, P. J. (2020) ‘Light pollution is stealing the night’, HowStuffWorks. Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/science/humanbody/mind/articles/psychology/psychology_6.shtml (Accessed: 21 April 2022).