Dataset Information

Worldwide variations in artificial skyglow.

ABSTRACT: Despite constituting a widespread and significant environmental change, understanding of artificial nighttime skyglow is extremely limited. Until now, published monitoring studies have been local or regional in scope, and typically of short duration. In this first major international compilation of monitoring data we answer several key questions about skyglow properties. Skyglow is observed to vary over four orders of magnitude, a range hundreds of times larger than was the case before artificial light. Nearly all of the study sites were polluted by artificial light. A non-linear relationship is observed between the sky brightness on clear and overcast nights, with a change in behavior near the rural to urban landuse transition. Overcast skies ranged from a third darker to almost 18 times brighter than clear. Clear sky radiances estimated by the World Atlas of Artificial Night Sky Brightness were found to be overestimated by ~25%; our dataset will play an important role in the calibration and ground truthing of future skyglow models. Most of the brightly lit sites darkened as the night progressed, typically by ~5% per hour. The great variation in skyglow radiance observed from site-to-site and with changing meteorological conditions underlines the need for a long-term international monitoring program.

SUBMITTER: Kyba CC

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5389131 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Worldwide variations in artificial skyglow.

Kyba Christopher C M CC Tong Kai Pong KP Bennie Jonathan J Birriel Ignacio I Birriel Jennifer J JJ Cool Andrew A Danielsen Arne A Davies Thomas W TW Outer Peter N den PN Edwards William W Ehlert Rainer R Falchi Fabio F Fischer Jürgen J Giacomelli Andrea A Giubbilini Francesco F Haaima Marty M Hesse Claudia C Heygster Georg G Hölker Franz F Inger Richard R Jensen Linsey J LJ Kuechly Helga U HU Kuehn John J Langill Phil P Lolkema Dorien E DE Nagy Matthew M Nievas Miguel M Ochi Nobuaki N Popow Emil E Posch Thomas T Puschnig Johannes J Ruhtz Thomas T Schmidt Wim W Schwarz Robert R Schwope Axel A Spoelstra Henk H Tekatch Anthony A Trueblood Mark M Walker Constance E CE Weber Michael M Welch Douglas L DL Zamorano Jaime J Gaston Kevin J KJ

Scientific reports 20150212

Despite constituting a widespread and significant environmental change, understanding of artificial nighttime skyglow is extremely limited. Until now, published monitoring studies have been local or regional in scope, and typically of short duration. In this first major international compilation of monitoring data we answer several key questions about skyglow properties. Skyglow is observed to vary over four orders of magnitude, a range hundreds of times larger than was the case before artificia ...[more]

PMID: 25673335

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Project description:BackgroundConsiderable variation in the prevalence of childhood asthma and its symptoms (wheezing) has been observed in previous studies and there is evidence that the prevalence has been increasing over time.MethodsWe have systematically reviewed the reported prevalence and time trends of wheezing symptoms among children, worldwide and within the same country over time. All studies comprising more than 1000 persons and meeting certain other quality criteria published over a 16-year period, between January 1990 and December 2005, are reported and a comparison of ISAAC (International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood) and non-ISAAC studies is made, in part as a way of expanding the power to examine time trends (the older studies tend to be non-ISAAC), but also to examine possible methodological differences between ISAAC and non-ISAAC questions.ResultsA wide range of current prevalence of wheeze was observed between and within countries over time. The UK had the highest recorded prevalence of 32.2% in children aged 13-14 in 1994-5 and Ethiopia had the lowest prevalence, 1.7% in children aged 10-19 in 1996. All studies in Australia and the UK were compared using multiple logistic regression. ISAAC phase I and III studies reported significantly higher prevalence of current wheeze (OR = 1.638) compared with non-ISAAC studies, after adjusting for various other factors (country, survey year, age of child, parental vs child response to the survey). Australia showed a significantly higher prevalence of current wheezing (OR = 1.343) compared with the UK, there was a significant increase in the prevalence odds ratio per survey year (2.5% per year), a significant decrease per age of child (0.7% per year), and a significantly higher response in current wheezing if the response was self-completed by the child (OR = 1.290). These factors, when explored separately for ISAAC and non-ISAAC studies, showed very different results. In ISAAC studies, or non-ISAAC studies using ISAAC questions, there was a significant decrease in current wheezing prevalence over time (2.5% per year). In non-ISAAC studies, which tend to cover an earlier period, there was a significant increase (2.6% per year) in current wheezing prevalence over time. This is very likely to be a result of prevalence of wheezing increasing from the 1970s up to the early 1990s, but decreasing since then.ConclusionThe UK has the highest recorded prevalence of wheezing and Ethiopia the lowest. Prevalence of wheezing in Australia and the UK has increased from the 1970s up to the early 1990s, but decreased since then and ISAAC studies report significantly higher prevalences than non-ISAAC studies.

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Worldwide variations in artificial skyglow.

Publications

Worldwide variations in artificial skyglow.

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