SPECTRAL AND PHOTOMETRIC ANALYSIS SELECTED STREETLIGHTS
| DOWNLOAD | DOI: 10.62897/COS2025.3-1.210 |
Klemen Tršinar*, Melani Potrč, Damjan Dovnik, Mitja Slavinec and Eva Klemenčič
Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, University of Maribor, Maribor, Slovenia
*klemen.trsinar@student.um.si
Abstract: Artificial extension of daylight represents one of the key needs of modern society, especially during the winter months when daylight hours are shorter than nighttime. Artificial lighting enables increased productivity in the evening and at night, supports recreational activities, and facilitates the effective use of leisure time. In addition, it significantly contributes to the perception of safety. Despite its numerous advantages, artificial light also has negative effects. Among the most significant are the deterioration of sleep quality, a reduction in local biodiversity, and increased stress levels in both nocturnal and diurnal animal species. In this case study, eleven roadside luminaires located on the Gosposvetska student campus in Maribor, Slovenia were analysed. For each luminaire, consecutive light spectra were recorded and subsequently averaged to reduce measurement error. At the same time, three repeated brightness measurements were performed. The results revealed differences among the eleven analysed luminaires that can be classified into two groups: broad-spectrum cold-white LED sources and narrow-band discharge-type light sources. Measured brightness values ranged from 7.22 to 10.71 mag arcsec-2. The collected data provide a basis for further analysis of the effects of artificial light on living organisms and contribute to a better understanding of the ecological consequences of light pollution.
REFERENCES
- Al-Naggar, R. Al-Maktari, L., 2022, Artificial Light at Night and Breast Cancer, in L. Hufnagel (ed.), Light Pollution, Urbanization and Ecology, IntechOpen.
- Aubé, M., 2015, Physical behaviour of anthropogenic light propagation into the nocturnal environment, Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 370(1667), 20140117.
- Bará, S. Falchi, F., 2023, Artificial light at night: a global disruptor of the night-time environment, Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 378(1892), 20220352.
- Borges, R.M., 2022, Impacts of Artificial Light at Night on Nocturnal and Diurnal Insect Biology and Diversity, Indian Journal of Entomology, 483–492.
- Elvidge, C.D., Keith, D.M., Tuttle, B.T. Baugh, K.E., 2010, Spectral Identification of Lighting Type and Character, Sensors, 10(4), 3961–3988.
- Evans, D.M., 2023, Mitigating the impacts of street lighting on biodiversity and ecosystem functioning, Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 378(1892), 20220355.
- Falcón, J., Torriglia, A., Attia, D., Viénot, F., Gronfier, C., Behar-Cohen, F., Martinsons, C. Hicks, D., 2020, Exposure to Artificial Light at Night and the Consequences for Flora, Fauna, and Ecosystems, Frontiers in Neuroscience, 14, 602796.
- Gaston, K.J. Sánchez De Miguel, A., 2022, Environmental Impacts of Artificial Light at Night, Annual Review of Environment and Resources, 47(1), 373–398.
- Hirt, M.R., Evans, D.M., Miller, C.R. Ryser, R., 2023, Light pollution in complex ecological systems, Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 378(1892), 20220351.
- Jamal, M.S., Falak, S. Khan, Z.A., 2022, An Analysis on How Artificial Light at Night May Impact the Sustainable Development Goals 2030 and Human Health, Chronobiology in Medicine, 4(1), 8–20.
- Levy, K., Barnea, A., Tauber, E. Ayali, A., 2024, Crickets in the spotlight: exploring the impact of light on circadian behavior, Journal of Comparative Physiology A, 210(2), 267–279.
- Onu, B., 2025, Impact of Artificial Night Lights on Nocturnal Animals, Greener Journal of Ecology and Ecosolution, 6(1), 8–14.
- Pimputkar, S., Speck, J.S., DenBaars, S.P. Nakamura, S., 2009, Prospects for LED lighting, Nature Photonics, 3(4), 180–182.
- Puschnig, J., Wallner, S., Schwope, A. Näslund, M., 2022, Long-term trends of light pollution assessed from SQM measurements and an empirical atmospheric model, Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 518(3), 4449–4465.
- Sánchez De Miguel, A., Bennie, J., Rosenfeld, E., Dzurjak, S. Gaston, K.J., 2022, Environmental risks from artificial nighttime lighting widespread and increasing across Europe, Science Advances, 8(37), eabl6891.
- Sanders, D., Baker, D.J., Cruse, D., Bell, F., Van Veen, F.J.F. Gaston, K.J., 2022, Spectrum of artificial light at night drives impact of a diurnal species in insect food web, Science of The Total Environment, 831, 154893.
- Staff, 2023, What is light pollution?
- Vernier, no date, Go Direct® UV-VIS Spectrophotometer, Vernier Science Education.
- Welch, D. Tekatch, A., no date, Sky Quality Meter - L.