State of the Science Report
The following originally published here on DarkSky International
As more people become increasingly aware of light pollution, accessible scientific information is imperative for dark sky advocates, community members, and policymakers to combat this growing environmental threat effectively. However, finding accessible information has always been challenging, especially for those looking for a broad overview of current information regarding artificial light at night (ALAN).
The absence of an accessible and comprehensive overview prompted DarkSky to publish the first “Artificial Light At Night: State of The Science” in 2022, summarizing the scientific understanding of light pollution. Each year, we have continued to update this report.
Before drafting the State of The Science report, DarkSky considers thousands of published papers, theses, and articles, including nearly 5,000 pieces of scientific literature listed in the Artificial Light At Night Research Literature Database. Like assembling a jigsaw puzzle, we identify the most relevant pieces, strategically placing them next to others to create a summary that is understandable and useful.
In a sense, we do the hard work for you, creating a summary that clarifies relationships among topics related to light pollution. This ‘big picture’ approach also helps the dark sky community identify holes in the research or topics that have yet to be investigated.
~ by John Barentine Dark Sky Consulting, LLC
