85 Light Pollution-Mid

Light Pollution FOCUS Question What causes light pollution, and how can people reduce its effects?

光污染焦点问题是什么导致了光污染，人们如何减少它的影响?

Bright City Lights Vincent van Gogh was famous for his night paintings. The painting Starry Night Over the Rhone shows bright stars above the waters of the Rhone River in Arles, France. Van Gogh painted this masterpiece in 1888, but he likely could not have done so today. Most of those stars would have been dim or invisible to him because of light pollution. The glow of illuminated signs, streetlights, stadium floodlights, and other lights have created a veil of light between Earth and space that blocks our view of the stars.

文森特·梵高以他的夜画而闻名。 《罗纳河上的星夜》这幅画展示了法国阿尔勒罗纳河水面上明亮的星星。 梵高在1888年创作了这幅杰作，但他今天可能做不到。 由于光污染，大多数恒星对他来说都是暗淡或看不见的。 发光的标志、路灯、体育场泛光灯和其他灯光在地球和太空之间形成了一层光幕，挡住了我们对星星的视线。

Since the discovery of fire, people have turned to light for safety. Darkness hid danger from wild animals as well as human rivals. Ancient cities used streetlamps made from torches for security and navigation. In 1417, London illuminated its streets with lanterns. By the early 1800s, major roads in cities from Baltimore to Paris were lit by gas streetlamps. The widespread availability of electricity presented an even better option to light up the night. Electric lamps spread light across wide areas. Police and the general population saw light as a great tool to reduce crime and travel-related accidents. It was also good for businesses. Shops no longer had to shut at dusk; they could continue to serve customers after dark.

自从发现火以来，人们为了安全而求助于光。 黑暗隐藏了来自野生动物和人类对手的危险。 古代城市使用火炬制成的路灯来保障安全和导航。 1417年，伦敦用灯笼照亮了街道。 到19世纪初，从巴尔的摩到巴黎的主要道路都是用煤气灯照明的。 电力的广泛供应为夜晚照明提供了更好的选择。 电灯将光线传播到广阔的区域。 警方和普通民众都认为灯光是减少犯罪和与旅行有关的事故的重要工具。 这对企业也有好处。 商店不再需要在黄昏时关门;他们可以在天黑后继续为顾客服务。

Unfortunate Effects Along with these positive effects, however, came some negative consequences. Lights require energy. The longer lights are on, the more energy needs to be produced. Power plants that burn coal to generate electricity run longer, pumping more smoke into the air. Outdoor lighting also affects the atmosphere in another way. Many light fixtures send wide arcs of light up into the sky. When many such lights shine simultaneously in an area, they create skyglow, a widespread hazy illumination of the night sky. Astronomers were the first to notice this effect. Light from cities made it difficult to locate and track objects in space, even with their powerful telescopes. Word Wise The term light trespass refers to light that falls where it is not wanted, intended, or needed.

不幸的影响伴随着这些积极的影响，然而，也带来了一些消极的后果。 照明需要能量。亮灯的时间越长，需要产生的能量就越多。 燃烧煤炭发电的发电厂运行时间更长，向空气中排放的烟雾也更多。 室外照明还会以另一种方式影响气氛。 许多灯具会向天空发出宽阔的弧形光。 当许多这样的光同时照射在一个区域时，它们就会产生天光，这是夜空中广泛的朦胧照明。 天文学家是最先注意到这种效应的。 来自城市的光线使得在太空中定位和跟踪物体变得困难，即使使用强大的望远镜也是如此。 “光侵入”一词指的是光线落在不想要、不想要或不需要的地方。

Animal Activity Not being able to see the stars poses problems for animals, too. Migratory birds use the stars to guide their seasonal travels to and from nesting and feeding grounds. Bright lights, especially those on high hillsides, cause birds to become disoriented, making them fly until exhausted or crash into lit buildings. Outdoor lighting seems to make nocturnal animals— those that are awake at night— believe it is still daytime. Prey animals such as mice use darkness as a cover. When the Moon is full, they reduce their feeding activity to stay safe from predators. Artificial lighting confuses the animals. They stay hidden more often, which leads them to forage less and get less food. Predators such as owls that rely on mice as a food source have less to eat as well because they can't find the mice.

动物活动看不见星星也给动物带来了问题。 候鸟利用星星来指导它们往返于筑巢地和觅食地的季节性旅行。 明亮的灯光，特别是那些在高山坡上的灯光，会使鸟类迷失方向，使它们飞到筋疲力尽或撞上明亮的建筑物。 室外的灯光似乎使夜行动物——那些在晚上醒着的动物——相信仍然是白天。 像老鼠这样的猎物利用黑暗作掩护。 当月亮圆的时候，它们会减少捕食活动，以躲避捕食者。 人工照明迷惑了动物。 它们更经常隐藏起来，这导致它们觅食的次数更少，得到的食物也更少。 以老鼠为食物来源的捕食者，如猫头鹰，也因为找不到老鼠而吃得更少。

Skyglow can also affect animals in other ways. Male frogs and toads sound their mating calls after dark. If true dark comes later or not at all, mating doesn't occur, which reduces the population. Insects such as moths and beetles are drawn to white light, which mimics sunlight and moonlight. Many die from exhaustion as they flit about exterior lights. Even sea creatures are affected. Sea turtles hatch from eggs in the sand and then head toward the ocean The turtles locate the ocean. by looking for light reflecting off the water's surface. Artificial lights shining on shoreline buildings often confuse the hatchlings and send them scurrying in the wrong direction.

天光还会以其他方式影响动物。 雄性青蛙和蟾蜍在天黑后发出求偶的叫声。 如果真正的黑暗出现得更晚或根本不出现，交配就不会发生，这会减少种群数量。 像飞蛾和甲虫这样的昆虫会被模仿阳光和月光的白光所吸引。 许多鸟儿在外面的灯光下飞来飞去，疲惫不堪而死。 甚至海洋生物也受到影响。 海龟从沙子里的蛋中孵化出来，然后朝着大海游去。海龟找到了大海的位置。 通过寻找水面反射的光。 照射在海岸线建筑上的人造灯光常常使刚孵化的小海龟感到困惑，让它们朝错误的方向乱窜。