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This project aims to investigate various approaches in measuring and modelling of theglobal phenomenon of light pollution, artificial light at night which is misdirected, overilluminatedand/or makes use of harmful light. The ever-worsening phenomenon impairsnot only the visibility of objects on the night sky, furthermore it is a major threat for allorganisms worldwide, including human health suffering from impacts. Research goals ofMEMOLIPO include a greater understanding of atmospheric impacts on the night skybrightness and how currently used measurement devices can show new approaches in theirapplication. Firstly, light monitoring network data underly strong seasonal variations whichcan potentially falsify long-term analyses of light pollution development. Such must beincluded in order to rightly give statements about increases or decreases in night skybrightness values. Another research issue is the impact caused by atmospheric elements likethe aerosol optical depth. Latter will be investigated by meteorological ceilometerbackscatter data, providing data for this issue in an unprecedented accuracy. Furthermore,airborne vehicles will be tested as potential devices to characterize atmospheric layers.Moreover, it will be tested if easy retrievable ground-based measurements can approximatethe city emission function, a very important input for theoretical modelling. And finally, allskymeasurements will show, how far light domes from light emitting cities are visible andcould influence night skies above natural protected areas. Results from this project lead toimportant insights in the understanding of skyglow phenomena and serve as inputs formodelling approaches in the future. Outcomes shall also be used for research disciplines ofother fields, since it creates new fundaments for nature related studies in, e.g., ecology,biology and environmental physics, or technical studies like lighting management,sustainability and energy saving purposes. |
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