Research Exploration Essay

When I woke up this morning, at 6:15 a.m. I turned on every light from the bedroom to the kitchen, “Time to wake-up, time to pretend the sun is up.” I said out-loud. The use of light in nearly every living being is fundamental to their biological processes. With artificial light we can trick ourselves into being awake. By doing this many researchers say, we are messing up our health. We are also messing up the health of our nocturnal neighbors and nocturnal wildlife. We are making the night skies impossible to see within a big city’s limits. But light is used in endless amounts of ways. An article from Rick Weiss states that exposure to blue artificial light has positive effects on both depression and Alzheimer’s disease. By maintaining our natural biological clocks that operate on a light versus dark basis we can avoid ailments like SAD (seasonal affective disorder), something that affects many people. By harvesting the power of light, doctors and scientists have been able to come up with lasers that offer advanced technologies to the world of surgery, like Lasik just to name one. Light speed and light travel is so complex that it remains one of the great mysteries of the entire universe. That is not the topic of this exploration, rather this exploration is geared towards what light has and can do to our health and our communities, our surrounding atmosphere. I intend to explore how the use of blue light is beneficial to our health and how artificial light is negative to our health. I intend to explore how the topic of light pollution can be controlled and how it can be beautiful. For as naïve and superficial as it may seem, aesthetic appeal in everyday (and every night) life is important.

Now that I have been awake for a few hours, the sun has risen and the birds are waking up. The plants can begin their photosynthesis and I feel uneasy at the fact that I have been awake before the plants. With the help of the sunlight I can walk outside to the bitter cold and close my eyes and remember how the morning sun of summer warms my body and creates comfort. Now that the sun is up, somewhere solar panels are absorbing the sunlight. Now that the sun is up, somewhere a business’ light is still on wasting valuable energy. I check the spot lights in front of Ellis Hall, Monday through Thursday morning, when I walk to class, and they are always on. My world for the day have been drenched with light and I can’t help but wonder about the people in Alaska living in the constant dark of winter. How long would it take someone to get used to that? Would you ever get used to it? Once you begin to understand how light is so vital to our existence, it is time to start asking some questions. It will be the hope of this research exploration to ask many questions and find many answers.


Books
1. Mizon, Bob. Light Pollution: Responses and Remedies. Singapore: Springer-Verlag London Limited, 2002. Print.

2. Phillips, Derek. The Lit Environment. Woburn, MA.: Architectural Press, 2002. Print.


Magazines

1. BBC, . "Light Pollution Overwhelms Wildlife's Navigational Abilities." Civil Engineering issue 6, 2009: 33. Print.

2. Naege, Robert. "One Man's Battle Against Light Pollution." Sky & Telescope issue 5, 2009: 8. Print.

3. Turk, Cliff. "Report of the Dark Skies Section." Monthly Notes of the Astronomical Society of Southern Africa 10 September 2009: 177. Print.

4. Gallina, Carla. "Light Done Right." Library Journal 2009: 1-5. Print.


Websites

1. http://www.darksky.org

2. Klinkenborg, Verlyn. "Light Pollution." National Geographic.com. November 2008. National Geographic, Web. 24 Jan 2010. http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2008/11/light-pollution/klinkenborg-text.

3. http://www.astrosociety.org/education/publications/tnl/44/lightpoll.html

4. Quandt, Matt . "The dark night goes quietly." Astronomy. Web. 24 Jan 2010. http://www.astronomy.com/asy/default.aspx?c=a&id=2249.

5. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Light_pollution.

6. www.greenfudge.org/2009/11/05/unpopular-environmental-issues-we-should-care-about.

7. Weiss, Rick. "Health." Artificial Light Casts Shadow Over our Health, study find. 11, November, 2007, 5:22 a.m. Fort Wayne.com, Web. 1 Feb 2010. http://www.journalgazette.net/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071111/NEWS10/711110397/1005/NEWS10

8. Smith, Dawn. "Write for us." Effects of Light Pollution on Human Health. 14, January, 2009. suite101.com, Web. 1 Feb 2010. .

9. Figueiro, Rea, Eggleston, Mariana Gross, Mark S, Gregory. "Issue Stories." Light Therapy and Alzheimer’s Disease. Januaru-February 2003. Sleep Review, Web. 1 Feb 2010. http://www.sleepreviewmag.com/issues/articles/2003-01_01.asp


Image

1. "ECO ART: Plastic Bag Light Garden." Inhabitat, design will save the world. Web. 1 Feb 2010. http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.inhabitat.com/wp-content/uploads/ecoart_plasticbagprado_main.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.inhabitat.com/2009/04/04/eco-art-plastic-bag-light-garden/