DARKER SKY

The threat light pollution poses to the environment is currently still largely underestimated.
Light pollution specifies the disruption of ecosystems' existing light/dark patterns by the use of artificial light at night. The effects range from the interference with the behavior of migratory species to the alteration of seasonal cycles, loss of biodiversity, and severe health effects in humans and other species.
The resulting complexity calls for transdisciplinary and transnational perspectives to develop multifaceted solutions. The DARKER SKY project applies a overarching multi- and transdisciplinary approach.
It brings local, regional and national authorities into dialogue to enable concrete regional action plans and a strategy to curb light pollution across the entire North Sea region.
The partners involved are developing innovative lighting solutions at eight international demonstrator sites with subsequent roll-out throughout the North Sea region. In addition, transferable measurement, monitoring and co-design methods are being developed.
The HAW Hamburg team implements two pilot sites in Hamburg in collaboration with the Borough of Altona. The planning process focuses on co-design methods, using XR technologies developed by the Research and Transfer Centrum Digital Reality (https://ftz.digitalreality-hamburg.de). In addition, the team at HAW Hamburg team is group leader for the development of a joint measurement framework for recording the lighting situation on the ground and in the surrounding area on the one hand and the sky brightness as an indicator of light pollution on the other. The agreed framework (such as measurement parameters, geometries and devices) will be applied at all demonstrator sites and beyond in order to establish transnational comparability.
 
Brest Métropole/FR, Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg - District of Altona/GER, Common Wadden Sea Secretariat/GER, Landmakers Coöperatie U.A./NL, Gemeente Heerenveen/NL, Stichting Van Hall Larenstein/NL, Carl von Ossietzky University Oldenburg/GER, National Park Authority Niedersächsisches Wattenmeer/GER, NPorts Norddeich/GER, Rijksuniversiteit Groningen/NL and Aarhus Universitet/DK.

Project Website: DARKER SKY

Project Manager: Enora Morin, Project Manager, Université de Bretagne Occidentale, Brest, France enora.morin (at) univ-brest (dot) fr