Light Aware

Would you like to help?
Donate now
  • Home
  • About
    • Are you LightAware?
      • Types of Lighting
      • Good practice
    • Who we are
    • Individual Stories
    • LightAware Card
  • Politics
    • Government reports
    • Legislation
    • Political process
      • United Kingdom
      • Worldwide
  • Science
    • Medical
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Media
    • UK Press
    • International Press
    • Audio and Video
  • News
  • Contact
You are here: Home / Science / Environment / Artificial Lighting at Night in Estuaries—Implications from Individuals to Ecosystems

Artificial Lighting at Night in Estuaries—Implications from Individuals to Ecosystems

November 21, 2018 Filed Under: Environment

Estuaries and Coasts

Artificial lighting at night (ALAN) produced by urban, industrial, and roadway lighting, as well as other sources, has dramatically increased in recent decades, especially in coastal environments that support dense human populations. Artificial “lightscapes” are characterized by distinct spatial, temporal, and spectral patterns that can alter natural patterns of light and dark with consequences across levels of biological organization. At the individual level, ALAN can elicit a suite of physiological and behavioral responses associated with light-mediated processes such as diel activity patterns and predator-prey interactions. ALAN has also been shown to modify community composition and trophic structure, with implications for ecosystem-level processes including primary productivity, nutrient cycling, and the energetic linkages between aquatic and terrestrial systems. Here, we review the state of the science relative to the impacts of ALAN on estuaries, which is an important step in assessing the long-term sustainability of coastal regions. We first consider how multiple properties of ALAN (e.g., intensity and spectral content) influence the interaction between physiology and behavior of individual estuarine biota (drawing from studies on invertebrates, fishes, and birds). Second, we link individual- to community- and ecosystem-level responses, with a focus on the impacts of ALAN on food webs and implications for estuarine ecosystem functions. Coastal aquatic communities and ecosystems have been identified as a key priority for ALAN research, and a cohesive research framework will be critical for understanding and mitigating ecological consequences.

Click here for link to full article

Filed Under: Environment Tagged With: Coastal ecosystems, Ecological light pollution, Marine conservation, Trophic networks

LightAware is the winner of the 2017 PLDC Award

Read More

Latest News

LightAware Winter Newsletter 2020

LightAware’s winter 2020 newsletter gives … [More...]

Government consultation on lighting law

The UK government department responsible for … [More...]

LED Streetlighting in the UK

120 Councils have now responded to the … [More...]

Useful Links

Links Page

Stay in touch with us

  • 
  • 
  • 
  • 

Archives

If you would like to be put in contact with one of the LightAware ambassadors please contact:

info@lightaware.org

LightAware Card

LightAware Leaflet

LightAware is a registered charity, SC046160 - Privacy Policy - Cookie Policy | Website designed by Lennon Design

  • Increase Font
  • Decrease Font
  • Black & White
  • Inverse Colors
  • Highlight Links
  • Regular Font
  • Reset
Real Accessability