A meta-analysis of biological impacts of artificial light at night

Sanders, Dirk; Frago, Enric; Kehoe, Rachel; Patterson, Christophe; Gaston, Kevin J.

doi:10.1038/s41559-020-01322-x

Cited by 245 publications

(235 citation statements)

References 150 publications

(58 reference statements)

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“…ALAN exposure is known to harm a vast array of species on Earth [27]. Organisms at or near the surface of the Earth experience natural illumination levels spanning nine orders of magnitude with the timing and duration of those exposures largely determined by the Sun and Moon.…”

Section: Ecologymentioning

confidence: 99%

A Case for a New Satellite Mission for Remote Sensing of Night Lights

et al. 2021

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The physiology and behavior of most life at or near the Earth’s surface has evolved over billions of years to be attuned with our planet’s natural light–dark cycle of day and night. However, over a relatively short time span, humans have disrupted this natural cycle of illumination with the introduction and now widespread proliferation of artificial light at night (ALAN). Growing research in a broad range of fields, such as ecology, the environment, human health, public safety, economy, and society, increasingly shows that ALAN is taking a profound toll on our world. Much of our current understanding of light pollution comes from datasets generated by remote sensing, primarily from two missions, the Operational Linescan System (OLS) instrument of the now-declassified Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) of the U.S. Department of Defense and its follow-on platform, the Day-Night Band (DNB) of the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) instrument on board the Suomi National Polar-Orbiting Partnership satellite. Although they have both proved invaluable for ALAN research, sensing of nighttime lights was not the primary design objective for either the DMSP-OLS or VIIRS-DNB instruments; thus, they have some critical limitations. Being broadband sensors, both the DMSP-OLS and VIIRS-DNB instruments suffer from a lack of spectral information. Additionally, their spatial resolutions are too low for many ALAN research applications, though the VIIRS-DNB instrument is much improved over the DMSP-OLS in this regard, as well as in terms of dynamic range and quantization. Further, the very late local time of VIIRS-DNB observations potentially misses the true picture of ALAN. We reviewed both current literature and guiding advice from ALAN experts, aggregated from a diverse range of disciplines and Science Goals, to derive recommendations for a mission to expand knowledge of ALAN in areas that are not adequately addressed with currently existing orbital missions. We propose a stand-alone mission focused on understanding light pollution and its effects on our planet. Here we review the science cases and the subsequent mission recommendations for NITESat (Nighttime Imaging of Terrestrial Environments Satellite), a dedicated ALAN observing mission.

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Section: Ecologymentioning

confidence: 99%

A Case for a New Satellite Mission for Remote Sensing of Night Lights

et al. 2021

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“…Artificial light at night (ALAN) is a globally widespread environmental pollutant with direct ecological impacts on multiple terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems [1][2][3] including ecosystem functioning [4]. ALAN has been identified as a new major pollutant in the context of global environmental change [1,5].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Long-term exposure to artificial light at night in the wild decreases survival and growth of a coral reef fish

et al. 2021

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Artificial light at night (ALAN) is an increasing anthropogenic pollutant, closely associated with human population density, and now well recognized in both terrestrial and aquatic environments. However, we have a relatively poor understanding of the effects of ALAN in the marine realm. Here, we carried out a field experiment in the coral reef lagoon of Moorea, French Polynesia, to investigate the effects of long-term exposure (18–23 months) to chronic light pollution at night on the survival and growth of wild juvenile orange-fin anemonefish, Amphiprion chrysopterus . Long-term exposure to environmentally relevant underwater illuminance (mean: 4.3 lux), reduced survival (mean: 36%) and growth (mean: 44%) of juvenile anemonefish compared to that of juveniles exposed to natural moonlight underwater (mean: 0.03 lux). Our study carried out in an ecologically realistic situation in which the direct effects of artificial lighting on juvenile anemonefish are combined with the indirect consequences of artificial lighting on other species, such as their competitors, predators, and prey, revealed the negative impacts of ALAN on life-history traits. Not only are there immediate impacts of ALAN on mortality, but the decreased growth of surviving individuals may also have considerable fitness consequences later in life. Future studies examining the mechanisms behind these findings are vital to understand how organisms can cope and survive in nature under this globally increasing pollutant.

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“…However, a recent meta-analysis, addressing a wide variety of impacts, found no evidence for a systematic increase in effect sizes with levels of ALAN (Sanders et al 2021). Moreover, it has been shown that the complexities of cascading effects through food webs can mean that lower intensities have greater impacts than higher ones .…”

Section: Light Levelsmentioning

confidence: 97%

Pervasiveness of Biological Impacts of Artificial Light at Night

Gaston

Ackermann

Bennie

et al. 2021

Integrative and Comparative Biology

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Artificial light at night (ALAN) and its associated biological impacts have regularly been characterised as predominantly urban issues. Although far from trivial, this would imply that these impacts only affect ecosystems that are already heavily modified by humans and are relatively limited in their spatial extent, at least as compared with some key anthropogenic pressures on the environment that attract much more scientific and public attention, such as climate change or plastic pollution. However, there are a number of reasons to believe that ALAN and its impacts are more pervasive, and therefore need to be viewed from a broader geographic perspective rather than an essentially urban one. Here we address, in turn, 11 key issues when considering the degree of spatial pervasiveness of the biological impacts of ALAN. First, the global extent of ALAN is likely itself commonly underestimated, as a consequence of limitations of available remote sensing data sources and how these are processed. Second and third, more isolated (rural) and mobile (e.g., vehicle headlight) sources of ALAN may have both very widespread and important biological influences. Fourth and fifth, the occurrence and impacts of ALAN in marine systems and other remote settings, need much greater consideration. Sixth, seventh and eighth, there is growing evidence for important biological impacts of ALAN at low light levels, from skyglow, and over long distances (because of the altitudes from which it may be viewed by some organisms), all of which would increase the areas over which impacts are occurring. Ninth and tenth, ALAN may exert indirect biological effects that may further expand these areas, because it has a landscape ecology (modifying movement and dispersal and so hence with effects beyond the direct extent of ALAN), and because ALAN interacts with other anthropogenic pressures on the environment. Finally, ALAN is not stable, but increasing rapidly in global extent, and shifting towards wavelengths of light that often have greater biological impacts.

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A meta-analysis of biological impacts of artificial light at night

Abstract: A meta-analysis of 126 published studies shows that exposure to artificial light at night induced strong responses for physiological measures, daily activity patterns and lifehistory traits.

Cited by 245 publications

References 150 publications

A Case for a New Satellite Mission for Remote Sensing of Night Lights

A Case for a New Satellite Mission for Remote Sensing of Night Lights

Long-term exposure to artificial light at night in the wild decreases survival and growth of a coral reef fish

Pervasiveness of Biological Impacts of Artificial Light at Night

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