Impacts of artificial light at night in marine ecosystems—A review

Abstract

The globally widespread adoption of Artificial Light at Night (ALAN) began in the mid‐20th century. Yet, it is only in the last decade that a renewed research focus has emerged into its impacts on ecological and biological processes in the marine environment that are guided by natural intensities, moon phase, natural light and dark cycles and daily light spectra alterations. The field has diversified rapidly from one restricted to impacts on a handful of vertebrates, to one in which impacts have been quantified across a broad array of marine and coastal habitats and species. Here, we review the current understanding of ALAN impacts in diverse marine ecosystems. The review presents the current state of knowledge across key marine and coastal ecosystems (sandy and rocky shores, coral reefs and pelagic) and taxa (birds and sea turtles), introducing how ALAN can mask seabird and sea turtle navigation, cause changes in animals predation patterns and failure of coral spawning synchronization, as well as inhibition of zooplankton Diel Vertical Migration. Mitigation measures are recommended, however, while strategies for mitigation were easily identified, barriers to implementation are poorly understood. Finally, we point out knowledge gaps that if addressed would aid in the prediction and mitigation of ALAN impacts in the marine realm.

Plasticity and seasonality of the vertical migration behaviour of Antarctic krill using acoustic data from fishing vessels

“…A potentially important aspect that we were not able to take into account in this study is the effect of artificial light emitted from the ship on the observed krill behaviour, especially on days with short photoperiods in autumn and winter. Recent studies have shown that artificial light can strongly alter the vertical migration behaviour of pelagic organisms [89][90][91]. Quantifying the magnitude and persistence of this effect is highly important, as it could have strong implications for almost all vessel-based observations in behavioural studies of pelagic organisms conducted to date.…”

Toward a decade of ocean science for sustainable development through acoustic animal tracking

“…The effects of anthropogenic sound pollution (an emergent pollutant) in marine organisms have not yet been extensively studied (Duarte et al, 2021). It is known that certain marine species are attracted or repulsed by artificial light sources constituting a type of pollution (Marangoni et al, in press). More research is needed to understand the ecological implications of such behavioral changes (Nightingale et al, 2006).…”

From colony to fallout: Artificial lights pose risk to seabird fledglings far from their natal colonies

“…However, scientists are still only beginning to uncover the harmful impacts of light pollution on wildlife and human health, with regulations and mitigation slowly gaining success in implementation. Scientific evidence suggests that artificial light has negative effects on a variety of wildlife including birds, amphibians, mammals, insects, and plants (Marangoni et al, 2022). Coastally the impacts are most felt among seabirds and sea turtles (Thums et al, 2016).…”