Ecology

January 20, 2024 – Research Note: Red light to mitigate light pollution: Is it possible to balance functionality and ecological impact? – Even red light at night can have adverse ecological impacts.

January 19, 2024 – Artificial light at night reduces earthworm activity but increases growth of invasive ragweed – Light pollution reduced earthworm surface activity by 76% and increased ragweed height growth by 104%.

January 11, 2024 – How Artificial Light Threatens Nature – Video documentary that details how artificial light is devastating the ecosystem.

January 4, 2024 – Why flying insects gather at artificial light – Insects turn their dorsum towards the lights which provides orientation. Artificial light causes the insects to steer in a circle until death.

October 30, 2023 – Light Pollution in Complex Ecological Systems – Light pollution is increasing at 10% per year and adversely impacting entire ecosystems.

September 21, 2023 – Phenotypic signatures of urbanization? Resident, but not migratory, songbird eye size varies with urban-associated light pollution levels – The eye size of urban birds is shrinking.

September 19, 2023 – Healing with the Night: Investigations into Experiences of Natural Darkness in Overnight Recollective Practices – The healing properties of natural night.

September 14, 2022 – Environmental risks from artificial nighttime lighting widespread and increasing across Europe – LEDs have increased light pollution and have increased the emissions of toxic blue wavelength light.

September 9, 2022 – The Dark Side of LEDs: Suppression of Melatonin by Blue Light – An article about the studies of researcher

May 20, 2022 – Light pollution can disorient monarch butterflies – Even a single light can interfere with a butterfly’s navigation system.

March 29, 2022 – Broad spectrum artificial light at night increases the conspicuousness of camouflaged prey – LED light leads to predator advantage.

April 27, 2022 – Oriented Migratory Flight at Night: Consequences of nighttime light pollution for monarch butterflies – ALAN interferes with monarch butterfly migration.

2022 – Artificial Light at Night: State of the Science 2022 – IDA report. Discusses how LED light is increasing light pollution. Falsely claims that LEDs are energy efficient.

August, 2021 – Street lighting has detrimental impacts on local insect populations – This study shows that LEDs are killing insects even faster than High Pressure Sodium.

August, 2021 – First Estimation of Global Trends in Nocturnal Power Emissions Reveals Acceleration of Light Pollution – Light pollution continues to grow and LED blue wavelength light is making it worse.

April, 2021 – Narrow Spectrum Artificial Light Silences Fireflies – Artificial light, especially bright amber, suppresses courtship. “we should focus on minimizing the time that lights are on and how bright they are.” – News Story

March, 2021 – Light Pollution Drives Increased Risk of West Nile Virus – Even low levels of artificial light at night increase the risk of transmission of the virus.

March, 2021 – Superoxide is Promoted by Sucrose and Affects Amplitude of Circadian Rhythms in the Evening – Both light and sugars affect the biological clock of plants. – News Story

March 10, 2020 – Artificial Lighting Impacts to Salmon in WRIA 8 Briefing Memo – Artificial light is impacting the survival of juvenile salmon.

January, 2020 – Australian Light Pollution Guidelines for Wildlife This detailed document describes best lighting practices.

2020 – “use lamps with the lowest CCT, melanopic response, or M/P value possible to achieve the goals of the lighting project.” – Illuminating Engineering Society – On the Use of Summary Metrics of Light Spectral Characteristics to Assess Effects of Artificial Light at Night on Wildlife

2020 – “ALAN reduces habitat suitability” – El Sevier – Effects of artificial light at night on the foraging behavior of an endangered nocturnal mammal

July 30, 2018 – Waters under Artificial Lights: Does Light Pollution Matter for Aquatic Primary Producers? – ALAN and LED light negatively impacts periphyton.

July 30, 2018 – Waters under Artificial Lights: Does Light Pollution Matter for Aquatic Primary Producers? – ALAN negatively impacts periphyton.

2018 – “Anthropogenic lighting drastically alters nocturnal environments, threatening a wide range of species” – Colorado State University – Anthropogenic light disrupts natural light cycles in critical conservation areas

2018 – “we advocate warm color temperature white light as nighttime illumination” – Health and Human Services USA – Light at night disrupts nocturnal rest and elevates glucocorticoids at cool color temperatures

2018 – “bombarded with numerous novel stimuli in their environment that could lead to grave consequences.” – Journal of Ecology – Connecting spectral radiometry of anthropogenic light sources to the visual ecology of organisms

2018 – “if the tendency to light more when light is cheaper can be overcome” – Luger Research – Hazard or Hope? LEDs and Wildlife

2017 – “When the installation was illuminated, birds aggregated in high densities, decreased flight speeds, followed circular flight paths, and vocalized frequently” – Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences – High-intensity urban light installation dramatically alters nocturnal bird migration

2013 – “alters detection of day and night” – Exeter University – Measuring biological light pollution and uncovering its ecological effects

2013 – “the significant impact that even low levels of nighttime light pollution can have” – Cambridge University – The ecological impacts of nighttime light pollution: a mechanistic appraisal

November, 2017 – Artificially lit surface of Earth at night increasing in radiance and extent – This study uses satellite data to show that light pollution has increased due to the use of LED lights.

2017 – “Managers should avoid lights that have ultraviolet or blue light (shorter wavelengths)” – National Park Service – Artificial Night Lighting and Protected Lands

April, 2015 – Artificial Light at Night and the Predator-Prey Dynamics of Juvenile Atlantic Salmon – Even tiny amounts of artificial light affect salmon.

2015 – “The most immediate threat from anthropogenic noise and light is the loss of species” – Trends in Ecology & Evolution – A framework to assess evolutionary responses to anthropogenic light and sound

May 29, 2014 – Potential Biological and Ecological Effects of Flickering Artificial Light – Explains how the visual system of different creatures have a rate at which they capture images. Electric light interferes with this system, causing perceived flicker.

2014 – “exacerbate existing domestic, e.g., midge swarms and industrial infestations of sanitary and phytosanitary pests” – Ecological Society of America – LED lighting increases the ecological impact of light pollution irrespective of color temperature

2012 – “Technological innovations and changes in lighting strategies should consider benefits for reductions in greenhouse gases and energy consumption in parallel with their potential ecological impacts” – Global Change Biology – Conserving energy at a cost to biodiversity? Impacts of LED lighting on bats

2009 – “Light pollution can have significant conservation consequences for a threatened bat species” – Current Biology – Street Lighting Disturbs Commuting Bats