Creatures such as the sand hopper (Talitrus saltator) orientate their nightly migrations based on the moon’s position and brightness of the natural night sky. The study was conducted as part of the Artificial Light Impacts on Coastal Ecosystems (ALICE) project, funded by the Natural Environment Research Council. They also highlight the potential for artificial skyglow to impact other species that undergo migrations using the moon as a compass,” Davies explained. “While our understanding of the impacts of street lights on nature has improved dramatically, artificial skyglow has been largely overlooked. However, in the presence of artificial skyglow during the same moon phase and cloud cover conditions, their movements were far more random.

Source: Hindustan Times June 24, 2020 07:42 UTC