The impact of artificial light on arctic marine organisms and ecosystems during the polar night
Informations
- Funding country
Norway- Acronym
- -
- URL
- -
- Start date
- 1/1/2020
- End date
- 12/31/2024
- Budget
- 1,476,000 EUR
Fundings
| Name | Role | Start | End | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| KLIMAFORSK - Large scale programme on Climate | Grant | - | - | 1,476,000 EUR |
Abstract
At any given moment, half of the Earth’s surface is in darkness. While darkness prevails, biological processes regulated by the sun have generally been assumed to cease. But darkness is also the preferred ‘habitat’ for the many nocturnal organisms that remain active at night. For many of these, the moon, stars and aurora borealis may provide important cues to guide behaviours and interaction with other organisms. This is not the least true for the Arctic polar night. Unfortunately, with a changing climate and increased human activities in the Arctic, these natural light sources will in many places be more or less invisible due to the much stronger illumination from artificial light. This project will explore the potential effects of artificial light on organisms that remain active in one of the last undisturbed and pristine dark habitats on the planet – the Arctic polar night.