Artificial light disturbing the night

Life on earth evolved under natural light, emitted from the celestial bodies around us. Blazing sunlight during the day and a faint night-time illumination create the daily light and dark cycles that play such a crucial role in the behavior, physiology, and biology of all organisms. However, this balance was disrupted worldwide with the emergence of artificial light. While representing a major technological advance to humanity, artificial light also inflicts light pollution at night. Among other consequences, this disturbance of natural day-night cycles poses threats to marine habitats. In an article recently published in Science of the Total Environment, Prof. Oren Levy and his team look into the effects of light pollution on the metabolic activity of several coral species in the Gulf of Aqaba/Eilat. Their study reveals that light pollution causes growing environmental pressure that should be resolved in order to preserve the delicate balance of the marine ecosystem.