University of Plymouth

04/10/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 04/10/2024 09:45

Initiative increases awareness of the threats posed by light pollution to the global ocean

Scientists, policy makers, and marine and environmental professionals across the world are being encouraged to sign up to a new initiative highlighting some of the global threats posed by light pollution.
The Global Ocean Artificial Light at Night Network (GOALANN) has been launched today at the United Nations Ocean Decade Conference in Barcelona.
It has been established by ecologists, oceanographers and social scientists who have spent more than a decade studying the impact of light pollution on the ocean, and the many species living in or near it.
The GOALANN network aims to expand on the impact of that work, unifying research groups from around the world to provide a central resource of marine light pollution expertise, projects and tools.
The idea is then for this information to be accessed by policy makers, environmental managers, maritime industries and others responsible for future decisions which may create or mitigate light pollution, as well as the general public.