TY - JOUR
T1 - The spectral and spatial distribution of light pollution in the waters of the northern Gulf of Aqaba (Eilat)
AU - Tamir, Raz
AU - Lerner, Amit
AU - Haspel, Carynelisa
AU - Dubinsky, Zvy
AU - Iluz, David
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2017 The Author(s).
PY - 2017/2/10
Y1 - 2017/2/10
N2 - The urbanization of the shores of the Gulf of Aqaba has exposed the marine environment there, including unique fringing coral reefs, to strong anthropogenic light sources. Here we present the first in situ measurements of artificial nighttime light under water in such an ecosystem, with irradiance measured in 12 wavelength bands, at 19 measurement stations spread over 44 square km, and at 30 depths down to 30-m depth. At 1-m depth, we find downwelling irradiance values that vary from 4.6 × 10-4 μW cm-2 nm-1 500 m from the city to 1 × 10-6 μW cm-2 nm-1 in the center of the gulf (9.5 km from the city) in the yellow channel (589-nm wavelength) and from 1.3 × 10-4 μW cm-2 nm-1 to 4.3 × 10-5 μW cm-2 nm-1 in the blue channel (443-nm wavelength). Down to 10-m depth, we find downwelling irradiance values that vary from 1 × 10-6 μW cm-2 nm-1 to 4.6 × 10-4 μW cm-2 nm-1 in the yellow channel and from 2.6 × 10-5 μW cm-2 nm-1 to 1.3 × 10-4 μW cm-2 nm-1 in the blue channel, and we even detected a signal at 30-m depth. This irradiance could influence such biological processes as the tuning of circadian clocks, the synchronization of coral spawning, recruitment and competition, vertical migration of demersal plankton, feeding patterns, and prey/predator visual interactions.
AB - The urbanization of the shores of the Gulf of Aqaba has exposed the marine environment there, including unique fringing coral reefs, to strong anthropogenic light sources. Here we present the first in situ measurements of artificial nighttime light under water in such an ecosystem, with irradiance measured in 12 wavelength bands, at 19 measurement stations spread over 44 square km, and at 30 depths down to 30-m depth. At 1-m depth, we find downwelling irradiance values that vary from 4.6 × 10-4 μW cm-2 nm-1 500 m from the city to 1 × 10-6 μW cm-2 nm-1 in the center of the gulf (9.5 km from the city) in the yellow channel (589-nm wavelength) and from 1.3 × 10-4 μW cm-2 nm-1 to 4.3 × 10-5 μW cm-2 nm-1 in the blue channel (443-nm wavelength). Down to 10-m depth, we find downwelling irradiance values that vary from 1 × 10-6 μW cm-2 nm-1 to 4.6 × 10-4 μW cm-2 nm-1 in the yellow channel and from 2.6 × 10-5 μW cm-2 nm-1 to 1.3 × 10-4 μW cm-2 nm-1 in the blue channel, and we even detected a signal at 30-m depth. This irradiance could influence such biological processes as the tuning of circadian clocks, the synchronization of coral spawning, recruitment and competition, vertical migration of demersal plankton, feeding patterns, and prey/predator visual interactions.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85012098132&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1038/srep42329
DO - 10.1038/srep42329
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C2 - 28186138
AN - SCOPUS:85012098132
SN - 2045-2322
VL - 7
JO - Scientific Reports
JF - Scientific Reports
M1 - 42329
ER -
