{"id":2402,"date":"2020-05-10T07:13:53","date_gmt":"2020-05-10T07:13:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/?p=2402"},"modified":"2020-05-10T07:18:48","modified_gmt":"2020-05-10T07:18:48","slug":"light-pollution-in-the-red-sea","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/en\/animal_plants\/light-pollution-in-the-red-sea\/","title":{"rendered":"Light pollution in the Red Sea"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Light Pollution in Eilat\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Niq-jVVjz6Y?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>As the global\npopulation continues to grow exponentially, coastal cities are also becoming\ninundated by humans and bear the strain of increasing waste, carbon emissions,\nand other environmental stressors. In the age of climate change, many studies\nhave been done on how our carbon footprint and waste affect life on earth, but\nartificial light at night (ALAN) is a topic that has been absent from this\nconversation, yet plays a large role on the biological processes of the\nmajority of species on our planet and is foundational for the function of\nmodern societies. The cycles of light and dark during a 24 hour period\ndetermine many processes ranging from the change in color of leaves to the\ncircadian rhythm, or the internal clock that determines one\u2019s sleeping\npatterns. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ecosystems\nranging from the frigid Antarctic waters to tropical coral reefs are\nexperiencing the repercussions of a changing climate, and researchers have been\nbusy studying how <a href=\"https:\/\/www.haaretz.com\/science-and-health\/.premium-ocean-acidification-is-extremely-underestimated-scientists-accidentally-discover-1.8188292\">ocean acidification<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fmars.2016.00263\/full\">hypoxia<\/a> (a lack of oxygen), <a href=\"https:\/\/www.timesofisrael.com\/eilat-coral-reefs-robust-despite-warming-red-sea-government-report\/\">warming<\/a>, and even <a href=\"https:\/\/isramar.ocean.org.il\/Report2.pdf\">heavy<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/isramar.ocean.org.il\/Report2.pdf\"> <\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/isramar.ocean.org.il\/Report2.pdf\">metal<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/isramar.ocean.org.il\/Report2.pdf\">\npollution<\/a> will affect these communities. Still, not much research\nhas been done to study the impacts of artificial lighting on shallow coral\nreefs along booming cities, like the oasis destination of Eilat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The popular tourist city of Eilat at the southern tip of Israel and the Northernmost point of the Red Sea resembles the grandiose hotels, neon haze, and constant hum that visitors find along The Strip of Las Vegas in Nevada, USA. Eilat offers a unique opportunity to study the effects of intense light pollution on the biological processes of shallow coral reefs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"897\" src=\"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/nariman-mesharrafa-FhZXPN5WeOk-unsplash-1024x897.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2403\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/nariman-mesharrafa-FhZXPN5WeOk-unsplash-1024x897.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/nariman-mesharrafa-FhZXPN5WeOk-unsplash-300x263.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/nariman-mesharrafa-FhZXPN5WeOk-unsplash-768x673.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/nariman-mesharrafa-FhZXPN5WeOk-unsplash-1536x1345.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/nariman-mesharrafa-FhZXPN5WeOk-unsplash-2048x1794.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption><em>Not much research has been done yet to study the impacts of artificial lighting on shallow coral reefs. Photo by&nbsp;Nariman Mesharrafa&nbsp;on&nbsp;Unsplash<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><strong>What is ALAN and why is it important?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>National Geographic explains the details and harms of artificial light pollution at night (ALAN) in their video titled \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nationalgeographic.org\/video\/light-pollution-101\/?utm_source=BibblioRCM_Row\">Light Pollution 101<\/a>.\u201d Light pollution affects much of the globe and can be seen on an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lightpollutionmap.info\/#zoom=4&amp;lat=5759860&amp;lon=1619364&amp;layers=B0FFFFFTFFFFFFFF\">interactive map<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The effects of\nALAN extend far beyond a restless night of sleep, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ama-assn.org\/sites\/ama-assn.org\/files\/corp\/media-browser\/public\/about-ama\/councils\/Council%20Reports\/council-on-science-public-health\/a16-csaph2.pdf\">studies<\/a> are now emerging that show a link\nbetween ALAN and obesity, reduced DNA repair, and memory impairment. Thus, it\u2019s\ncritical to begin studying the extent of ALAN not only in humans, but for\nanimals as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><strong>What We Know So Far<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A lab led by <a href=\"http:\/\/www.levy-marinelab.com\/\">Dr. Oren Levy<\/a>\nat Bar-Ilan University is leading this charge, and multiple papers on <a href=\"https:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/full\/10.1111\/gcb.14795\">physiology and cellular damage<\/a> have recently\nbeen published \u2013 most notably in the highly-respected journal, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s42003-019-0548-6\"><em>Nature<\/em><\/a>. This research aims\nto examine how corals in Eilat are responding to light pollution to ultimately\nunderstand and infer current and future reef stability and health. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A groundbreaking <a href=\"https:\/\/science.sciencemag.org\/content\/365\/6457\/1002\">study<\/a> conducted in Eilat and published in <em>Science<\/em> in September 2019 shows evidence of the breakdown of the massive synchronized broadcast spawning event that all corals must undergo to reproduce. This impossibly timed phenomenon is determined by light and night cycles throughout the year and occurs annually around full moons. In fact, the spawning is so well coordinated that researchers can predict when corals will spawn. However, the slow breakdown of this synchronized event has experts searching for factors that are threatening the successful reproduction of coral. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is a\ncritical finding because corals that broadcast spawn or expel their gametes\n(germ cells) into the surrounding water must do so at the same time as other\ncorals of the same species, or otherwise, these species are threatened with\nextinction due to reproductive failure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A difficult future looms large over the shallow reefs of Eilat as Dr. Yossi Loya and his team have found. Now researchers are looking for the factor that influences the deterioration of this delicate reproductive event. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"767\" src=\"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/et-yan-ooAAwn11vKM-unsplash-1024x767.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2407\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/et-yan-ooAAwn11vKM-unsplash-1024x767.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/et-yan-ooAAwn11vKM-unsplash-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/et-yan-ooAAwn11vKM-unsplash-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/et-yan-ooAAwn11vKM-unsplash-1536x1151.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/et-yan-ooAAwn11vKM-unsplash-2048x1535.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption><em>A <a href=\"https:\/\/science.sciencemag.org\/content\/365\/6457\/1002\">study<\/a> conducted in Eilat shows evidence of the breakdown of the massive synchronized broadcast spawning event that all corals must undergo to reproduce. Photo by&nbsp;et yan&nbsp;on&nbsp;Unsplash<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><strong>Searching for Solutions<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Yaeli Rosenberg\nrecently published her research with Dr. Levy on coral biological processes and\nlight pollution, which can be found on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s42003-019-0548-6\">nature.com<\/a>. Their study establishes ALAN as a\ncritical factor of coral health in the Red Sea by analyzing gene expression.\nWhile gene expression is a more complex science to describe, it is a powerful\ntool that can shed light on many things that are happening within corals. Yaeli\nwas using gene expression to identify processes within cells that were\ninfluenced by ALAN to determine if light pollution disturbs corals. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Results from\nthis research show that the cells of corals are proliferating, growing,\nsynthesizing protein, and changing their receptors for light 25 times more than\nthose coral cells in the control treatment.&nbsp;\nExacerbated cell proliferation and growth are the foundation of cancer\nwhich threatens the health of corals just as cancer threatens humankind. Thus,\nthe finding supports the claim that light is a chronic disturbance and\nthreatens the health of coral reefs in the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;Yaeli\u2019s\nmotivation for this work comes from her enthusiasm for studying the deeper\nlevels of organisms. In her words: \u201cIt\u2019s mind-blowing to not see something on\nthe outside but to know it\u2019s there.\u201dYaeli\u2019s\npassion for corals has led her to complete a master\u2019s degree and a PhD with Dr.\nOren Levy, studying a topic that she never thought she\u2019d study but now finds\nendlessly fascinating \u2013 biological clocks. This innate internal timing\nmechanism controls <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/topics\/neuroscience\/biological-clock\">circadian rhythm<\/a>, or the 24-hour cycle that\ndictates behavior (e.g. eating and sleeping). Yaeli\u2019s work has led her to study\nthe influence of light because \u201cbiological clocks are framed by light.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This research\nwas based at the <a href=\"https:\/\/iui-eilat.huji.ac.il\/\">Inter-University Institute (IUI) of Marine Sciences<\/a>\nin Eilat, where Yaeli Rosenberg and other members of the Levy lab are\ncontinuing to study the influence of ALAN on the biological processes of\ncritters in coral reef ecosystems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><strong>Light at the end of the tunnel<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While the threats of ALAN are concerning,\nthere is hope to shift our actions to protect the health of humans and animals\naround the world. One successful example of changing our actions to benefit\nthose around us is the IUI and their use of red light at night rather than\ncommon fluorescent or LED lighting methods. This change was adopted by IUI in\ntheir endeavor to protect corals by using a type of light that does not\ninterfere with corals and decreases their impact on the reefs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ultimately, marine science is shifting to understand how shallow coral reefs \u2013 like those in Eilat \u2013 will fare in a future influenced by light pollution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>This ZAVIT article was also published in&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/jewishjournal.com\/commentary\/blogs\/315147\/israel-searches-solutions-to-limit-light-pollution-in-the-red-sea\/\">The Jewish Journal&nbsp;<\/a>on 05\/04\/2020.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As the global population continues to grow exponentially, coastal cities are also becoming inundated by humans and bear the strain &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":120,"featured_media":2417,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[12,10],"tags":[],"acf":[],"post-meta-fields":{"_edit_lock":["1589095128:11"],"_oembed_efe15b094479dbeeb4f19827cf4a9846":["<iframe title=\"Light Pollution in Eilat\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Niq-jVVjz6Y?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>"],"_oembed_time_efe15b094479dbeeb4f19827cf4a9846":["1589094824"],"_edit_last":["11"],"subtitle":["New research in Eilat shows that artificial light at night from surrounding tourist attractions has negative effects on corals "],"_subtitle":["field_59d3d36ea7fe1"],"_wpml_media_duplicate":["1"],"_wpml_media_featured":["1"],"_thumbnail_id":["2417"]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2402"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/120"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2402"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2402\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2421,"href":"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2402\/revisions\/2421"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2417"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2402"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2402"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2402"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}