{"id":3566,"date":"2022-06-17T08:21:35","date_gmt":"2022-06-17T08:21:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thepoetryofscience.peachpuff-wolverine-566518.hostingersite.com\/?p=3566"},"modified":"2022-06-17T08:21:35","modified_gmt":"2022-06-17T08:21:35","slug":"artificial-rhythms","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/thepoetryofscience\/3566\/artificial-rhythms\/","title":{"rendered":"Artificial Rhythms"},"content":{"rendered":"

Turning from the sun
\nour planet tries to sleep,
\nits marbled surface blemished
\nby the humming need
\nof a billion pinpricks of light.
\nSnoozing saplings start to stir,
\ntheir dreams distorted
\nby the never-ending break of day.
\nBlooming buds jump morning cues
\nto catch delayed displays
\nof lagging leaves,
\ntheir colours changed forever
\nin the suspended senescence
\nof this disordered life.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
One of the effects of light pollution on trees is that near the lamps, in the zone of intense lighting, the dead leaves do not fall (Image Credit: Lamiot via Wikimedia Commons).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This poem is inspired by recent research<\/a>, which has found that artificial light affects the seasonal rhythms of plants.<\/p>\n

The last century has seen an unprecedented increase in the use of Artificial Light at Night (or ALAN), with a current ongoing global increase rate of more than 6% per year. This means that today more than 80% of the world\u2019s population lives under a \u2018lit sky\u2019 at night. Recent research has shown that ALAN appears to be a massive threat to growing human\u2013environment conflicts, as it interferes with all three of the primary requirements (i.e. food, habitat, and health) for the sustainability of life. In humans, a correlation between ALAN and the appearance of various disorders, such as activity\/sleep rhythms, mental health disorders, and weight gain has also been documented quite extensively<\/p>\n

In this new study, researchers observed some of the effects that ALAN has on plants. They compared NASA satellite data of artificial light at night from 2012 to 2016 with data relating to seasonal changes in plants, observed at around 3,000 urban sites across the United States during this time period. Their results showed that on average ALAN advanced the date of breaking leaf buds in the spring by nearly nine days and delayed the colouring of leaves by about six days in the autumn. As well as the implications for both plant health and urban farming, these changes in growing season are also likely to affect the timing and severity of pollen season, thereby increasing the risk of pollen allergies for humans. This research further highlights the need to develop new night-time lighting strategies that minimise the impact of ALAN on ecosystems, especially within an urban environment.<\/p>\n