Anthropogenic Night Light and Noise

Anthropogenic Night Light and Noise and Wildlife Vulnerability

Anthropogenic night light and noise are increasingly changing landscapes and ecosystems across the United States with implications for wildlife and biodiversity. Identifying which species are most vulnerable to anthropogenic night light and noise (ANLN) is necessary to direct conservation and mitigation efforts. Certain biological traits may increase the likelihood that a species will be vulnerable to ANLN. For example, a species active solely during the night might be more vulnerable to the effects of anthropogenic night light than a species active solely during the day.

To better understand the impacts of ANLN on the spatial distribution of vertebrate species within the contiguous United States, we use a combination of expert elicitation, remotely sensed data, and spatial modeling. The objective of our expert elicitation survey is to quantify how select biological traits contribute to ANLN vulnerability.