impacts of artificial lighting on the survival of sea turtles
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Impacts of Artificial Lighting on the Survival of Sea Turtles. Michael Slattery. Why should it matter?. All 6 species of sea turtle that nest in North America are either Endangered or Threatened. Nesting. Generally they nest every 1-3 years - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
Impacts of Artificial Lighting on the Survival of
Sea Turtles
Michael Slattery
Why should it matter?• All 6 species of sea turtle that nest in
North America are either Endangered or Threatened.
Nesting• Generally they nest every 1-3 years• Females always return to the beach
from which they hatched• They may lay multiple clutches.• Hatch after 6-13 weeks of incubation
Nest survival• Where they get deposited• Predation• Disease
Hatching success• 80% of the eggs hatch• Upon emergence they’ll orient themselves
to the brightest light field. • Only 1 in 1000 hatchlings make it to
adulthood and reproduce
Human activities can compound the problem
• 53% of the US. Population lives within 60 miles of the Coast.
• This requires significant infrastructure.• The beaches are very economically
valuable to the US.
Several possible outcomes• Depends on the magnitude of
brightness• Pick the wrong way
– Sunrise– Swimming pools– Cars– Domestic animals– Natural predators
What do you think?• Low natural success• Human impact
– Redirect lights– Lower intensities
• Something should be done