The impact of artificial light at night on the distribution of sea turtles in the Mediterranean

Artificial light at night (ALAN) poses a significant threat to a wide array of species across the world. In coastal areas, artificial lighting is known to disrupt sea-finding behaviour of sea turtle hatchlings and to deter females from nesting beaches. Yet, sea turtles spend the majority of their lifetimes in the sea, where the influence of ALAN on sea turtle distribution has not previously been studied. Using a recently published atlas of ALAN under the sea, this study analysed an online dataset of sea turtle sightings throughout the Mediterranean Sea, to look for a relationship using a binomial generalised linear model. The results show that night lights were a significant factor for explaining the distribution of sea turtles. These findings suggest that sea turtles are more likely to be sighted in areas with higher ALAN intensities, potentially due to foraging or anti-predator behaviour, and carryover effects. However, these findings may be somewhat limited by the lack of other predicted variables accounted for. This is the first study to explore the influence of ALAN on sea turtle distribution, whilst also investigating across a broad spatial scale. This approach can be replicated throughout the world, and with other species, to facilitate species management and conservation.