Completed 8-year project
We just completed an 8-year study (2012 - 2019) to compare seabird fallout before and after the switch from yellow high-pressure sodium (HPS) bulbs to white light-emitting diode (LED) highway lights along the Kalaniana'ole Highway in O'ahu. Hawai'i.
Annual wedge-tailed shearwater fallout during years with HPS (orange) and LED (blue) highway lighting, showing the mean (dashed lines) and S.D.s (error bars). After four years of surveys following the shift from HPS to LED lights, we cannot detect a significant change in the magnitude of wedge-tailed shearwater fallout in our study area.
Yet, because there is substantial inter-annual variability, an in-depth statistical analysis is underway to assess the influence of the highway lights, in the context of other potential environmental drivers, like the moon cycle and the speed and direction of the prevailing wind during the fledging season.
It is our hope that this research will increase the understanding and public awareness about shearwater fallout and possible mitigation efforts aimed at reducing mortality. Read more about the project and products from this research here: http://www.pelagicos.net/research_lightpollution.htm
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