Project
Aquatic Pollution from Light and Anthropogenic Noise: Management of Impacts on Biodiversity (AquaPLAN)
AquaPLAN is a four-year EU Horizon Europe project quantifying the combined impacts of artificial light at night (ALAN) and anthropogenic noise on aquatic biodiversity across Europe’s freshwater, estuarine, coastal and offshore environments. PML contributes expertise in physical and social marine sciences, working with 14 partner organisations spanning 10 countries to deliver empirically grounded management strategies for these under-regulated pollutants
Background
Artificial light at night and underwater noise have each been studied in isolation, but their combined effects on aquatic ecosystems remain poorly understood. Existing regulations are highly fragmented, and there are significant gaps in monitoring frameworks across inland, coastal and offshore waters. Species from invertebrates and fish to marine mammals are affected by both pollutants, which are globally widespread and increasing in intensity.
AquaPLAN addresses this by bringing together ecologists, physical scientists, social scientists and policy specialists to produce the first comprehensive, cross-habitat assessment of combined light and noise pollution (LNP) impacts – and the tools needed to manage them.
Project Objectives
- Comprehensive review of LNP impacts on aquatic biodiversity alongside other global change stressors
- Assessment of how regulatory bodies and decision-makers currently perceive and prioritise LNP management
- Quantification of combined LNP impacts on conservation status across aquatic habitat types
- Identification of mechanisms driving individual and combined LNP impacts at organism and ecosystem levels
- Exploration of innovative interdisciplinary measures to prevent and mitigate LNP impacts
- Building international, interdisciplinary capacity to assess, prevent and mitigate combined LNP impacts for biodiversity conservation
PML’s Role
PML contributes expertise in physical and natural marine sciences alongside social science perspectives, working across multiple work packages to ensure a holistic, interdisciplinary approach to LNP assessment and management. Alongside University of Plymouth and CEFAS, PML is one of three UK participants in the consortium, supported by UKRI under the Horizon Europe Guarantee.
Funding acknowledgement: AquaPLAN is funded by the European Union under the Horizon Europe Programme, Grant Agreement No. 101135471. PML’s participation is supported by UKRI’s Horizon Europe Guarantee, Grant No. 10107549. Views and opinions expressed are those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Research Executive Agency (REA).
