Overview
- The peer-reviewed study in Communications Earth & Environment formally defines these short-term, extreme low-light events across coasts in New Zealand and California.
- Recorded episodes lasted from days to more than two months, with seabed light in some cases falling close to zero.
- Analysis identified storms, river-borne sediment from land use, phytoplankton blooms and organic matter as primary drivers, with 2023 showing unusually high counts linked to Cyclone Gabrielle.
- Researchers report cascading ecological effects on kelp forests, seagrass meadows and the behavior, reproduction and survival of fishes and other animals.
- The team has begun Endeavour-funded underwater soundscape monitoring to quantify fish-community responses and urges land-practice changes to curb sediment runoff.