Author Type

Graduate Student

Date of Award

2005

Document Type

Thesis

Publication Status

Version of Record

Submission Date

October 2026

Thesis/Dissertation Advisor [Chair]

Salmon, Michael

Abstract

Pole-mounted street lighting on coastal roadways is often visible in adjacent areas. At roadways near sea turtle nesting beaches, these lights can disrupt the nocturnal orientation of hatchlings as they crawl from the nest to the sea. Our objective was to determine if an alternative lighting system (light-emitting diodes, embedded in the roadway pavement) prevented orientation disruption of loggerhead hatchlings. Hatchlings at the beach oriented normally when the embedded lights were on, or when all lighting was switched off. However, turtles showed poor orientation when exposed to pole-mounted street lighting. Light measurements revealed that street lighting was present at the beach, whereas embedded lighting was absent. I conclude that embedded lighting systems restrict light scatter, leaving adjacent habitats dark, and therefore protect the turtles from artificial lighting allowing for normal seafinding.

Extent

30 p.

Comments

Charles E. Schmidt College of Science|Thesis (M.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2005.|FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection|Charles E. Schmidt College of Science

Identifier

FADT13203

Format

pdf

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