An international initiative that aims to provide the science needed to better manage global light emissions into the ocean has been endorsed by the United Nations as one of its new Ocean Decade Actions.

It was established by ecologists, oceanographers and social scientists who have spent more than a decade studying the impact of light pollution on the ocean, and the many species living in or near it.

The GOALANN network aims to expand on the impact of that work, unifying research groups from around the world to provide a central resource of marine light pollution expertise, projects and tools.

The idea is then for this information to be accessed by policymakers, environmental managers, maritime industries and others responsible for future decisions which may create or mitigate light pollution, as well as by the general public.

Its recognition by the United Nations acknowledges the impact of the existing research initiatives and the importance of further collaborative efforts to understand and address it.

The GOALANN initiative was conceived by Dr Thomas Davies , Associate Professor of Marine Conservation at the University of Plymouth – who led the first study, published in 2014, to explore the nature, extent and ecological implications of marine light pollution – working alongside Professor Tim Smyth, Head of Science – Marine Biogeochemistry and Observations at Plymouth Marine Laboratory (PML).