Global warming is causing reduction in both sea-ice thickness and coverage in the Arctic with substantial effects on high latitude ecosystems. In combination with constantly increasing light pollution and climate change-induced alterations in ambient light conditions this puts Arctic and Nordic marine ecosystems under pressure.
The visual systems of aquatic animals in high latitude environments, however, are adapted to living in very dim light conditions and almost complete darkness during the polar night.
It has been discovered recently that light-guided behaviour occurs throughout the year in the Arctic, even though the light intensities eliciting this behaviour are barely measurable with modern acquisition systems.

LightLife brings together experts from different fields of biology to quantify the effects of light to the biological relationships and key functions in Arctic and Nordic ecosystems, focusing on zooplankton species which form the basis of the ecosystems.