How light pollution speeds up the arrival of spring in cities

3D drone satellite aerial view of Birmingham, England. A US-based researcher has found that, combined with high temperatures, light pollution alters the timing of tree greening in cities. Photo: AFP

In large cities, spring comes earlier than in rural areas. The reason? Temperatures are higher there because of pollution, but also because of artificial light. This discovery was made by researcher Lin Meng, winner of the Science & SciLifeLab 2021 prize for young scientists.

Published in the journal Science, her work looks at large cities in the United States and assesses the impact of temperature change and light on the regular day-night cycle on which plants depend.

The researcher particularly focused on artificial light, whose impact on urban vegetation is often overlooked when developing outdoor lighting strategies (streetlights, buildings, advertising displays, etc).