Lunar Cycle Research Articles

Environmental variables driving horseshoe crab spawning behavior in a microtidal lagoon in Florida.

The timing of American horseshoe crab (Limulus polyphemus) spawning behavior along the coast of Florida (United States) is generally associated with the highest tides during the spring and fall lunar cycles. All Florida estuaries support horseshoe crab populations, but tidal characteristics vary markedly among locations, which may influence the timing of horseshoe crab spawning behavior. The Indian River Lagoon is a large microtidal estuary on Florida's east coast. Given the microtidal nature of the lagoon, it is unclear which environmental factors affect horseshoe spawning. In 2019, volunteers of Florida Horseshoe Crab Watch conducted daily surveys at two sites in the northern Indian River Lagoon during peak spawning months (February-April). During each survey, volunteers counted all spawning horseshoe crabs and recorded environmental variables, including water temperature, air temperature, wind speed, wind direction, salinity, and tide height. We developed a suite of negative-binomial regression models to quantify relationships between the number of spawning horseshoe crabs and environmental factors. Modeling results indicated a positive relationship between onshore wind speed and number of spawning horseshoe crabs. Our study suggests that in the absence of tidal cues, onshore wind speed may be an important driver of horseshoe crab spawning activity in microtidal estuarine systems.

Artificial light and cloud cover interact to disrupt celestial migrations at night

The growth of human activity and infrastructure has led to an unprecedented rise in the use of Artificial Light at Night (ALAN) with demonstrable impacts on ecological communities and ecosystem services. However, there remains very little information on how ALAN interacts with or obscures light from celestial bodies, which provide vital orientating cues in a number of species. Furthermore, no studies to date have examined how climatic conditions such as cloud cover, known to influence the intensity of skyglow, interact with lunar irradiance and ALAN over the course of a lunar cycle to alter migratory abilities of species.Our night-time field study aimed to establish how lunar phase and climatic conditions (cloud cover) modulate the impact of ALAN on the abundance and migratory behaviour of Talitrus saltator, a key sandy beach detritivore which uses multiple light associated cues during nightly migrations. Our results showed that the number and size of individuals caught decreased significantly as ALAN intensity increased. Additionally, when exposed to ALAN more T. saltator were caught travelling parallel to the shoreline, indicating that the presence of ALAN is inhibiting their ability to navigate along their natural migration route, potentially impacting the distribution of the population. We found that lunar phase and cloud cover play a significant role in modifying the impact of ALAN, highlighting the importance of incorporating natural light cycles and climatic conditions when investigating ALAN impacts. Critically we demonstrate that light levels as low as 3 lx can have substantial effects on coastal invertebrate distributions. Our results provide the first evidence that ALAN impacted celestial migration can lead to changes to the distribution of a species.

Moon Phases and Online Tests of Precognition

Moon Phases and Online Tests of Precognition

The last jump: epidemiology of suicides at the Tour Eiffel (Paris) between 1950 and 1989.

The Eiffel Tower (Paris, France) has been attracting many candidates for suicide over the years. The aim of this study was to determine the patterns of people who committed suicide by jumping. Permission to access the unpublished records of the Paris Police Prefecture made it possible to compile press articles related to suicides from April 1950 to March 1989. 155 articles corresponding to 79 cases were kept for analysis. There were significantly more males (66%), as compared with an expected theoretical distribution of 1/2 for each sex (p = 0.002). Median age was 38.0years old. Suicide peak was reached during the months of August and October (13% for each), while February was poor in suicides (3%). Tuesdays and Saturdays were the more impacted days. Hourly suicide rates were 8% (morning), 11% (noon), 7% (afternoon), and 5% (evening-night). Moon phases did not correlate with suicide occurrence. The main context described was that of a psychiatric pathology (49%). Death occurred in 92% of the reported cases. Sex ratio, ages, decrease during the cold season, no association with moon phases, and underlying psychiatric pathologies were consistent with trends for either all-cause suicides or suicide jumps from a platform. Conversely, unusual trough in suicides on Mondays and noon peak in suicide rate have been, respectively, attributed to small sample size and closure at night. As jumping corresponds to both ease and proximity, we believe the implementation of protective measures in the early 1960s succeeded in reducing the number of suicides overall.

Abiotic drivers of the space use and activity of gray reef sharks Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos in a dynamic tidal environment.

Predators display rhythms in behavior and habitat use, often with the goal of maximizing foraging success. The underlying mechanisms behind these rhythms are generally linked to abiotic conditions related to diel, lunar, or seasonal cycles. To understand their effects on the space use, activity, and swimming depth of gray reef sharks (Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos), we tagged 38 individuals with depth and accelerometer sensors in a French Polynesian atoll channel exposed to strong tidal flow, and monitored them over a year. C. amblyrhynchos used a larger space during nighttime and were more active at night and during outgoing currents. Shark activity also peaked during the full and new moons. The swimming depth of sharks was mostly influenced by diel cycles, with sharks swimming deeper during the day compared to nighttime. The dynamic energyscape may promote the emergence of discrete behavioral strategies in reef sharks that use the south channel of Fakarava for resting and foraging purposes. Turbulence imposed by outgoing tides induces additional foraging cost on sharks, shifting their hunting areas to the southern part of the channel, where turbulence is less pronounced. Understanding when and where sharks are active and foraging is important for our understanding of predator-prey dynamics and ecosystem dynamics. This study highlights how abiotic rhythms in a highly dynamic environment likely generate spatiotemporal heterogeneity in the distribution of predation pressure.

Length-weight relationship and condition factor of threadfin goby Sicyopterus longifilis de Beauford, 1912 (Teleostei: Sicydiinae) at Ummiding and Matama Rivers, West Sulawesi, Indonesia

Abstract. Tikawati, Omar SBA, Nur M. 2024. Length-weight relationship and condition factor of threadfin goby Sicyopterus longifilis de Beauford, 1912 (Teleostei: Sicydiinae) at Ummiding and Matama Rivers, West Sulawesi, Indonesia. Biodiversitas 25: 2074-2085. Threadfin goby Sicyopterus longifilis (de Beaufort, 1912) is an amphidromous species known as 'penja' in the postlarval phase. Therefore, this research aimed to analyze the length-weight relationship and condition factors of goby fish in Ummiding and Matama Rivers, West Sulawesi. Fish sampling was conducted 12 times, twice monthly, during new and full lunar phases from July to December 2023. Each fish was measured for the total length, weighed, and dissected to determine the sex. The results showed that the length-weight relationship of goby fish in Ummiding River for male and female fishes were W = 0.000011L3.0250 and W= 0.000023L2.8422, respectively. In Matama River, the length-weight relationship for male and female fish was W = 0.000008 L3.1193 and W = 0.000005 L3.2228, with a combined sexes value of W = 0.000006 L3.1839. According to the statistical tests, the Ummiding River male fish had isometric growth due to a balanced length and body weight increase. In contrast, female fish had hypoallometric growth type (b<3), where the increase in length was faster than body weight. Male, female, and the combined sexes of the species in Matama River had hyperallometric growth type (b>3) since the increase in length was slower than body weight. The condition factor values exceeded 1.0, showing that Ummiding and Matama Rivers supported threadfin goby life. The acquired threadfin goby length-weight relationship and condition factors are now used as a guide for managing and conserving the species in this region.

Relationship of epileptic seizures with lunar cycle and seasons

Background and objectives: Various factors facilitate seizures in patients with epilepsy. The relationship between the phases of the moon and neuropsychiatric conditions has been a matter of curiosity. The present study investigated whether patient presentations to the emergency department with epileptic seizures vary according to the phases of the moon, seasons, and daily air temperature. Materials and method: The study retrospectively included patients who presented to the emergency department with epileptic seizures over a one-year period. Patients with provoked seizures (head trauma, intracranial hemorrhage, etc.), pregnant women, and patients aged under 18 years were excluded. Patients’ age, gender, date and time of presentation to the emergency department were recorded. The effects of the phases of the moon and seasons on these presentations were investigated. Results:Total 255 patients (176 male, 79 female) met the inclusion criteria of the study. The majority of patients (67.1%) were aged 18-44 years. Majority of the patients (41.2%) did not previously used epileptic medication. The laboratory tests ​​showed that the mean blood pH and lactate values were 7.31±0.11 and 4.59±4.12 mmol/L respectively. No statistically significant (p>0.05) relationship was observed regarding frequency of presentations of epileptic seizures and the season and phases of the moon. Conclusion: The results of this study showed that the phases of the moon, air temperature, and seasons did not affect the frequency of epileptic seizures. July 2024; Vol. 18(2):006 DOI: https://doi.org/10.55010/imcjms.18.018 *Correspondence: Erdal Yavuz, Department of Emergency Medicine, Adiyaman University Medical Faculty, Adiyaman, Turkey. Email: erdal_yavuz15@hotmail.com

Effects of meteorology and lunar cycle on the post-thawing quality of avian sperm.

Various climatological and lunar cycle parameters have a direct impact on animal reproduction, and in the case of the avian species, spermatozoa are extremely sensitive to heat stress. These parameters could influence sperm freezability, which will ultimately affect post-thawing semen quality, being sperm motility in roosters a relevant indicator of this quality as it is highly related to fertility. Therefore, the objective of the present study is to determine which are the climatological and lunar cycle parameters that have a greater effect on sperm freezability in roosters. Sperm was obtained from 16 Utrerana breed roosters and a total of 27 replicates were performed. A pool was made with those ejaculates that met the minimum quality criteria for each replicate, and four freezing-thawing samples per replicate were analyzed. The straws were thawed, and sperm motility was evaluated, classifying the results obtained into four seminal quality groups according to the guidelines of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (Group 1: Good, Group 2: Satisfactory, Group 3: Acceptable but undesirable and Group 4: Unsatisfactory). The following traits were recorded for each day of semen collection: maximum temperature, minimum temperature, maximum barometric pressure, minimum barometric pressure, maximum gust, wind direction, mean wind speed, sunshine hours, rainfall, moon phase, and percentage of illuminated lunar surface over the total area. A discriminant canonical analysis was performed to determine which of these parameters offered the most information when classifying an ejaculate in each quality group, with minimum temperature, the new moon as moon phase, minimum barometric pressure, and rainfall being the most significant variables. According to the results obtained, semen quality decreases when temperature and precipitation are lower, pressure is higher, and when there is a new moon phase. Therefore, these environmental conditions should be avoided for sperm collection and processing.

Seasonal Variability On Cross-shore Profile in Meso-tidal Settings Due to Lunar Cycle Effects in Kuala Terengganu Coast

Seasonal Variability On Cross-shore Profile in Meso-tidal Settings Due to Lunar Cycle Effects in Kuala Terengganu Coast

Managing water gate operation and fish passage facilities in irrigated systems of the Nam Kam River, Thailand

AbstractThe migration of fishes through the Thoranit Naruemit water gate on the Nam Kam River, a tributary of the Mekong River in Thailand, was studied to understand the hydrological factors and improve the operational regime of the fish pass at the structure. Migration of fish from the Mekong River started in May, at the onset of the rainy season. During 60 days of operation, the fish pass supported the upstream migration of 83 species and ~440,000 fish, equivalent to about 11 tonnes of fish. The fish pass supported migration of a range of fish sizes between 45 and 700 mm, and most fish were larger than the size of first maturity for the species in question. The factors influencing migration into the Nam Kam included the lunar cycle, flow in the fish pass, water level in the river and flow variability. Migration tended to increase in the 3–4‐day period before or after a full moon. Discharge and water level changes associated with rising water levels in the Mekong River synchronize with the spawning season of most Mekong fish and trigger upstream migration. Many fish migrated through the pass at discharges through sluice gates between 8 and 323 m3/s and with a flow through the fish pass between 0.95 and 3.08 m/s. Restrictions to fish migration were found and recommendations for water gate and fish pass operation are provided.

Coexisting in the Surf Zone: Age and Feeding Habits of the Spotted Seabass (Dicentrarchus punctatus) and European Seabass (Dicentrarchus labrax) on the Gulf of Cádiz Beaches (Southwest Iberian Peninsula)

Various commercial fish species utilize different coastal habitats as nurseries in their juvenile stages, with surf zones being particularly crucial due to the protection and abundant food resources they offer. Among the species that rely on these areas are the spotted seabass (Dicentrarchus punctatus) and the European seabass (Dicentrarchus labrax). This study aimed to investigate the age and feeding habits of surf zone specimens of these species and explore their environmental adaptations. The average size for D. punctatus was 16.94 ± 4.05 cm, and for D. labrax, it was 23.23 ± 6.30 cm. The length–weight relationship for D. punctatus was TW = 0.013*TL2.885 (parameter a: 95% CI: 0.012–0.014; parameter b: 95% CI: 2.854–2.917), and for D. labrax, it was TW = 0.008*TL3.095 (parameter a: 95% CI: 0.006–0.009; parameter b: 95% CI: 3.040–3.151). In both D. punctatus (79.20%) and D. labrax (75.92%), the predominant age classes were 1+ and 2+. Significant variations in age class abundance were observed in D. punctatus based on the time of day, lunar phase, and season, while D. labrax showed variations only by season. A diet analysis revealed that both species primarily consume mysids and fish, with D. punctatus showing dietary variations related to the time of day, lunar phase, and season, and D. labrax showing variations with the time of day and season.

The reproduction performance of catching Planiliza subviridis (Teleostei: Mugilidae) in different moon periods from Jepara Coast, Central Java, Indonesia

Abstract. Yudiati E, Yuniarti T, Trianto A, Arifin Z, Ruliaty L, Soleh M, Naryaningsih A, Suryati. 2024. The reproduction performance of catching Planiliza subviridis (Teleostei: Mugilidae) in different moon periods from Jepara Coast, Central Java, Indonesia. Biodiversitas 25: 1823-1830. Mullets (Planiliza subviridis Valenciennes 1836) are highly promising species for aquaculture development. Information on the reproductive performance of wild-caught fish is crucial for enhancing mullet production. This study aimed to assess the gonadal maturity level of female mullets captured during full and new moon phases. Sampling using lift nets was conducted from June to July 2023, comprising 104 individuals, 51 during the new moon and 53 during a full moon. Fish caught during different moon phases were measured for gonad maturation level (GML) and morphometric parameters (body weight, total length, head length, body width, and head width), assessed for gonad somatic index (GSI), fecundity, and egg diameter. Over 50% of individuals were at GML III during dark moon phases, while during bright moon phases, only 10-15% were at GML III; GSI ranged from 0.6-15%. The fecundity of GML I and II females was higher during the full moon (220,212-395,000 eggs per individual) compared to the new moon, while GML III females during dark moon phases ranged from 225,000-250,000 eggs. Mullets exhibit increased reproductive output during the new moon phase and engage in synchronous spawning during moonlight cycles. Therefore, prospects for mullet culture appear promising, with cultivation and domestication suggested during new moon periods.

Thermal Design of the High-Resolution Volatiles and Minerals Moon Mapper (HVM3) Instrument on the Lunar Trailblazer Mission (LTB)

The Lunar Trailblazer (LTB) Mission consists of a spacecraft that hosts two science instruments, the High-resolution Volatiles and Minerals Moon Mapper (HVM3) and the Lunar Thermal Mapper. Flight system delivery is scheduled for the Fall of 2022. The purpose of the mission is to understand the form, abundance and distribution of water on the Moon as well as the lunar water cycle. HVM3 is a pushbroom shortwave infrared (SWIR) Offner imaging spectrometer that is optimized for the detection of volatiles to map OH, bound H2O and water ice. It has a spatial resolution of 70 m/pixel over a 20 km swath width and a spectral resolution of 10 nm over a spectral range of 0.6 µm to 3.6 µm. The spacecraft will deploy from an ESPA Grande and enter a 100±30 km lunar polar orbit where it may operate over all beta angles. The HVM3 thermal control architecture consists of active and passive elements. It leverages the passive cryogenic cooler design developed for the Moon Minerology Mapper (M3) that underwent a similar orbit. The first stage of the passive cooler is used to reject the heat of a Lockheed Martin Micro1-2 cryocooler that is used to actively cool the focal plane array (FPA). The second stage of the passive cooler is used to passively cool the optics. An overview of the overall thermal control design approach is presented.

Exploring Lunar Phases With the Moon Pie ­Simulation

Exploring Lunar Phases With the Moon Pie ­Simulation

The Effect of the 18.6‐Year Lunar Nodal Cycle on Steric Sea Level Changes

AbstractWe show that steric sea‐level varies with a period of 18.6 years along the western European coast. We hypothesize that this variation originates from the modulation of semidiurnal tides by the lunar nodal cycle and associated changes in ocean mixing. Accounting for the steric sea level changes in the upper 400 m of the ocean solves the discrepancy between the nodal cycle in mean sea level observed by tide gauges and the theoretical equilibrium nodal tide. Namely, by combining the equilibrium tide with the nodal modulation of steric sea level, we close the gap with the observations. This result supports earlier findings that the observed phase and amplitude of the 18.6‐year cycle do not always correspond to the equilibrium nodal tide.

Subarachnoid Haemorrhage Incidence Pattern Analysis with Circular Statistics.

Knowledge about biological rhythms of diseases may not only help in understanding the pathophysiology of diseases but can also help health service policy makers and emergency department directors to allocate resources efficiently. Aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH) has high rates of morbidity and mortality. The incidence of SAH has been attributed to patient-related factors such as characteristics of aneurysms, smoking, and hypertension. There are studies showing that the incidence of aneurysmal SAH appears to behave in periodic fashions over long time periods. However, there are inconsistencies in the literature regarding the impact of chronobiological factors such as circadian, seasonal, and lunar cycle factors on the occurrence of SAH. In this study, we focused on the analysis of a temporal pattern of SAH (infradian rhythms) with a novel approach using circular statistical methods. We aimed to see whether there is a circular pattern for the occurrence of SAH at all and if so, whether it can be related to known temporal patterns based on available literature. Our study did not support the notion that aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhages occur on any specific day in a cycle with specific lengths up to 365 days including specific weekdays, full moon, equinoxes, and solstices. Hence, we found no relationship between SAH incidence and timing. Study in larger populations using similar circular statistical methods is suggested.

Evidence that the woman's ovarian cycle is driven by an internal circamonthly timing system.

The ovarian cycle has a well-established circa-monthly rhythm, but the mechanisms involved in its regularity are unknown. Is the rhythmicity driven by an endogenous clock-like timer or by other internal or external processes? Here, using two large epidemiological datasets (26,912 cycles from 2303 European women and 4786 cycles from 721 North American women), analyzed with time series and circular statistics, we find evidence that the rhythmic characteristics of the menstrual cycle are more likely to be explained by an endogenous clock-like driving mechanism than by any other internal or external process. We also show that the menstrual cycle is weakly but significantly influenced by the 29.5-day lunar cycle and that the phase alignment between the two cycles differs between the European and the North American populations. Given the need to find efficient treatments of subfertility in women, our results should be confirmed in larger populations, and chronobiological approaches to optimize the ovulatory cycle should be evaluated.

Mapping the discursive formations of ‘effective’ school governance and the role of parents

ABSTRACT Discourses concerned with responsibilisation and expertise have seen the ascendency and fall in who is positioned to do ‘effective’ school governance and what that ‘doing’ is. Using the four phases of the moon as a metaphor I map the discursive formations of ‘effective’ school governance and the relational structuring of parents. This mapping exercise, through a simple metaphor, has produced a heuristic construct through which questions can be asked of the field of school governance and an analytical construct to use in our thinking about school governance across other cases. By thinking with Foucault’s concept of power/knowledge, to interpret this mapping of discourse strands, I have revealed the interrelationship between discourse strands and the increasing invisibility of parents in a context of corporatised school governance and the waning of democratic structures in school governance.

The Relationship of Lunar Cycles with Natal and Postnatal Processes in Newborn Infants

Amaç: Bu çalışmanın amacı, hastanemizde doğan ve/veya çocuk polikliniğine başvuran yenidoğan hastaların özellikle ilk 24-48 saat içinde gelişen komplikasyonları (solunum sıkıntısı, nöbetler, metabolik bozukluklar vb.) ile ay döngüsü arasındaki ilişkiyi belirlemektir. Gereç ve Yöntem: Bu retrospektif çalışmaya kliniğimizde doğan ve/veya çocuk polikliniğine başvuran dokuz yüz doksan yedi yenidoğan hasta dahil edildi. Bu hastaların ay döngüsü ile klinik durumları arasında olan ilişki değerlendirildi. Çalışmaya dahil edilen olguların dosyaları retrospektif olarak tarandı. İstatistiksel analiz Ki-kare testi kullanılarak yapıldı. Dokuz yüz doksan yedi yenidoğan olgusu çalışmaya dahil edildi. Bulgular: Çalışmaya katılan hastalar (N=107, %10.7) NSVD, (N=890, %89.3) sezaryen ile doğmuştur. Olguların %10.3‘ünde (N=103) komplikasyonlar görülürken, en sık görülen komplikasyon hiperbilirubinemi (N=54, %5.3) ve ikinci en sık görülen komplikasyon olarak solunum sıkıntısı (N=39, %3.9) görüldü. Ay döngülerine göre bebeklerin en sık doğduğu evre (N=287) ile yeni ay olarak gözlenmiştir. Postnatal süreçte en sık komplikasyon oranı dolunay (N=27, %26.2), ikinci en sık ilk çeyrek (N=26, %25.2) ve üçüncü çeyrek (N=26, %25.2) idi ve istatistiksel olarak anlamlı değildi (p=0.584). Sonuç: Bu çalışmanın sonuçları, ay döngüsü ile yenidoğan hastaların klinik durumu arasında bir ilişki olmadığını göstermektedir. Anahtar Kelimeler: Yenidoğan, doğumlar, ay döngüsü, komplikasyonlar

Increased Yangtze finless porpoise presence in urban Wuhan waters of the Yangtze River during fishing closures.

Wuhan, a highly urbanized and rapidly growing region within China's Yangtze Economic Zone, has historically been identified as a gap area for the critically endangered Yangtze finless porpoise (Neophocaena asiaeorientalis asiaeorientalis) based on daytime visual surveys. However, there has been a noticeable increase in porpoise sightings since 2020. This study employed passive acoustic monitoring to investigate porpoise distribution in Wuhan between 2020 and 2022. Generalized linear models were used to explore the relationship between shipping, hydrological patterns, light intensity, and porpoise biosonar activity. Over 603 days of effective monitoring, the daily positive rate for porpoise biosonar detection reached 43%, with feeding-related buzz signals accounting for 55% of all porpoise biosonar signals. However, the proportion of minutes during which porpoise presence was detected was 0.18%, suggesting that while porpoises may frequent the area, their visits were brief and mainly focused on feeding. A significant temporal trend emerged, showing higher porpoise biosonar detection during winter (especially in February) and 2022. Additionally, periods without boat traffic correlated with increased porpoise activity. Hydrological conditions and light levels exhibited significant negative correlations with porpoise activity. Specifically, porpoise sonar detections were notably higher during the night, twilight, and new moon phases. It is highly conceivable that both fishing bans and COVID-19 pandemic-related lockdowns contributed to the heightened presence of porpoises in Wuhan. The rapid development of municipal transportation and shipping in Wuhan and resulting underwater noise pollution have emerged as a significant threat to the local porpoise population. Accordingly, it is imperative for regulatory bodies to effectively address this environmental stressor and formulate targeted protection measures to ensure the conservation of the finless porpoise.