A Coastal Carolina University marine science professor and student are leading a study to determine how various levels of light affect the movement of hatchling sea turtles in the Myrtle Beach area. Eric Koepfler, professor of marine science, and Taylor Harris, a senior marine science major, are looking to finance the project through crowdsource funding, a first for a CCU science project.

The objective of the project, titled "Loggerhead Sea Turtles Dig The Dark! Artificial Light Effects on Hatchling Movement," is to determine the level of beachfront light intensity at which sea turtles experience difficulty finding the ocean after they hatch, according to Koepfler and Harris.

"We hypothesize that there will be a threshold intensity above which hatchlings become disoriented and less efficient at 'sea finding,'" said Koepfler, who joined the CCU faculty in 1990. "Artificial light is a pollutant which is increasing in U.S. urban environments at a rate of 6 percent per year. Determining hatchling response to various light levels will be important to the long-term conservation strategies for endangered sea turtle species."

Measuring hatchling movement will require motion activated infrared (non-light) camera technology. Koepfler and Harris decided to pursue crowdsource funding through Experiment.com because the budget for the project exceeds the normal range for undergraduate independent research. More than 30 percent of the $4,000 has been raised. The fundraising for the project ends Aug. 9.

Harris and a group of CCU interns will use the new equipment on area beaches at night during the fall months.

More information on the project can be found at: Experiment.com/turtlesdigthedark