Assistant Professor @VanderbiltU |#Phenology 🌳 | Climate | #TropicalEcology | light pollution | she/her
Joined March 2019
- Tweets 471
- Following 763
- Followers 2,408
- Likes 3,021
123 Photos and videos
Pinned Tweet
Apr 16
I’m honored to be named an Early Career Fellow by the Ecological Society of America this year.
I’m deeply grateful for the support, mentorship, and collaboration from colleagues and collaborators that made this possible!
esa.org/blog/2026/04/15/ecol…
@HumanEcology #ESA
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Mar 27
Will cities keep getting hotter? Not necessarily.
It depends on how cities grow and green. Greening can slow warming in urban cores, but vegetation loss in expanding suburbs is spreading heat outward.
Urban heat is shaped by planning choices.
doi.org/10.1093/pnasnexus/pg…
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Dr. Lin Meng retweeted
Jan 26
Artificial light at night extends allergy season by weeks and increases the proportion of days with severe allergenic pollen exposure, compared to areas with less light pollution, according to a study of the northeastern United States. In PNAS Nexus: ow.ly/7gQs50Y3KXk
ALT Delayed autumnal leaf senescence in trees exposed to artificial light at night. Despite close proximity, the tree on the left, located in a dark area, shows extensive autumn leaf loss, whereas the tree on the right, exposed to artificial light at night from a streetlight, maintains green foliage later into the season. Nighttime (top) and daytime (bottom) views of the same scene are shown. Image taken at Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, in 2025.
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Jan 22
Our recent @Nature paper, led by @JQCBerkeley: Hot droughts in the Amazon provide a window to a future hypertropical climate.
We show that today’s hot droughts may already mirror future tropical conditions, increasing risks to forest resilience.
nature.com/articles/s41586-0…
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Jan 20
New paper in @PNASNexus: city lights at night may be quietly lengthening allergy seasons and increasing allergen exposure. An overlooked urban factor with real public health implications.
academic.oup.com/pnasnexus/a…
#ALAN #Lightpollution @IDADarkSky #allergy
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19 Nov 2025
I’ll be speaking at the upcoming DesignLights Consortium (DLC) webinar, “Light Pollution Research Meets Control Technology: What You Need to Know” on December 10th at 2 pm EST.
See details and register here: designlights.org/news-events…
#ALAN #lightpollution #phenology
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1 Oct 2025
New in PNAS: Commentary on our article — “It’s Cool to be Green!” 🌱.
pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.25…
Grateful for the highlight and discussion by @profdesai
9 Sep 2025
Check out our new @PNASNews paper: Cooling outweighs warming across phenological transitions in the Northern Hemisphere.
Our results highlight that phenology is a key driver of vegetation–climate interactions and surface temperature regulation.
pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.25…
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17 Sep 2025
New paper alert!
We examined long-term exposure to summer heat & mortality risk in the Southeastern U.S. using the Southern Community Cohort Study. Findings highlight the urgent need for heat adaptation strategies.
sciencedirect.com/science/ar…
#heat #health #southeasternUS
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Dr. Lin Meng retweeted
26 Aug 2025
A new study finds that urban light pollution has lengthened plant growing seasons across the Northern Hemisphere, which could disturb the processes necessary for maintaining air quality and ecosystems. Coauthor @Linmengmet explains: thinkglobalhealth.org/articl…
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9 Sep 2025
Check out our new @PNASNews paper: Cooling outweighs warming across phenological transitions in the Northern Hemisphere.
Our results highlight that phenology is a key driver of vegetation–climate interactions and surface temperature regulation.
pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.25…
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28 Aug 2025
New piece in Think Global Health @ThinkGlobalHlth: “Light Pollution Reshapes Growing Seasons”.
Artificial light at night disrupts natural cues for plants, shifting spring and autumn phenology, with big consequences for public health.
thinkglobalhealth.org/articl…
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29 Jul 2025
Only 2 days left to submit an abstract to our phenology session at #AGU25!
B095 - Understanding Phenological Responses, Changes and Feedbacks: Patterns, Mechanisms, and Consequences
agu.confex.com/agu/agu25/pre…
Join us to explore the timing of life in a changing world.
#phenology
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28 Jul 2025
Only 2 days left to submit an abstract to our near-surface remote sensing session at #AGU25
agu.confex.com/agu/agu25/pre…
24 Jun 2025
Call for Abstracts!
Join our #AGU25 session (B013): Advancing Environmental Monitoring through Near-Surface Remote Sensing: Capabilities, Applications, and Future Directions
We explore cutting-edge tools & ideas—submit your work by July 30
agu.confex.com/agu/agu25/pre…
@PhenoCam
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New research suggests light pollution, not just heat, is a major driver of longer growing seasons in cities.
eos.org/articles/artificial-…
ALT A satellite image of northwestern Europe at night shows several urban centers that appear as bright clusters of light.
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24 Jun 2025
Call for Abstracts!
Join our #AGU25 session (B013): Advancing Environmental Monitoring through Near-Surface Remote Sensing: Capabilities, Applications, and Future Directions
We explore cutting-edge tools & ideas—submit your work by July 30
agu.confex.com/agu/agu25/pre…
@PhenoCam
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24 Jun 2025
Cities after dark. Check out the June issue of Nature Cities @NatCities
#ALAN #Lightpollution @IDADarkSky #Artificiallight
23 Jun 2025
Our June issue is out! nature.com/natcities/volumes…
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Dr. Lin Meng retweeted
16 Jun 2025
#Satellite data indicate artificial #Light in cities can extend urban plant growing seasons by up to 3 weeks compared to #RuralAreas, with the effect most pronounced at the end of the season. @nresearchnews doi.org/g9qgz9 phys.org/news/2025-06-artifi…
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17 Jun 2025
RT @NaturePortfolio: Artificial light, together with urban heat, may be lengthening the growing season in urban environments by as much as…
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16 Jun 2025
New paper out in NatureCities! @NatCities
We show that artificial light at night has a stronger effect than temperature in lengthening urban growing seasons.
Urban light is reshaping ecology.
🔗 nature.com/articles/s44284-0…
#Phenology #LightPollution #ALAN #Cities @IDADarkSky
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16 Jun 2025
Why should we care about ALAN’s impact on plants?
Longer allergy seasons; Mismatched timing with pollinators.
Light pollution affects way more than our view of the stars—it’s reshaping entire ecosystems.
#OpenAccess #DarkSkies #LightingDesign #ALAN
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16 Jun 2025
Policy takeaway:
Lighting is infrastructure.
Rethink urban lighting design.
Use warm-spectrum LEDs, shield fixtures, reduce light spill.
Ecological sustainability includes how we light the night.
#UrbanSustainability #UrbanPlanning #SmartCities #Nature
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