Abstract
In this paper we highlight the importance of "urban lighting governance", i.e. control and management of
artificial night lighting, particularly in close proximity to protected areas, and raise awareness of the issue
of light pollution and related ecological consequences. The footprint of human occupation is uniquely
visible from space in the form of lights at night, ranging from the burning of the rainforest to massive
offshore fisheries to the omnipresent lights of settlements and connecting road networks (Elvidge et al.
2001). Increasing research activities on the ecological consequences of artificial night lighting in recent
years have attracted the attention of both scientists and journalists (Rich & Longcore 2006, Klinkenborg
2008). The term light pollution is widely used referring to any adverse effect of artificial light including
sky glow, glare, light trespass, light clutter, decreased visibility at night, and energy waste.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Geophysical Data Center (NOAANGDC)
processes and archives data acquired by the U.S. Air Force Defense Meteorological Satellite
Program (DMSP) Operational Linescan System (OLS), which was initially designed to monitor the global
distribution of clouds using visible and thermal infrared spectral bands. At night the visible band signal is
intensified with a photomultiplier tube enabling the detection of moonlit clouds. The boost in gain
provides this sensor with the unique capability of observing lights present at the surface of the Earth at
night. Considering nighttime lights as a proxy for anthropogenic activities that also influence neighboring
regions enables a globally consistent analysis of exposure to potential human impacts. The assessment of
exposed ecosystems and related loss of biodiversity is essential in the context of the climate change debate
whereas monitoring and protecting the diversity of life on Earth is one of the `global issues´ affecting
society. UNEP´s World Conservation Monitoring Centre (WCMC) provides information on spatial
distribution and delineation of protected areas (World Database on Protected Areas, WDPA). Based on
analysis of the two data sets we developed a set of spatial indicators describing the exposure of protected
areas to artificial lighting and thereby approximated human influence.
Initial results of the analysis indicate that protected areas in Europe and Asia Minor, the Caribbean, South
and East Asia as well as in the Eastern part of the United States are most exposed to anthropogenic light
pollution (Aubrecht et al. 2010). Introducing aggregated data on biomes reveals that protected areas in
temperate broadleaf and mixed forests are most affected. These findings are in accordance with a previous
assessment of biomes at risk where global land cover data were used as indicator for human impact
(Hoekstra et al. 2005). Derivates of DMSP data were already used previously to estimate light pollution in
U.S. Class 1 Federal Areas1. These artificial sky brightness maps were modeled using radiance calibrated
nighttime lights as input to a radiative transfer model. Radiance calibration is however not yet
implemented in operational DMSP products, which is why we use standardized stable lights data.
Original language | English |
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Title of host publication | BiodiverCities 2010 - An international conference of the Urban Protected Areas Network: Strategies for sustainably managing protected areas in urban and periurban environments |
Editors | G. Hyman |
Publication status | Published - 2010 |
Event | BiodiverCities 2010 - Duration: 6 Sept 2010 → 8 Sept 2010 |
Conference
Conference | BiodiverCities 2010 |
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Period | 6/09/10 → 8/09/10 |
Research Field
- Former Research Field - Energy
- Former Research Field - Innovation Systems and Policy
Keywords
- light pollution
- earth observation
- lighting governance
- spatial modeling
- human impact