Artificially lit surface of Earth at night increasing in radiance and extent

Kyba, Christopher C. M.; Kuester, Theres; Miguel, Alejandro Sánchez de; Baugh, Kimberly; Jechow, Andreas; Hölker, Franz; Bennie, Jonathan; Elvidge, Christopher D.; Gaston, Kevin J.; Guanter, Luis

doi:10.1126/sciadv.1701528

Cited by 618 publications

(478 citation statements)

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“…This paper extends the work of Kyba et al [7] by examining the changes in upward emission of light at a smaller spatial scale and at a lower radiance threshold. We aim to provide information about the changes taking place in the individual states of Germany, and more generally to discuss the role of remotely sensed data in the context of a global transition to sustainable lighting.…”

Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 57%

“…It is a major improvement over the earlier uncalibrated defense satellite instrument that produced the first global views of Earth at night [6]. Recently, Kyba et al used DNB data to examine changes in lights at the national and global level, and found that global light emissions in the DNB spectral band (500-900 nm) from continuously lit areas are increasing at a rate of 2.2% per year [7]. In general, they found that increases were most rapid in developing countries, with developed countries experiencing slower growth, and some of the brightest countries remaining roughly constant in the DNB spectral band.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Changes in outdoor lighting in Germany from 2012-2016

Kyba

Kuester

Kuechly

2017

IJSL

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Changes in the total lit area and the radiance of stably lit area in the German federal states from 2012-2016 were investigated using satellite observations from the Day-Night Band of the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite. Most states increased in both lit area and radiance. The lit area of Bayern and Schleswig-Holstein grew most rapidly, but it is possible that their large increases are to some extent driven by a darker than usual observation in 2012. Thüringen was dramatically different from the other states, with an annual decrease in lit area, and in the radiance of stably lit areas. The rates of change measured from 2012-2015 and 2013-2016 are strongly correlated with each other (Pearson's ρ=0.67, p=0.01). In most states, least squares fits for the rate of change match the rate calculated as a ratio of 2016 to 2012. These results are therefore consistent with the hypothesis that the changes in observed radiance are due to lighting change, but this should be verified in the future when longer time series are available. Due to the (500-900 nm) spectral response of the satellite, transitions from high pressure sodium to LED street lighting that preserve total lumen output are be expected to be observed as a decrease in radiance. Since such decreases are not observed in most states, the observations of increasing light emissions in most states are not indicative of a national transition toward sustainable lighting. In addition to these results, this paper discusses the role of remotely sensed nighttime data within the context of sustainable lighting.

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Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 57%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Changes in outdoor lighting in Germany from 2012-2016

Kyba

Kuester

Kuechly

2017

IJSL

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“…Worldwide artificial lighting is rapidly increasing by around 2.2% per year (Kyba et al, 2017). Bennie et al (2014) showed that regionally significant decreases, as well as widespread increases, in the brightness of night time lights are occurring across Europe.…”

Section: Introduction and Theoretical Departuresmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of light pollution on tree phenology in the urban environment

Škvareninová

Tuhárska

Škvarenina

et al. 2017

Moravian Geographical Reports

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“…The extent of artificially lit outdoor areas spread by 2% every year from 2012 to 2016 (ref. 3). An unexpected driver of the trend is the widespread installation of light emitting diodes (LEDs), which are growing in popularity because they are more energy efficient than other bulbs (see page 274).…”

Section: B Y a I S L I N G I R W I Nmentioning

confidence: 99%