ABSTRACT
AVHRR Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer CIESIN Center for International Earth Science Information
Network DMSP Defense Meteorological Satellite Program DN Digital number DNB Day/night band ETM+ Enhanced Ÿematic Mapper Plus GDP Gross domestic product GIS Geographic information system HSC High-sensitivity camera HSI Human settlement index HSTC High-sensitivity technological camera ISS International Space Station MISR Multiangle Imaging Spectroradiometer MODIS Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer NASA National Aeronautics and Space Administration NCEP National Centers for Environmental Prediction NDVI Normalized di¦erence vegetation index NGDC National Geophysical Data Center NLP Night-light pollution
NOAA National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration NPOESS National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental
Satellite System NPP Preparatory Project Satellite NTL Nighttime light OLS Operational Linescan System SQM Sky Quality Meter TIR Ÿermal infrared TM Ÿematic Mapper VANUI Vegetation-adjusted normalized urban index VIIRS Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite VNIR Visible-near infrared
Ÿe land surface of our home planet Earth is a ¤nite resource that is central to human welfare and the functioning of Earth systems. Human population growth is one of the major globalscale forcing that underlie the most recent global-scale state shi¬ in Earth’s biosphere (Barnosky et al. 2012). Due to industrialization, economic growth, technology advances, and population explosion, human activities worldwide are transforming
Acronyms and De¤nitions ................................................................................................................ 289 11.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................................ 289
11.2 Major Applications of NTL ................................................................................................... 294 Urban Extent and Socioeconomic Variables • NTL Pollution
11.6 Summary and Future Directions ......................................................................................... 304 References ............................................................................................................................................ 305
the terrestrial environment at unparalleled rates and scales. Prime grasslands and forests have been converted to croplands and pastures, which cover about 40% of the global land surface (Foley et al. 2005), to support the rising need for food by more than 7 billion people (UNFPA 2011). Among anthropogenic activities, urbanization is the most irreversible and human-dominated form of land use, modifying land cover, hydrological systems, biogeochemistry, climate, and biodiversity worldwide (Grimm et al. 2008). Worldwide, urban expansion is one of the primary drivers of habitat loss and species extinction (Hahs et al. 2009). Urban areas also a¦ect their local climates through the modi¤cation of surface albedo, evapotranspiration, and increased aerosols and anthropogenic heat sources, thereby creating elevated urban temperatures (Arn¤eld 2003) and changes in regional precipitation patterns (Marshall Shepherd et al. 2002; Rosenfeld 2000; Seto and Shepherd 2009). In many developing countries, urban expansion takes place on prime agricultural lands (del Mar López et al. 2001; Seto et al. 2000). Although occupying about only 2% of the global land surface (Akbari et al. 2009), cities worldwide are now hosting more than 50% of the world population (Heilig 2012), producing more than 90% of the world gross domestic product (GDP) (Gutman 2007), consuming more than 70% of energy (Nakićenović 2012), and generating more than 71% of anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions (Hoornweg et al. 2010). However, cities also show themselves as a potential solution to climate change through e¶cient resource use. Compact urban development coupled with high residential and employment densities can reduce energy consumption, vehicle miles traveled, and carbon dioxide emissions (Gomez-Ibanez et al. 2009). Per capita energy use and greenhouse emissions are o¬en lower in cities than national averages (Dodman 2009). Furthermore, increasing urban albedo could o¦set greenhouse gas emissions (Akbari et al. 2009).
