Monitoring Turkey's nighttime light and environmental change

Nighttime lighting (NTL), population growth, and climate change are critical concerns for Turkey. The intensity of nighttime lights in Turkey has significantly increased in recent years, closely associated with rapid population growth and urban expansion. Areas with higher population density exhibit greater nighttime light presence. Nighttime lighting is directly linked to energy consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, contributing significantly to global climate change. The rise in nighttime lighting in Turkey exacerbates climate change effects. In this study, data on NTL were gathered from the NOAA/V21 satellite for 2013-2021, the NOAA/CMCFG satellite for average DMSP-OLS radiance values from 2013 to 2023, and the NOAA/VNP46A2 satellite for BRDF-corrected DMSP-OLS NTL data from 2013 to 2023. Night temperature values were extracted from NOAA and MODIS images, and their correlation with NTL data was analyzed. A moderate relationship was observed between NTL and night land surface temperature (LST) (R, 0.32; p-value < 0.05). Population and greenhouse gas emission data were sourced from the Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat). Carbon dioxide (CO₂), methane (CH₄), nitrous oxide (N₂O), and fluorinated gases (F-gases) are direct greenhouse gases. A strong correlation was found between NTL and greenhouse gases (R, 0.8; p-value < 0.05). Population density emerges as a significant determinant of nighttime light intensity. These findings underscore the substantial correlation between nighttime light intensity in Turkey, population dynamics, and GHG emissions. The study suggests that NTL data can inform the development of sustainable environmental policies. Mitigating greenhouse gas emissions necessitates controlling population growth and energy consumption, pivotal steps toward environmental sustainability.