Articles | Volume 17, issue 2
https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-17-579-2025
https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-17-579-2025
Data description paper
 | 
08 Feb 2025
Data description paper |  | 08 Feb 2025

A comprehensive global mapping of offshore lighting

Christopher D. Elvidge, Tilottama Ghosh, Namrata Chatterjee, Mikhail Zhizhin, Paul C. Sutton, and Morgan Bazilian

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Revised manuscript accepted for ESSD
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Cited articles

Amin, S., Li, C., Khan, Y. A., and Bibi, A.: Fishing grounds footprint and economic freedom indexes: Evidence from Asia-Pacific, PLoS One, 17, e0263872, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0263872, 2022. 
Andrello, M., Darling, E. S., Wenger, A., Suarez-Castro, A. F., Gelfand, S., and Ahmadia, G. N.: A global map human pressures tropical coral reefs, Conserv. Lett., 15, e12858, https://doi.org/10.1111/conl.12858, 2022. 
Anticamara, J. A., Watson, R., Gelchu, A., and Pauly, D.: Global fishing effort (1950–2010): Trends, gaps, and implications, Fish. Res., 107, 131–136, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fishres.2010.10.016, 2011. 
Chatterjee, N.: Uncovering the effects of the southwest monsoon on fishing activity in the Indian ocean with VIIRS boat detection data, Oceanogr. Fish. Open Access J., 16, 555948, https://doi.org/10.19080/ofoaj.2023.16.555948, 2023. 
Croft, T.: The brightness of lights on Earth at night, digitally recorded by DMSP satellite, USGS, 80–167, https://doi.org/10.3133/ofr80167, 1979. 
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We present the first comprehensive map of offshore lighting derived from low-light imaging satellite data. The empty sea provides a dark and uniform canvas upon which light detections can be aggregated for extended periods to reveal human lighting structures. The form of the structures only becomes apparent when data from 1 or more years are accumulated. Identifiable structures include fishing grounds, platforms, gas flares, anchorages, and transportation routes.
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