1. Abstract



NASA DEVELOP National ProgramWise County Clerk of Circuit Court’s OfficeSpring 2017Wyoming Cross-CuttingUtilizing NASA Earth Observations to Detect Changes in Nighttime Sky Brightness in Grand Teton National162814056432 Technical ReportRough Draft – February 16, 2017Benjamin Marcovitz (Project Lead)Veronica Warda (Project Lead)Aubrey HilteChristine StevensEric WhiteDr. Dewayne Cecil, NOAA National Center for Environmental Information, Global Science & Technology, Inc. (Science Advisor)Dr. Kenton Ross, NASA Langley Research Center (Science Advisor)Bob VanGundy, The University of Virginia’s College at Wise (Science Advisor)1. Abstract[Placeholder - do not put anything here until the final draft submission. The abstract in the project summary is where the working draft of the abstract should “live”]KeywordsLight pollution, VIIRS, Day-Night Band, National Park Service, remote sensing2. IntroductionStudy AreaNorthwest Wyoming’s Teton Mountain range is home to Grand Teton National Park (GRTE). Established in 1929, the park joined with the Jackson Hole National Monument to create the present-day Grand Teton National Park in 1950 (Skaggs, 2000). The park consists of 310,000 acres (485 mi2) of mountainous terrain with elevations ranging from 6,320 to 13,770 ft. (National Park Service, 2016). Grand Teton National Park is situated between Yellowstone national park to the north and two urban areas, Idaho Falls, Idaho to the west, and Jackson, Wyoming to the south.Over the last ten years, GRTE has averaged over 2.5 million visitors a year (NPS, 2016). There are approximately 600,000 people living within 200 km of the park (U.S. Census Bureau, 2010). With the cooperation of local communities, the National Park Service (NPS) has undertaken efforts to monitor and control light pollution near GRTE. The park’s high elevation, predictable weather, and dark skies qualify GRTE as an ideal setting for premiere stargazing (Wyoming Stargazing, 2017). Residents and visitors alike benefit from GRTE’s unique, year-round opportunities for science education and escape from the brightness of urban life (Wyoming Stargazing, 2017). The Impact of Light PollutionAstronomical light pollution has a noticeable effect on human society (Gallaway, 2010). Increased artificial light at night threatens ecological and human health, disturbs community appeal in areas of astro-tourism, and contributes to increased energy costs (Wyoming Stargazing, 2017). Less than 100 years ago, before the widespread use of electric lighting, all of humanity could experience the beauty of the night sky (International Dark-Sky Association, 2017). However, the brightness of modern city lights decreases the visibility of many aspects of the night sky, including the Milky Way and the zodiacal light (Duriscoe, 2001). Today, 99% of Americans live under light-polluted skies, and 97% cannot see the Milky Way at night (Falchi et al., 2016); many Americans are unaware that these phenomena exist beyond photographs (Duriscoe, 2001).Humans are only one species that depend on natural lighting cycles for normal ecologic behaviors. While astronomical light pollution is widely acknowledged, little consideration is given to ecological light pollution, which alters light regimes in aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems (Longcore and Rich, 2004). Many wildlife species distinguish light differently from humans and detect wavelengths not visible to the human eye (Longcore and Rich, 2004); as such, ecological light pollution must be considered to understand all repercussions caused by artificial light pollution. In past decades, studies have linked ecological light pollution to changes in wildlife behavior, including orientation ability, reproduction, and communication (Frank 1988; Blake et al. 1994; Rydell and Baagoe 1996, Kempencers 2010, Bender et al. 1996). These changes often have consequences which reverberate into the ecosystem level. What is often perceived as a benefit for a predator (i.e. increased duration of visibility during hunting hours) has detrimental effects for the prey (i.e. increased mortality) (Schwartz and Henderson, 1991).Previous MeasurementsLight pollution does not affect humans in the form of toxicity or physical energy and there are widely varied measurement techniques which create challenges in comparing studies (Cho et al., 2015; Duriscoe, 2016). Previous methods to measure sky brightness include using human visual indicators and photometric measurements of the night sky, both of which are in-situ measurements that only cover a small area (Duriscoe, 2016). Before the launch of the US Air Force Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) Operational Linescan System (OLS) in 1992, no global quantitative measurement of artificial night sky brightness was available (Cinzano et al., 2001a; Cinzano et al., 2001b). The method to create a global atlas of night sky brightness was introduced in the Cinzano et al., 2001a paper and was improved upon in 2016 when the Suomi NPP VIIRS DNB allowed for greater resolution than the DMSP OLS (Cinzano et al., 2001a; Falchi et al., 2016).Project Partners & ObjectivesThe International Dark-Sky Association (IDA) strives to preserve the night sky by informing the public about, and encouraging changes in, lighting practices (International Dark-Sky Association, 2017). The IDA conservation efforts include the Fixture Seal of Approval and International Dark-Sky Places programs (International Dark-Sky Association, 2017). Grand Teton National Park is administered by the National Park Service (NPS) Intermountain Region (National Park Service, 2017). National Park Service goals include preserving visitors’ view of the night sky. Currently, the NPS uses Unihedron Sky Quality Meter (SQM) measurements collected by the public and park officials to monitor light pollution in the parks.This project crosses multiple NASA National Application Areas. The Wyoming Cross-Cutting team utilized NASA Earth Observations to support current techniques and practices for monitoring light pollution within GRTE. The team collaborated with GRTE, National Park Service Intermountain Region, and International Dark-Sky Association (IDA) to improve efforts to identify optimal light conditions within the park and highlight areas susceptible to light pollution from nearby city lights.3. MethodologyThis should be the focus of the paper - concise, yet explanatory, and highlight the NASA Earth observations utilized and its/their capabilities. Include a paragraph or more for each of the following items. No word cap, but be thoughtful and keep it in the two to six page range.3.1 Data Acquisition What data did you get, what level products are they, for what dates did you get images, where did you get the images from, etc.3.2 Data ProcessingWhat did you do to the data? Were there conversions needed to be able to analyze it? Did you have to mosaic images? Did you have to normalize anything to fit other datasets? Did you run an NDVI, change detection, etc?3.3 Data AnalysisHow did you analyze the data? What methods did you use?4. Results & DiscussionInsert images, graphs, maps, charts, etc. here. Choose the most important results to highlight here. No word cap, but two to six pages is a good range.4.1 Analysis of Results (TBD)Figure 1 is representative of the results we hope to achieve. The map indicates areas near the park that produce the most sky glow as well as areas that produce light pollution inside GRTE. These regions will be important for GRTE so they can focus their energy on reducing light pollution in areas that need it the most. Our model was simple but it was able to recreate, to some degree, the results of the Falchi et al. 2016 paper. This indicates that our simplified model of light scatter is a reasonable approximation that identifies areas where mitigation is needed most.Figure 14.2 Future Work (TBD)This project provides the foundation for creating night sky brightness models that display the change over time. The model can be improved upon by using atmospheric physics to support the assumptions made in this project. A project based on mathematical proof for atmospheric processes could provide accurate sky brightness levels of light pollution for GRTE to use to monitor changes in the park. The next semester of this project will focus on the mathematical proof for the model created this semester and provide the GRTE, the IDA, and Wyoming Stargazing with a baseline for the night sky brightness in the GRTE.In addition to creating a mathematically based model, the study area could be expanded to be applied to larger areas. The third semester of this project will expand the study area to the Colorado Plateau which encompasses several large cities and many State and National Parks. The models created during these three semesters could help cities and parks in the Colorado Plateau apply for International Dark-Sky Place status through the IDA.5. ConclusionsFinal conclusions. Word count: 200-600 (~a page).6. AcknowledgmentsInsert here. Keep to a concise paragraph or bullets of names. End with the following sentences.Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.This material is based upon work supported by NASA through contract NNL16AA05C and cooperative agreement NNX14AB60A.7. GlossaryBlue light – Light with a CCT greater than 4,000 Kelvin, it is a cool color and often considered to have a greater polluting effect.Candela (cd) – A unit of light intensity, equivalent to one lumen per steradian.Full-cutoff Fixture – A lighting system that allows no light intensity above 90 degrees.Glare – Intense light that reduces visibility because it is brighter than the brightness that the eye is adapted to see.Light Pollution – Any adverse effect of artificial light.Skyglow – Diffuse, scattered sky light attributable to scattered light from sources on the ground.Zenith – The point in the sky directly above the viewer.8. ReferencesBrons, J., Bullough, J., & Rea, M. (2008). Outdoor site-lighting performance: A comprehensive and quantitative framework for assessing light pollution. Lighting Research and Technology, 40(3), 201–224. , P., Falchi, F., & Elvidge, C. D. (2001a). Naked-eye star visibility and limiting magnitude mapped from DMSP-OLS satellite data. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 323(1), 34–46.Cinzano, P., Falchi, F., & Elvidge, C. D. (2001b). The first world atlas of the artificial night sky brightness. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 328(3), 689–707.Cho, Y., Ryu, S.-H., Lee, B. R., Kim, K. H., Lee, E., & Choi, J. (2015). Effects of artificial light at night on human health: A literature review of observational and experimental studies applied to exposure assessment. Chronobiology International, 32(9), 1294–1310. , D. M. (2016). Photometric indicators of visual night sky quality derived from all-sky brightness maps. Journal of Quantitative Spectroscopy and Radiative Transfer, 181, 33–45. , F., Cinzano, P., Duriscoe, D., Kyba, C. C. M., Elvidge, C. D., Baugh, K., Furgoni, R. (2016). The new world atlas of artificial night sky brightness. Science Advances, 2(6), e1600377–e1600377. Dark-Sky Association, 2017. Retrieved from . (accessed February 10, 2017).Longcore, T., & Rich, C. (2004). Ecological Light Pollution. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, 2(4), 191. , L. A., & Sullivan, S. M. P. (2013). Bright lights, big city: influences of ecological light pollution on reciprocal stream—riparian invertebrate fluxes. Ecological Applications, 23(6), 1322–1330.National Park Service. (2016). Grand Teton National Park Statistics. Retrieved from grte/learn/management/statistics.htm (accessed February 9, 2017).Skaggs. (2000). The-Creation-of-Grand-Teton-National-Park_webiste-2000.pdf. Retrieved February 13, 2017, from , D. E. (1973). Light Pollution. Science News, 104(24), 381. . Census Bureau (2010). American Fact Finder. (accessed February 10, 2017).Wyoming Cross-Cutting First Partner Call [Telephone interview]. (2017, January 26).Wyoming Stargazing, 2017. Retrieved from . (accessed February 13, 2017).9. AppendicesInsert here ................
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