Light pollution and industrial activity increase in the Arctic

More than 800,000 square kilometres of the Arctic were affected by human activity in 2013. Some 85% of the areas polluted by light was due to industrial activities and not settlement areas. +Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox The European Arctic and the oil and gas production areas in the US state of Alaska and in Russia were hotspots of human activity. This is shown by a study conducted by an international research team led by the University of Zurich (UZH). Up to a third of the land area in these regions was illuminated. + Looking at the skies in a new light Light pollution is increasing in terms of area every year, the study continued. Of the 16.4 million square kilometres analysed, 5.1% is affected by light pollution. The area is increasing by 4.8% annually, said Gabriela Schaepman-Strub from UZH. The UZH researchers collected satellite data of artificial light at night to investigate the development of human activities in the Arctic from 1992 to 2013.