title: A thermodynamic geography: night-time satellite imagery as a proxy measure of emergy.
abstract: Night-time satellite imagery enables the measurement, visualization, and mapping of energy consumption in an area. In this paper, an index of the "sum of lights" as observed by night-time satellite imagery within national boundaries is compared with the emergy of the nations. Emergy is a measure of the solar energy equivalent used, directly or indirectly, to support the processes that characterize the economic activity in a country. Emergy has renewable and non-renewable components. Our results show that the non-renewable component of national emergy use is positively correlated with night-time satellite imagery. This relationship can be used to produce emergy density maps which enable the incorporation of spatially explicit representations of emergy in geographic information systems. The region of Abruzzo (Italy) is used to demonstrate this relationship as a spatially disaggregate case.
authors: Ecodynamics Group, DEEPS Department of Earth Environmental and Physical Sciences, University of Siena, Pian dei Mantellini 44, 53100, Siena, Italy, coscieme2@unisi.it.
authors: Luca
authors: L
authors: Coscieme
authors: Federico M
authors: FM
authors: Pulselli
authors: Simone
authors: S
authors: Bastianoni
authors: Christopher D
authors: CD
authors: Elvidge
authors: Sharolyn
authors: S
authors: Anderson
authors: Paul C
authors: PC
authors: Sutton
mesh_terms: D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources; D003710:Demography; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D063809:Satellite Imagery; D013997:Time Factors