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An indicator-based assessment of coastal artificial light at night across Europe (2016–2023): Patterns, drivers, and protected-area contrasts

Identification

Public canonical key

radar:r-08d1d50ac5706df7594de15206b40530

Authors

Vincenzo Maccarrone · Enza María Quinci

Reported year

2026

Reported language

en

Source type

article

First detected

2026-11-14T02:33:18.749626+00:00

Last metadata observation

2026-11-14T02:33:18.749626+00:00

Last HTTP verification

Not checked

Institutions reported by the source

National Research Council · Institute for Marine Biological Resources and Biotechnology · Institute for the Study of Anthropic Impact and Sustainability in the Marine Environment

Reported affiliation countries

IT

Documentary abstract — original language

Artificial light at night (ALAN) is increasingly recognised as a widespread anthropogenic pressure on coastal ecosystems. This study develops and applies a scalable satellite-based ecological indicator of ALAN exposure along European coasts from 2016 to 2023 using Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite Day/Night Band (VIIRS-DNB) data. We quantified spatial and temporal patterns of ALAN across three contiguous domains (land 0–1 km inland, sea 0–1 km, and sea 1 km–1 nm) and compared exposure inside and outside marine Natura 2000 protected areas. Mean radiance increased in all domains over the study period, with consistently higher levels and faster growth rates outside protected sites. Built-up coastal areas were the dominant driver of ALAN intensity, even though they occupied less than 2% of the coastal fringe. Protected waters remained significantly less exposed than adjacent non-protected waters, yet still showed notable light intrusion, particularly in lagoon-rich and urban-adjacent sectors. These results demonstrate that ALAN, derived from VIIRS-DNB, can serve as a robust, large-scale ecological indicator for monitoring anthropogenic pressure in coastal zones and for evaluating the effectiveness of marine protected area networks. The indicator is directly relevant to the Marine Strategy Framework Directive and Natura 2000 management, offering a practical tool for evidence-based mitigation at the land–sea interface.

Identifiers

OPENALEX

https://openalex.org/W7165690011

DOI

10.1016/j.ecolind.2026.115111

Documentary context

Documentary family

article

Source-reported types

article

Publishers

Elsevier BV

Entity mentions are not evidence of legal recognition. Jurisdiction studied is separate from author affiliation country.

Sources

OpenAlex · Record 1

• Document · https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2026.115111

Documentary status

Relevance pending

Library

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