Nighttime Lighting Data as a Proxy for Hurricane Strength

Abstract

This paper builds on the body of research applications of nighttime lighting data: the artificial lighting emissions from our planet’s nighttime surface collected daily by satellite imaging. While previous research has shown that hurricane damage can be visualized in terms of NTL data, there has not yet been research done in exploring differences between the NTL change over a variety of hurricane impacts. In this paper, we investigate 21 different Atlantic hurricanes which made landfall in the United States since 2012, and attempt to relate the strength of the hurricane as reported by meteorological data to the change in NTL data before and after impact, used as a proxy for the amount of damage the hurricane inflicted on the area in its path. With this revision, we apply statistical methods and qualitative analysis to better answer this question. Through the analysis, we find that NTL changes are partially indicative of hurricane strength, although various limitations with the methodology have left us without full certainty. There will need to be further research done on this topic with more rigorous approaches to tracking NTL data to solidify the relationship between hurricane strength and NTL-indicated damage. In the conclusion of the paper I outline more proposed research methods that may be able to unlock findings beyond what we were able to uncover here. Still, this research was successful in providing a link, even if only partially, between hurricane damage and NTL changes. My goal for this pilot study was to prove that the methodology can yield interesting results, and hopefully this can lead to deeper analysis in the future.