Urbanization in Siberia through Satellite Imagery

Abstract

Based on nighttime photos taken by the Landsat satellite system, the authors studied urbanization processes in Siberia from 1992 to 2012. Changes in the illumination of urban areas correspond to recessions and booms in economic activity. Despite a noticeable decrease in the population of Siberia during this period, the large administrative centers—Novosibirsk, Krasnoyarsk, Omsk, and Irkutsk—have grown in population during the past ten years and are expanding into adjacent rural areas. This article identifies the main environmental problems facing these cities and describes the specific relationship between urbanization and economic development.

Keywords:

• urbanization
• urban development
• ecology
• air pollution
• Siberia
• satellite observation systems

Notes

1. Urbanization is defined as an increase in the ratio between the urban population and the total population and an increase in the area of urban development (i.e., the conversion of non-urban areas to urban areas). The reversal of this trend can be defined as deurbanization.

2. NASA’s DMSP (Defense Meteorological Satellite Program) meteorological observation satellite program, which uses OLS (Operational Linescan System) sensors.