The radiance lights data in 2006 from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Air Force Defense Meteorological Satellite Program/Operational Linescan System (DMSP/OLS) and authoritative energy data distributed by the United State Energy Information Administration were applied to estimate the global distribution of anthropogenic heat flux.A strong linear relationship was found to exist between the anthropogenic heat flux and the DMSP/OLS radiance data.On a global scale,the average value of anthropogenic heat flux is approximately 0.03 W m 2 and 0.10 W m 2 for global land area.The results indicate that global anthropogenic heat flux was geographically concentrated and distributed,fundamentally correlating to the economical activities.The anthropogenic heat flux concentrated in the economically developed areas including East Asia,Europe,and eastern North America.The anthropogenic heat flux in the concentrated regions,including the northeastern United States,Central Europe,United Kingdom,Japan,India,and East and South China is much larger than global average level,reaching a large enough value that could affect regional climate.In the center of the concentrated area,the anthropogenic heat flux density may exceed 100 W m 2,according to the results of the model.In developing areas,including South America,Central and North China,India,East Europe,and Middle East,the anthropogenic heat flux can reach a level of more than 10 W m 2 ;however,the anthropogenic heat flux in a vast area,including Africa,Central and North Asia,and South America,is low.With the development of global economy and urban agglomerations,the effect on climate of anthropogenic heat is essential for the research of climate change.
Stable light data from Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP)/Operational Linescan System (OLS) satellites and authoritative energy consumption data distributed by National Bureau of Statistics of China were applied to estimating the distribution of anthropogenic heat release in China from 1992 to 2009. A strong linear relationship was found between DMSP/OLS digital number data and anthropogenic heat flux density (AHFD). The results indicate that anthropogenic heat release in China was geographically concentrated and was fundamentally correlated with economic activities. The anthropogenic heat release in economically developed areas in northern, eastern, and southern China was much larger than other regions, whereas it was very small in northwestern and southwestern China. The mean AHFD in China increased from 0.07 W m-2 in 1978 to 0.28 W m-2 in 2008. The results indicate that in the anthropogenic heat-concentrated regions of Beijing, the Yangtze River Delta, and the Pearl River Delta, the AHFD levels were much higher than the average. The effect of aggravating anthropogenic heat release on climate change deserves further investigation.
