Spectral management offers precise control to light pollution without compromising human perceived brightness. However, large-scale implementation remains challenging due to lacking spectral details in panchromatic satellites (e.g. DMSP-OLS, NPP-VIIRS and etc.). A new satellite, Sustainable Development Science Satellite-1 (SDGSAT-1), offered global multispectral nightlight imageries via its novel Glimmer sensor. We introduced a novel satellite-based approach to rapidly evaluate the spectral impact of outdoor lighting on human circadian rhythm. By establishing a prediction model linking spectral band ratios to the Melatonin Suppression Index (MSI), we generated circadian impact maps which were subsequently validated against 471 samples via field spectral measures. Results showed that MSl training model revealed good prediction (R 2 = 0.91, p < 0.001, RMSE = 0.07). The validation of satellite-based calculation based on on-site spectral yielded significant predictions with non-negligible errors (R 2 = 0.07, by environmental types R 2 = 0.07∼0.12). The errors were likely due to large uncertainties of pairing satellite and on-site samples, which were well controlled by a better sampling method in another study using SDGSAT-1. This study provided a new perspective on measuring light pollution, offering a framework for global health risk assessments and dark-sky conservation planning, with potential extensibility to other biorhythmic impact indices. • A novel method was proposed to evaluate spectral sensitivity via a new satellite. • A spectral impact map of outdoor lighting on human circadian rhythm was provided. • The satellite-based prediction was compared against 471 field samples. • A rapid spectral sensitivity assessment extendable to other large-scale biorhythmic impact index was introduced.
Qiu et al. (2026) studied this question.