A study, recently published in the Marine Pollution Bulletin, shows that it’s possible to safeguard 30 % of the Atlantic Ocean’s high‑seas biodiversity, without severely disrupting fishing or shipping routes, by harnessing satellite data to define “seascapes” and redirect marine traffic. Using bio‑optical information from ESA’s Envisat, Copernicus Sentinel‑3, alongside NASA’s Aqua, OrbView‑2 and NOAA‑20 satellites, …
A major step forward in Mediterranean Sea research was taken last week, on April 7th, with the inauguration of the advanced Mediterranean open science Data Analysis Lab (MeDAL) at ESA’s ESRIN Science Hub. The launch of the new initiative was formalised through the signature of a Memorandum of Intent by Simonetta Cheli, Director of ESA …
In collaboration with the AUC, the ESA EO AFRICA R&D Facility has launched a call for research proposals to support African–European collaborative efforts to develop innovative and reusable open-source EO algorithms and applications adapted to African solutions to African challenges by leveraging cutting-edge cloud-based data access and computing infrastructure. This is the second call of …
It’s a great time to work in Earth Observation, with an unprecedented number of missions acquiring high-quality, freely accessible data. These are complemented by a whole ecosystem of analytic tools and software. The ESA Earth Observation Program (EOP) supports EO downstream industry in developing novel applications, and numerous innovative results are generated every year in …
A paper, recently published in Nature Communications, reveals that a major subglacial lake drainage event beneath Antarctica’s Thwaites Glacier in 2013 temporarily doubled the rate of ocean-driven melting beneath its ice shelf. The sudden release of over 7 km³ of freshwater formed a buoyant plume that intensified the melting effect of warm, deep ocean …
The report from the 2nd European Polar Science Week is now published, marking an important milestone in the cooperation between the European Commission (EC) and the European Space Agency (ESA) on polar research. The European Polar Science Week 2024 took place from 3 to 6 September 2024 in Copenhagen, at the Black Diamond, Royal Danish …
The Big Data from Space 2025 (BiDS’25) event is the next milestone in a series of conferences (dating back to 2016) that bring together the global community to explore the transformative potential of space-derived big data and emerging technologies. Building on the success of previous editions, BiDS’25 will continue to foster collaboration, innovation, and knowledge-sharing …
Landslides across the Alps have major socio-economic impacts and represent a significant risk for the population, properties and infrastructures as well as a serious hindrance in the development of mountainous regions. Landslides are diverse in form and mechanism, ranging from rockfalls and debris flows to deep-seated rock instabilities and shallow rotational soil slides. Those shallow …
