Abstract
The authors present the evolution and current state-of-the-science, with respect to satellite remote sensing and its diverse applications to ecosystems services and ecosystems sustainability. Ecosystems and the services they provide to humanity are continuously threatened by biogenic and anthropogenic impacts. Remote sensing is but one array of tools, in combination with in situ sensing, laboratory analysis, and computer-based modeling techniques, that can serve to elucidate the spatial, temporal, and spectral characteristics of lacustrine, riverine, palustrine, and oceanic water resources, vegetation (e.g., agriculture, forests, rangeland), urban environments, as well as habitats both for benign species and for infectious disease vectors. The authors also address the role of real-time satellite remote sensing for time-critical ecological challenges and offer developing exemplars, such as the NATO Science for Peace supported Kamal Ewida Earth Observatory in Egypt, the Kandilli Observatory and Earthquake Research Institute (KOERI) in Turkey, and the Purdue Terrestrial Observatory in the Midwest United States, as well as grassroots comprehensive approaches to environmental sustainability, such as COSUAM de Puerto Rico.