Earth observation satellites orbit the Earth day after day, year after year, collecting data on sea surface temperature, wind, waves, sea level, ocean currents, water clarity, and plankton productivity – all factors that affect the health and functioning of marine and coastal ecosystems.  The data are free for scientific use, and the records go back two or three decades.

New satellites, launched in the last few years, provide higher resolution, better temporal coverage, and more accurate data than ever before.  However, finding, accessing and analysing the different data sets to retrieve information relevant to a particular problem can be a challenge, even for experienced researchers. 

SOLSTICE will make EO technologies more accessible to participating scientists, and develop training resources that demonstrate how EO data may be used with other data and information sources to deliver decision support for sustainable management of marine resources.  

ESA Sentinel-2 image of Pemba and  the Pemba Channel between the island and the mainland - location of the Tanzania case study.