The marine environment is an abundant source of resources, and provides food, natural resources in the form of oil, gas and minerals, and the power of the ocean can be harnessed for generating energy. Satellites can help to locate and study these resources.
Sentinel-1's SAR mission supports marine wind monitoring and natural oil seepage monitoring.
Images from the Sentinel-1A satellite are being used to monitor aquaculture in the Mediterranean, in another example of the mission's contribution to food security, as fisheries become the main source of seafood.
Scientists have used satellite observations to create a set of high-resolution 3D maps of the entire Great Barrier Reef - a critical step towards identifying, managing and protecting what lies beneath the waters.
The international body representing the oil and gas industry is promoting the use of satellite Earth observation as the industry explores new frontiers. The upcoming Sentinel suite of satellites will facilitate these new endeavours.
The Gulf of Mexico oil spill couldn't have occurred at a worse time for bluefin tuna: they had come to the area – a major spawning ground – to produce offspring.
Satellites are helping assess the damage from the disaster on the fish's spawning habitat.
