New and robust techniques for land mapping set the foundation for accurate, high resolution global maps that are necessary for taking on the world’s greatest challenges.

A German-Israeli research team used Copernicus Sentinel-1 data to train a deep-learning based oil spill detection system in the South-eastern Mediterranean Sea, which can be used for early-stage oil contamination alerts.

Remote sensing scientists are using data from several Copernicus Sentinel missions to probe the behaviour of a transient Namibian river that serves as a crucial lifeline to those who live in the arid landscape through which it flows.

They hope this will deliver insight to help improve water security in regions that are experiencing increasing periods of drought due to rising global temperatures.

As the world’s population continues to grow at a breakneck speed and the climate crisis increases the likelihood of droughts, the demand for water for irrigation is growing. New research shows how Earth observation data help map the extent water is used for agricultural irrigation, guiding strategies that aim to protect freshwater resources.

An expansion of a global data series that enables scientists to explore the impact of climate change on the world’s lakes has been released. The variables that make up the dataset were generated using data delivered by numerous Earth observation missions, including Sentinel-1, Sentinel-2 and Sentinel-3 of the European Union’s Copernicus Programme.

A team of European remote sensing scientists has introduced a marine benchmark dataset for the detection of marine litter using Copernicus Sentinel-2 multispectral data. This open-access database enables the research community to develop marine debris detection solutions based on artificial intelligence.

It is a benchmark for developing and evaluating machine learning algorithms and the first dataset based on multispectral Copernicus Sentinel-2 data, which distinguish marine litter from co-existing marine features by exploring the spectral behaviour of certain floating materials, sea state features and water types.

Synthetic Aperture Radar systems, such as those on the Copernicus Sentinel-1 satellites, are a powerful tool for observing the sea surface at high spatial resolution over large areas—thus providing wind speed and direction measurements in the ocean, especially in marine coastal areas.

Near-real time mapping of water bodies from satellite imagery plays a critical role in water management. Continuous monitoring of environmental change over time, like the estimation of water availability or prediction of floods and droughts, is essential to human activities such as agriculture, hydrology and water management—and Copernicus Sentinel-2 data are lending a hand.

On the Romanian Danube sector in South-Eastern Europe, sand and ice banks can present difficulties for ships navigating these waters—Copernicus Sentinel satellite images are used by local authorities, to monitor navigation and manage traffic.

Mozambique has some of the most climate-resilient coral ecosystems worldwide - and one of the world's most important reefs - Copernicus Sentinel-2 data are helping to assess where they are and what is happening to them over time.

Until recently, the exploitation of Earth Observation in the coastal domain had been limited by the complication of obtaining the right satellite image—but now Copernicus Sentinel-2 data are making a difference.

Climate Change and human activity will have an increasingly dramatic effect on coastal zone management in the foreseeable future—but data from the Copernicus Sentinel missions have the potential to add enormous value to coastal zone management solutions.

The Magra reservoir in Alentejo, Portugal, became the test site for Aquatic Ecosystem Analysis students, learning to use remote sensing to monitor and possibly forecast algae blooms.

Until recently, the exploitation of Earth Observation in the marine domain was somewhat limited, due to poor spatial resolutions and long revisit times, often extending to months or years— today, Copernicus Sentinel data and the development of multispectral techniques are bringing significant advantages in monitoring marine debris.

Featuring how the Sentinel missions of the European Union's Copernicus programme, particularly Sentinel-1, have become a game-changer to the Danish Meteorological Institute's Ice Service and to the project – Automated Sea Ice Products – creating a robust, automated sea ice information service, solving the main needs of Arctic marine users.

On 11 October, some 95 km from the Saudi city of Jeddah, an Iranian-owned oil tanker was damaged, resulting in the loss of oil in the Red Sea. The Copernicus Sentinels are being used to monitor the resulting oil spill.

A Danish R&D project is developing an automatic sea ice product service, which can meet the increased demands for better and more timely sea ice information, using the extensive amount of free and available data from the Copernicus Sentinel satellites, along with novel machine learning techniques for satellite data fusion and sea-ice information retrieval.

The identification and location of groundwater‐dependent ecosystems are the first move in protecting and managing them. Such identifications are challenging where the surface signs of groundwater are not obvious. Copernicus Sentinel-2 data are lending a hand in establishing these ecosystems.

An early detection of changing patterns and altering ecosystems in coastal wetlands can prevent irreversible biodiversity loss and assist in the identification of problematic areas. The Copernicus Sentinel missions are now providing vital information to help visualise and explain trends to policy makers.

Intertidal habitats can change rapidly, not just in spatial extent but also in vegetation type and cover. Newly created coastal managed realignment sites are a prime example where channels migrate and the vegetation changes from terrestrial to mud flats and saltmarshes.

Monitoring these changes is difficult due to their highly dynamic behaviour, inaccessible nature and risk of ecological damage caused by field work. Aerial photography is costly and thus usually restricted to once a year at best—however, Copernicus Sentinel data are changing things.