Wednesday IAC 2019 Highlight Lecture 3 Monitoring Coastal Waters from Space

Earth’s coasts play an ever-increasing role in the economy of nations, ecology of oceans and health of both. Nearly 40% of the
world’s human population lives within 100 km of a coast, and coastal waters are critically important for fisheries, aquaculture,
recreation, transportation and tourism. Yet, the coastal waters are under severe stress. This meeting of fresh water, salt water
and land thus becomes a vital junction of ecologic and economic policy, public safety and climate. All must be balanced for
a healthy ecosystem, economy and society. Advances in our ability to monitor coastal areas from space, and effectively use
that information for policy making, public safety, infrastructure protection, coastal and ecosystem management is critical to
achieve the healthy balance. Highlighting the Chesapeake Bay area surrounding Washington D.C., this session will show how
Earth Observations from space are advancing to meet information needs to address coastal challenges for societal benefit