Half a Century of Oceans from Space: Features and Futures

Abstract

Half a century separates us from the dawning of satellite oceanography. Aircraft flights, photographs from early space missions, and data from meteorological satellites in the 1960s already provided glimpses of the future role of remote sensing in marine science. A first generation of dedicated ocean-viewing satellites followed in the 1970s. The “Oceans from Space” conference series, which convenes every ten years in Venice, Italy, started in 1980, when unprecedented data sets originated by a second generation of satellites, SEASAT, TIROS-N, and NIMBUS-7, were just beginning to be analyzed. When “Oceans from Space II” was held in 1990, no major new missions were operating. However, in the 1990s, a third generation of missions were underway, based on a longer satellite series and larger orbital platform. By the time “Oceans from Space III” was held in 2000, increasing data quality, accessibility, and usability were contributing to the growth of this young research field. “Oceans from Space IV”, in 2010, came at a time when remote sensing was already in everyday use as part of the marine scientist’s standard toolkit. “Oceans from Space V”, delayed by the COVID pandemic until 2022, offered a scientific and technical program reflecting the astounding panorama of missions, instruments, and innovations available today.