Woody Turner

Toward a Global Biodiversity Observing System

Tracking biodiversity change is increasingly important in sustaining ecosystems and ultimately human well-being.

Satellite remote sensing for applied ecologists: opportunities and challenges.

1. Habitat loss and degradation, overexploitation, climate change and the spread of invasive species are drastically depleting the Earths biological diversity, leading to detrimental impacts on ecosystem services and human well-being. 2. Our ability to monitor the state of biodiversity and the impacts of global environmental change on this natural capital is fundamental to designing effective adaptation and mitigation strategies for preventing further loss of biological diversity. This requires the scientific community to assess spatio-temporal changes in the distribution of abiotic conditions (e.g. temperature, rainfall) and in the distribution, structure, composition and functioning of ecosystems. 3. The potential for satellite remote sensing (SRS) to provide key data has been highlighted by many researchers, with SRS offering repeatable, standardized and verifiable information on long-term trends in biodiversity indicators. SRS permits one to address questions on scales inaccessible to ground-based methods alone, facilitating the development of an integrated approach to natural resource management, where biodiversity, pressures to biodiversity and consequences of management decisions can all be monitored. 4. Synthesis and applications. Here, we provide an interdisciplinary perspective on the prospects of satellite remote sensing (SRS) for ecological applications, reviewing established avenues and highlighting new research and technological developments that have a high potential to make a difference in environmental management. We also discuss current barriers to the ecological application of SRS-based approaches and identify possible ways to overcome some of these limitations.

Environmental science: Agree on biodiversity metrics to track from space

Ecologists and space agencies must forge a global monitoring strategy, say Andrew K. Skidmore, Nathalie Pettorelli and colleagues.

Satellite remote sensing, biodiversity research and conservation of the future

Assessing and predicting ecosystem responses to global environmental change and its impacts on human well-being are high priority targets for the scientific community. The potential for synergies between remote sensing science and ecology, especially satellite remote sensing and conservation biology, has been highlighted by many in the past. Yet, the two research communities have only recently begun to coordinate their agendas. Such synchronization is the key to improving the potential for satellite data effectively to support future environmental management decision-making processes. With this themed issue, we aim to illustrate how integrating remote sensing into ecological research promotes a better understanding of the mechanisms shaping current changes in biodiversity patterns and improves conservation efforts. Added benefits include fostering innovation, generating new research directions in both disciplines and the development of new satellite remote sensing products.

The model web: a concept for ecological forecasting

Ecological forecasting capabilities are constrained by the interoperability of ecological and related models, among other things. This limits the types of questions that can be practically addressed, as well as the range of users that can ask them. We are exploring the concept of an ecological model web, an open-ended system of interoperable computer models and databases, with machine and end-user Internet access via web services. The 5-10 year vision includes a distributed network of inter operating models; that grows organically within a framework of broad goals and standards; with models and datasets maintained, operated, and served independently; and that provides interactive web access to researchers, managers, and the public. Increasing the level of interoperability of these models will increase their collective power and the breadth of questions they can answer.

Advancing Marine Biological Observations and Data Requirements of the Complementary Essential Ocean Variables (EOVs) and Essential Biodiversity Variables (EBVs) Frameworks

Measurements of the status and trends of key indicators for the ocean and marine life are required to inform policy and management in the context of growing human uses of marine resources, coastal development, and climate change. Two synergistic efforts identify specific priority variables for monitoring: Essential Ocean Variables (EOVs) through the Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS), and Essential Biodiversity Variables (EBVs) from the Group on Earth Observations Biodiversity Observation Network (GEO BON) (see Data Sheet 1 in Supplementary Materials for a glossary of acronyms). Both systems support reporting against internationally agreed conventions and treaties. GOOS, established under the auspices of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC), plays a leading role in coordinating global monitoring of the ocean and in the definition of EOVs. GEO BON is a global biodiversity observation network that coordinates observations to enhance management of the worlds biodiversity and promote both the awareness and accounting of ecosystem services. Convergence and agreement between these two efforts are required to streamline existing and new marine observation programs to advance scientific knowledge effectively and to support the sustainable use and management of ocean spaces and resources. In this context, the Marine Biodiversity Observation Network (MBON), a thematic component of GEO BON, is collaborating with GOOS, the Ocean Biogeographic Information System (OBIS), and the Integrated Marine Biosphere Research (IMBeR) project to ensure that EBVs and EOVs are complementary, representing alternative uses of a common set of scientific measurements. This work is informed by the Joint Technical Commission for Oceanography and Marine Meteorology (JCOMM), an intergovernmental body of technical experts that helps international coordination on best practices for observing, data management and services, combined with capacity development expertise. Characterizing biodiversity and understanding its drivers will require incorporation of observations from traditional and molecular taxonomy, animal tagging and tracking efforts, ocean biogeochemistry, and ocean observatory initiatives including the deep ocean and seafloor. The partnership between large-scale ocean observing and product distribution initiatives (MBON, OBIS, JCOMM, and GOOS) is an expedited, effective way to support international policy-level assessments (e.g., the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services or IPBES), along with the implementation of international development goals (e.g., the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals).

Using satellite data products to manage living marine resources

With the 2006 efforts by the U.S. Congress to renew the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act and the 2004 U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy report, issues regarding the management of living marine resources and the use of ocean observing systems are receiving significant attention. Internationally, the Group on Earth Observations (GEO; http://www.earthobservations.org) is highlighting efforts by national governments, including those of the U.S. government, to use Earth science measurements to support decision-making for societal benefits. In addition, the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is placing greater emphasis on ecosystem-based approaches to addressing its management responsibilities. Given the continuity, global coverage, and high temporal and spatial resolution of satellite observations, they represent important tools for monitoring and characterizing marine ecosystems. Most of the spatial features that are important to characterizing ecosystems (i.e., ocean fronts, eddies, convergence zones, river plumes, and coastal regions) cannot be adequately resolved without satellite data. However, the potential of satellite data to more fully enhance operational applications within NOAA Fisheries has not yet been realized, such as improving the accuracy of fisheries stock assessments and contributing to Integrated Ecosystem Assessments (IEAs).

Ecological modeling for applied science

Ecological modeling is becoming an increasingly important tool for uniting biological observations with remote sensing and ground-based data networks to develop predictive tools for resource management and human health. The availability of over three petabytes of data from the NASA Earth Observing System Data and Information System (EOSDIS) alone provides an unprecedented opportunity to develop Earth science applications for decision support. In combination with data networks such as the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administrations National Climate Data Center, the nonprofit NatureServes network of biological inventories, the National Environmental Public Health Tracking Network of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and many others, there is a vast wealth of Earth observation data on parameters as diverse as land cover, sea surface temperature, precipitation, species distribution, and disease occurrence.