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Multi-scale analysis of Loktak wetlandscape using Earth Observation datasets
No full textA wetlandscape is a landscape characterized by the presence of numerous interconnected wetlands (Bertassello et al. 2018). Loktak located in the Manipur River basin in India is a unique wetlandscape that includes numerous floodplain wetlands and associated channels. It hosts the Loktak wetland, the largest freshwater body in the northeastern India, also designated as Ramsar site and the Keibul Lamjao National Park, the only floating national park in the world. Like any other wetlands in the world, Loktak wetlandscape is also under great threat due to the changes in the hydrometeorological conditions associated with climate change as well as the human interventions in the wetlandscape and its catchment. Loktak hydro-electric project, the major anthropogenic intervention in the wetlandscape has a huge impact on the hydrology and ecology of Loktak wetland complex and to Pumlen wetland complex to a less significant level (Trisal and Manihar 2002).This work investigates the multi- and cross-scale degradation of wetlands in the Loktak wetlandscape in a nested-framework by studying hydrogeomorphic dynamics at catchment scale, wetlandscape scale, and wetland complex scale. The catchment scale encompasses surrounding uplands and hillslopes. At the wetlandscape scale, which includes interconnected wetlands and associated channels, individual wetland boundaries are demarcated using historical Corona image and recent Sentinel-2 image. By comparing historic and recent boundaries, we found that six natural wetlands of area less than 1.5km2 have completely converted into other land use types and three small wetlands with area less than 1km2 get merged with bigger ones due to barrage-induced prolonged inundation. The wetland complex scale is a cluster of hydrologically interconnected wetlands of same or different types. Loktak wetland complex has not shown any prominent change in its extent, whereas Ikop and Pumlen wetland complexes have shrunken remarkably over time. The degradation of wetlandscape is evident from other factors such as proliferation and thinning of phumdis (floating biomass) and destruction of vegetation in the catchment. The cross-scale investigation suggests the influence of both natural and anthropogenic controls on the degradation of Loktak wetlandscape. The findings of this study and the protocols developed here will help to better understand the stressors of Loktak wetlandscape and elsewhere and could be instrumental in developing a conservation and management plan. Multi-scale management of wetlandscape include the catchment-scale measures such as afforestation, protection of hills and reducing the frequency of shifting (jhum) cultivation in hilly areas, wetlandscape scale measures such as control of waste dumping, control of channel modification for builtup and then wetland scale measures such as removal of invasive species from open water, and control of athaphum farming (method of farming using phumdis). Considering that a huge proportion of population in the valley depend on these wetlands for their livelihood, accounting their needs and making them a part of any effort for the management of this ecosystem has to be one of the primary goal
Integrating ecological research for ecosystem understanding across multiple scales: building digital twins of LTER sites
No full textThe impacts on ecosystems of global and local shifts in the environment due to e.g. climate change, land use change, and urbanisation present us with complex and interacting societal challenges. Solving a single problem often aggravates another. Scientific insights needed to face these challenges are based on interdisciplinary multi-scale research. It requires that we work together across (sub)disciplinary boundaries and combine our insights and knowledge to understand the complexities and interrelatedness within ecosystems. Making this combination is currently hampered by the availability and scatteredness of datasets and the lack of methods and tools to combine knowledge, data and models. Developing digital twins of ecosystems could provide a paradigm to achieve this combination of knowledge, data and models, and generate the insight and knowledge that we require to face the challenges of global and local change.A digital twin of an ecosystem is a digital representation of an ecosystem tailored to the user’s research objectives and perspective of that ecosystem. They bring together (long-term) data collected of multiple ecosystem facets and across multiple scales, process-based models, and data science and computational modelling tools, making them a versatile instrument. Digital twins can be used to understand ecosystem functioning, by aiding the discovery of intricate ecological relationships not yet understood or measured. Furthermore, they are ideal for exploring the effects of in situ management strategies, or for the detection of early-warning signals of global change impacts on ecosystem dynamics.LTER-LIFE is a scientific infrastructure, embedded in LTER-NL (Long-Term Ecosystem Research Netherlands) and LifeWatch ERIC, aimed at supporting shared and integrated ecological research, providing scientists the platform and tools to build digital twins of ecosystems. We do this by supporting the sharing of data and models and bringing these together into a site-focused virtual lab where people can work together. LTER sites provide an ideal opportunity for this as they often come with a long history of extensive data collection and research across multiple spheres.Drawing on experience of building digital twins in the Veluwe LTSER platform, this keynote will take you through the journey of digital twinning parts of an ecosystem with a long legacy of ecological and environmental research and data collection. As these data exist in many different formats, we built data mobilisation and FAIRification pipelines to augment the focal experimental sites in the Veluwe with relevant historical, privately-owned or national datasets. Subsequently, we explored the potential of the Notebook as a Virtual Research Environment (NaaVRE), which provided us with a virtual lab in which we developed workflows for processing and linking FAIRified data with process-based and data-driven models. Ultimately, we show that this way of working can bring together researchers to generate insights on the impacts of climate change, land use change, and urbanisation on the functioning of the ecosystem, providing scientific support for management and policy decisions
Еvaluation of environmental research infrastructures services to address impacts on forest health and biodiversity
No full textThe potential of environmental research infrastructures (RIs) to fully implement the FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable) principles remains underutilised in addressing diverse challenges on global forest health and biodiversity. This study aims to characterise environmental RIs and their data services in tackling the effects of extreme climatic conditions on global forests. It examines the primary drivers of forest challenges across tropical, temperate, and boreal forest types, identifies the critical data required to understand these challenges, and explores the role and potential of environmental RIs in providing such data. A systematic literature search and review spanning 2013–2023 was conducted using sources such as Google, Google Scholar, and Scopus to identify documented key drivers of forest impacts, along with the relevant data types and sources utilised in the selected articles. The result has been organised in these four categories of drivers: biophysical, biological, human-induced, and socioeconomic. Furthermore, the numerous forest impacts identified are grouped into ecological, physiological, socioeconomic, and climate-related impacts. Different data types were considered in this study, ranging from carbon flux data to other various forms of experimental and field observation data. Data sources ranged from local and national forest inventories to specialized monitoring networks and research infrastructures. Four terrestrial biosphere RIs—ICOS, AnaEE, LifeWatch, and eLTER—were assessed through their websites, annual reports, and impact assessments to evaluate their data services and potential contributions to climate change on global forests. The analysis explored the frequency and significance of integrating cross-RI multidisciplinary services. The study ultimately highlights existing gaps in RI data availability, accessibility, integration, and interoperability to address interconnected and overlapping global forest challenges
Climate changes modulate deep seepage under forests – a long-term observation at a north-eastern German lysimeter site
No full textGroundwater recharge is an important ecosystem function of forests. In regions with a negative climatic water balance it shows a distinct annual cycle: in summer, evapotranspiration exceeds the input by precipitation, in the winter, low evapotranspiration allows a rewetting of soils. In times with sufficient water supply, the water moves below the root zone as deep seepage and later becomes groundwater recharge.On our intensive forest monitoring station “Britz” (Germany) we measure deep seepage for various tree species and compositions with large scale lysimeters. Installed in the 1970s they each span a forested area of 100 m² and have a depth of 5 m. Over the last years extreme weather changed the deep seepage to previously unseen patterns. A drought, beginning in 2018, had such an impact that in 2019, for the first time, no annual deep infiltration was detected under the beech site, a site generally promoting deep infiltration (Fig. 1). In contrast to the drought, extreme rainfall occurred from 2018 to 2021 each summer . While this led to flooding in many regions of Germany, in the sandy lowlands it sometimes led to a considerable proportion of the total annual deep seepage under pine stands, which generally have little to no deep seepage. These unseen dynamics influence our understanding of deep seepage formation and have an impact on groundwater recharge in the north-eastern lowlands of Germany
Assessing biogeochemical anomalies in 2024 at an eLTER Site in the Northern Adriatic Sea: the Senigallia-Susak transect and TeleSenigallia pylon
No full textThe year 2024 presented a series of environmental conditions that attracted the interest of the scientific community, particularly concerning alterations in the biogeochemical parameters of the Adriatic Sea. In particular, the northern Adriatic Sea experienced record-high surface temperatures, reaching 30°C near the coast of Ancona (Italy). This rise in temperature could be linked to multiple factors, including marine heatwaves and the increased occurrence of African anticyclones.The impacts of this warming are numerous, causing significant stress on the marine ecosystem, with certain fish species struggling to survive under such extreme conditions. Furthermore, a warmer sea leads to increased evaporation, raising atmospheric humidity and potentially triggering intense rainfall when cold air masses collide with the warm, humid air. In addition, in 2024, the phenomenon of mucilage was observed again along the western coast of the Adriatic Sea, something that had not been seen on such a large scale since the early 2000s.The European network of eLTER (Long-Term Ecosystem Research: https://elter-ri.eu/) stations provides long-term data that allow for the analysis of environmental variations and the identification of potential anomalies compared to historical averages.The long-term data series (1988–2024) of physical, chemical and biological parameters were analyzed to assess trends and variability in oceanographic conditions at the coastal station of the eLTER Senigallia transect and TeleSenigallia pylon, located in the northern Adriatic Sea within the Mediterranean Sea. This transect is an important monitoring site due to its distance from the Po Delta and its location within an area where the dense water mass, known as the North Adriatic Dense Water (NAdDW), forms during winter and crosses the region as a bottom current. This analysis aimed to highlight and enhance our understanding of anomalies in biogeochemical processes, including seasonal and interannual changes (i.e., temperature, salinity, nutrients, chlorophyll-a and phytoplankton abundance).In this study, data from the coastal station (SG1) and the TeleSenigallia pylon were analyzed to assess whether 2024 exhibited significantly different biogeochemical characteristics compared to previous years (1988–2023) through the analysis of key parameters such as physical parameters (temperature, salinity), chemical parameters (dissolved oxygen, nitrites, nitrates, ammonium, orthophosphates, and orthosilicates), and biological (chlorophyll-a derived from fluorescence sensor and phytoplankton abundance).For data processing, the database was divided into seasons. The temporal assessment of temperature (T) and salinity (S) shows a strong difference between the bottom layer and the surface layer in summer, when stratification is at its maximum. In winter, the two layers are more homogeneous, as expected. Along the western Adriatic coast, the impact of river plumes with freshwater is evident, varying depending on the season.The trend analysis of temperature and salinity data for the period 1988–2023 has shown a general increase in both temperature and salinity in the majority of the analyzed datasets. In particular, it has been observed that SG1 exhibits a significant increase in temperature both at the surface and at the bottom in all seasons except for summer. The increases range from 0.22% yr⁻¹ (winter, surface) to 0.66% yr⁻¹ (winter, bottom). Salinity shows a significant decrease only in spring (0.06–0.09% yr⁻¹) and increases in other seasons within a range of 0.06% yr⁻¹ (autumn, bottom) to 0.11% yr⁻¹ (autumn, surface; winter, surface). Phytoplankton trend confirmed the increase of small sized taxa reflecting the tendency to oligotrophication.Correlation analyses between nutrients (NO₃ and Si(OH)₄) and salinity carried out in different seasons have highlighted the impact of river inputs along the coast. Station SG1 shows a significant correlation with salinity in winter (surface and bottom) and autumn (surface) for both analyzed nutrients. In spring, only nitrates show a significant correlation.The preliminary temporal analysis of temperature and salinity has clearly highlighted how, over 35 years, the investigated area has undergone a marked increase in both temperature and salinity.The effects of climate change during 1988–2023 seem to impact the increase in temperature in all seasons except summer. It should be noted that sampling carried out during the summer period was often missing in August (summer holiday), when sea warming is at its maximum. Salinity has shown a significantly increasing trend in the area, except for spring, where a significant decrease has been observed near the coast. These observations seem to indicate that coastal inputs have decreased over the years due to lower precipitation. On the other hand, spring has often been characterized by extreme rainfall events and river floods.The 2024 recorded temperatures were approximately 1°C above the historical average, with anomalous summer peaks (about 30°C recorded at the end of July). The anomalies observed in 2024 could be attributed to exceptional climatic factors, such as rising atmospheric temperatures, changes in water mass circulation patterns, and variations in the rainfall regime. The preliminary results suggest that 2024 was an anomalous year compared to historical conditions, with significant ecological implications for the Northern Adriatic ecosystem. It will be crucial to continue long-term monitoring to understand whether these variations represent a new trend or a temporary fluctuation
Disentangling the effect of stand structure on the C-balance of Mediterranean Pine forests using a process-based forest model
No full textAdaptive management of Mediterranean pine forests can contribute towards carbon farming and fire protection, under current global change conditions. Local scale process-based forest models can be used to identify the optimum stand structure for this dual aim. For this purpose, we established a monitoring network within the PineOptim project, which includes two Calabrian pine (Pinus brutia Ten.) and one Aleppo pine (Pinus halepensis Mill.) forests in Greece, differing in stand structure due to the applied management priorities and natural post-fire dynamics. Thus, at the Aleppo pine site at Sani, Chalkidiki, which also belongs to eLTER, plots differing in the manipulation of understory shrub vegetation to minimize fire risk, were established. At the Calabrian pine site at Xanthi, our plots represent different thinning intensities that were applied to favor the introduction of broadleaf species. Finally, at the non-managed Calabrian pine forest on Lesvos, the established plots are characterized by different post-fire ages. These three management regimes represent the mainstream approaches towards forest management of low elevation pine forests in Greece and result in discrete stand structures. This study presents a set-up of simulation exercises to identify the optimal stand structure for maximizing carbon sequestration, using a locally parameterized version of the TFS model for low elevation Mediterranean pine species. By applying a harmonized across-sites monitoring protocol, leaf-level ecophysiological (photosynthesis - light response curves of sunlit and shade needles, relative needle water content), tree-level biometric (diameter at breast height, height, canopy projection, leaf area index), and stand-level C-flux (annual litterfall flux, litter decomposition, soil respiration) data have been systematically gathered across our monitoring network. The leaf-level ecophysiological data were used to parameterize a daily photosynthesis algorithm. The tree-level biometric data were used to develop a tree-by-tree light competition algorithm. The stand-level data were used to parameterize a C turnover algorithm related to tree mortality, litterfall, litter decomposition and soil respiration. The model’s predictive ability was evaluated using daily GPP (Gross Primary Productivity) and NEP (Net Ecosystem Productivity) data from the eddy flux tower at our eLTER site at Sani, Chalkidiki. Subsequently, the model was used in a leave-one-out simulation experiment to evaluate the role of stand structure, including that of the understory, in optimizing C-storage and cycling
Openprobe: a frugal multiparameter probe for marine and continental waters monitoring
No full textAquatic ecosystems need accurate observation to understand its trajectory in a context of increasing anthropogenic pressure and climate change. These environments are however undersampled in many areas (Brewin et al. 2017, Kirchner et al. 2004): acquiring essential variables at relevant spatial and temporal resolution is often not compatible with traditional methods of sample collection followed by laboratory analysis, but field-deployable or in-situ systems are either too expensive, too complicated to be used by non-trained users or even non-existent. In an effort to propose an alternative in-situ measurement system for biogeochemical and physicochemical measurement in marine and continental waters, we developed a multiparameter probe that measures 7 parameters for a very modest bill-of-materials cost (around 300 € for a single prototype). The performance of this probe is sufficient for most water bodies, both in terms of range and sensitivity, and its replication is facilitated by the use of rapid-prototyping methods.The Openprobe multiparameter (Fig. 1) is able to measure conductivity, temperature, pressure (depth or water level above), dissolved oxygen, turbidity, chlorophyll a, photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) as well as water color. These parameters were chosen based on a compromise between their relevance and our capability to measure them at a scientifically appropriate standard using low-cost components, an approach which resonates with the definition of the Standard Observations in eLTER (Zacharias et al. 2021). The electronic architecture is based around an Adafruit Feather M0 microcontroller board, an Adafruit Adalogger microSD-card logger with a Real-Time-Clock, and two custom Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs) that hosts the different sensors. Housing of the probe uses a Blue Robotics 2" diameter enclosure tubes. The sensor's PCBs are integrated in end-caps fabricated by stereolithography (SLA), using a desktop Formlabs Form 3 SLA printer with Black V4 resin. Compared to conventional fused-deposition modelling 3D printing (FDM), SLA is an isotropic printing technique which delivers fully dense and watertight parts. The higher resolution of SLA also allows to create o-ring grooves with appropriate tolerance, and has shown to be a valid fabrication technique even for the challenging pressures encountered in deep-sea science (Karp et al. 2023, Phillips et al. 2019). Atop of that, the 3D printed end-cads ensures auto-alignment of the optical elements (LEDs, photodiodes) and optical filters. The assembly/disassembly can be done manually without any tool, for easy access to the electronics, the battery, or the micro SD card on the field. Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), a silicone-based material with good transparency in the VIS-IR, is used within the end-caps to create optical ports, and also acts similarly to a potting material to ensure watertightness.The first PCB is integrated at the top of the probe, and contains the CTD (Conductivity, Depth, Temperature) as well as the PAR sensor. The conductivity sensor is based around a two-electrode cell on a ceramic substrate connected to an impedance analyzer integrated circuit (IC). Intercomparison with a Decagon CTD-10 and an Atlas Scientific EZO sensor showed that our sensor offered a better sensitivity, together with a smaller cost and a lower power consumption. Pressure and temperature sensors are based around the same IC used by Blue Robotics pressure and temperature sensors, and as such as been validated in many conditions (Poulsen et al. 2022). We worked on their integration on a custom PCB, with special care taken in minimizing the thermal inertia around the temperature sensor to reduce its response time when performing profiling analysis. The PAR sensor completes this part of the probe. It is based around the AMS AS7341, modified with a diffuser cut precisely with the xurography technique (Bartholomeusz et al. 2005), and intercompares with a+/- 5% confidence interval versus an Apogee SQ-512-SS sensor (Fig. 2), a value commonly exceeded when comparing different commercial sensors (Long et al. 2012).The second PCB, located at the opposite end of the probe, contains a chlorophyll a fluorometer, an oxygen optode, and a turbidity sensor. The chlorophyll a fluorometer uses synchronous detection: this approach allows efficient ambient light rejection, and captures the weak fluorescence signals observed due to the small fluorescence yield of in-vivo chl.a (Morrison 2003). The oxygen otpode uses PreSens Pst3 oxygen sensor spots, paired with a custom optoelectronic readout architecture. A DDS (Direct Digital Synthesizer) generates a sine wave to excite the Pst3 luminophore, and an I/Q demodulator measures the phase shift between excitation and the emitted fluorescence. The fluorescence signal is quenched in the presence of oxygen, which translates to a decrease of the fluorescence decay and in-fine by a phase shift . This is similar to the operating principle of Aanderaa optodes, commonly found in the Biogeochemical Argo floats. Our optode is intercompared with a benchtop PreSens Fibox 4 system and shown good accuracy (Fig. 3). Finally, the turbidity sensor implements 90° nephelometry as well as 180° backscattering measurements to cover a broad range of turbidity. Its architecture is based around an Analog Devices ADPD1080, an IC usually found in smartwatches for the measurement of photoplethysmography (PPG). The Openprobe multiparameter probe could be a very valuable tool in order to increase spatial and temporal resolution in aquatic ecosystem monitoring. Through the use of advanced, yet affordable electronic components initially developed for the Internet Of Things market, we created a frugal tool without compromising on accuracy
Spatio-temporal mapping of aquatic ecosystems by long-term monitoring and citizen science
No full textAccording to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (2024), the quality and quantity of water available for all our uses will become the major challenge of the 21st century. Increased temperatures, problems of oxygenation, (micro)pollutants concentrations are some of the problems to be dealt with, whose consequences are many, not only for livestock farming, fishing and aquatic biodiversity, but also for drinking water production.In Europe the Water Framework Directive (WFD) aims to assess the ecological and chemical status of surface waters at the level of the river basin district (i.e., “an area of land and sea, comprising one or more river basins and associated groundwater and coastal waters, identified as the main unit for the purposes of river basin management”). Small streams, typical of watershed headwaters, are not monitored in the WFD. However, they are estimated to account for up to 80% of the total hydrographic length in a river watershed, making a major contribution to the water supply of downstream ecosystems (MacDonald and Coe 2007).Since 2010, the LTSER Zone Atelier du Bassin de la Moselle has been involved on the long-term monthly monitoring, with the help of forest rangers, of an initial set of 16 pristine headwater streams in the Vosges Mountains (https://acev.otelo.univ-lorraine.fr/ , https://deims.org/22915474-7c50-47c1-8239-6c59fa924a1b). These streams are running on granite or sandstone soils in forests dotted with wetlands of various size. The monitoring stations are upstream of any anthropogenic activity, except forestry and extensive tourism. This initial set has been progressively expanded with other nearby streams. However, all of them belong to the same mountainous typology.With this in mind, a participatory research project, O'CitEaux (https://ociteaux.fr/), has been set up to monitor the quality of small rivers in a wider context, using new low-cost sensors. We believe in the importance of such monitoring in the face of climate change (Whyte et al. 2024, von Gönner et al. 2024). Together with an increase of temperature, longer periods of drought interspersed with episodes of heavy rainfall are expected in the coming decades. The flow of small rivers and the quality of their water are therefore likely to be significantly altered. The O'CitEaux participants are:fishing association members (A),primary and secondary school teachers and their students (B), orjust people interested in quality of the aquatic environment (C).Participants A and B are equipped with a low-cost water case which enables them to measure pH, conductivity and temperature in-situ and in the future dissolved organic matter (Ritson et al. 2014). Participants A measure the water level and the width of the watercourse, which can be used for estimation of the discharge rate after proper calibration. All participants collect water samples (one-shot or on a monthly basis, depending upon their level of implication), filtrate them and send them immediately to the research laboratory. Additional information about the location of the station and its immediate surroundings, as well as on biodiversity (odonata, fish, etc.), is collected.Samples collected either by researchers or by O'CitEaux participants follow the same analysis process: filtration at 0.45 µm, analysis of dissolved organic and inorganic carbon, dissolved total nitrogen and major anions and cations, DOM spectral characteristics by UV-visible spectroscopy (aromaticity and molecular weight scoring) and fluorescence spectroscopy (DOM humification, etc.).To date, 150 streams (mainly in France, UK and Scandinavia) have been sampled (i.e., 400 samples) in addition to the 40 streams monitored directly by the researchers on a monthly basis (Fig. 1). The variety of their typology is shown in Fig. 2: high dissolved inorganic carbon concentrations reflect rivers running on calcareous soils, when high dissolved organic carbon concentrations characterized rivers influenced by forests and peatlands.The presentation will discuss the water quality results in function of geology, land use and season and compare them to WFD data collected at a larger scale. An example of data analysis is shown in Fig. 3 for dissolved nitrogen, with a gradient between the forested Vosges Mountains and the western zone where agriculture is more intensive. Citizen involvement (motivation, effectiveness, fear of doing the wrong thing, etc.) will be discussed as well as the best ways for feedback (database, website, counseling)
The ecological importance of temporary ponds, especially vernal pools for waterfowl breeding success
No full textIn Fennoscandia, waterbirds have declined over several decade, and this decline could be linked to problems in the breeding success and loss of foraging habitat provided by wetlands. Availability of aquatic invertebrates is crucially important for ducks during the breeding season, and especially for young ducklings. However, the relationship of invertebrate food resources on duckling growth and survival is not very well understood. In this research, we used imprinted mallard ducklings (Anas platyrhynchos, 1758) to study the effect of the availability of aquatic invertebrates on duckling growth. At hatch, ducklings were divided into two different groups and assigned to forage either on permanent (lakes) or temporary (pools) wetlands. Each day, ducklings were brought to the study sites for four hours to forage. Ducklings were weighed before and after the foraging period. Aquatic invertebrates were sampled with activity (macroinvertebrates and zooplankton) and emergence traps (aquatic emerging insects). The ducklings gain more weight in temporary ponds, and this was associated with the availability of macroinvertebrates. Temporary ponds had higher aquatic macroinvertebrate abundance than the permanent lakes. However, no significant relationship was found between duckling weight and abundance of emerging insects or zooplankton. We highlight the crucial role of aquatic invertebrates in ducklings’ mass gain and emphasize the importance of temporary wetlands during the brood rearing period for the breeding success of ducks
Transforming inland water monitoring: integrating remote sensing and next-generation in situ technologies
No full textBiodiversity loss, pollution, and the impacts of climate change have reached critical levels, creating the need for transformative changes in society and human behavior to reverse these trends and restore nature to a central place in people’s lives. Effective environmental monitoring is essential to this effort, with a particular focus on aquatic environments - especially inland waters - due to their profound connections to society, human health, and climate systems.In recent decades, satellite remote sensing has emerged as a powerful tool for monitoring water quality in inland water systems, driven by advances in orbital sensor technology. Earth observation techniques offer unique perspectives to limnology, enabling comprehensive views of multiple aquatic ecosystems simultaneously, regional to global coverage, long-term data collection through time-series analysis, and valuable inputs to predictive models. Moreover, remote sensing facilitates the retrieval of diverse parameters across increasing numbers of smaller lakes, including surface area, elevation, and biogeochemical data.When applied correctly, remote sensing technologies enable the monitoring of temporal changes across vast numbers of water bodies, helping to identify long-term trends and detect immediate changes in aquatic environments. The growing availability and potential of remote sensing products for aquatic studies have added a critical spatial dimension to traditional methods. Historical Earth observation data can complement existing long-term monitoring datasets, providing robust support for management and conservation strategies. However, many remote sensing methodologies and products used in applied aquatic studies often receive insufficient attention to their specific limitations and requirements.A thorough understanding of remote sensing methods for inland waters is essential for their effective application and the accurate interpretation of results. Freshwater ecosystems present significant challenges due to their optical complexity and biogeochemical variability. Common remote sensing products designed for terrestrial or oceanic applications are often unsuitable for inland waters. For instance, atmospheric correction tailored to the unique conditions of inland waters, including adjacency effects, is critical but frequently overlooked. Similarly, misunderstandings about the assumptions and quality of remote sensing products can undermine the reliability of findings in recent limnological research.This presentation highlights the current and future technical capabilities of remote sensing for inland water quality monitoring, emphasizing the need for stronger connections between the remote sensing, in situ observation, and modeling communities. To address this, harmonized methods and techniques must be developed, optimized, and implemented to monitor the diversity of aquatic habitats while maintaining data integrity amidst evolving methodologies. This raises key considerations for dataset managers: whether to adopt emerging methods or maintain established approaches, and how to ensure data continuity and quality during methodological transitions.The trend toward collaborative, interdisciplinary research in aquatic sciences - leveraging automated data collection and Big Data (from satellite images and imaging flow cytometry) - further underscores the importance of adaptive strategies for ecosystem monitoring. The growing acceptance of remote sensing technology in limnology, combined with the standardization of satellite-based water quality products and the adoption of new in situ technologies for calibration and validation, presents a unique opportunity for inland water monitoring.Achieving this vision will require closer collaboration between aquatic scientists, remote sensing experts, and data scientists. Efforts must focus on calibrating and validating new in situ and remote sensing technologies for water quality products using biogeochemical and radiometric data. This will enable users to contextualize results and understand the trade-offs inherent in using these advanced datasets. Greater synergies between these communities are needed to harmonize products, provide training materials and best-practice guides, and re-evaluate earlier findings using improved methodologies. Such efforts will address current limitations and significantly enhance our capacity to monitor and manage rapidly changing inland waters effectively