Satellite-based Earth observation provides a unique and powerful tool in tracking climate adaptation, an international study involving University of Galway researchers has shown.

A team at the University’s Ryan Institute is helping to pioneer new methods of combining data recorded from space with artificial intelligence to measure actions that help communities, ecosystems and infrastructure adjust to current and future climate impacts in the global agrifood sector.

The science behind it allows assessments of even the most remote agricultural regions in the world, where ground measurements are sparse or too challenging.

The findings feature in a European Space Agency (ESA)–led study, published this week in npj Climate and Atmospheric Science to coincide with COP30.

The researchers mapped the potential for Earth observation in supporting different targets in the framework for the Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA), a key action under the Paris Agreement from 2015, which aims to enhance resilience and reduce vulnerability to climate impacts.

Their analysis found that many of the most critical changes to climate, known as Essential Climate Variables (ECVs), can be directly used to understand and support climate adaptation action. Focusing on four key sectors – agriculture, biodiversity, extreme events and health – the study reveals how space-based data offers something no other monitoring system can provide: truly global coverage with objective and repeatable measurements spanning up to 60 years.

Professor Aaron Golden, research team leader at the University’s Ryan Institute and co-author of the study, said: “The analysis highlights the vital and unique role satellites play in supporting the Paris Agreement’s Global Goal on Adaptation. The knowledge capability of consistent, long-term observations offers policymakers tools to measure progress and identify regions at risk.”

The research team highlighted concrete applications of earth observation science across four key themes:

• Agriculture: satellites monitor water productivity, irrigation efficiency, and crop migration patterns.
• Biodiversity conservation: platforms like Global Mangrove Watch and Global Forest Watch provide crucial geospatial information on ecosystem extent and changes.
• Extreme events: satellites characterise flood extent, drought anomalies and urban heat islands at scales impossible with ground-based stations alone.
• Health sector: Earth observation data on land surface temperature and air quality inform heat exposure assessments and disease outbreak forecasting.

Dr Sarah Connors, Climate Applications Scientist at ESA, the study's lead author said: "Earth observation data should be considered as an integral part of the Global Goal on Adaptation indicators. Our research demonstrates that satellite data can inform adaptation tracking across many sectors, but it must be integrated into the indicator framework from the outset – as experience with the Sustainable Development Goals shows, it’s much harder to introduce later."

            Professor Frances Fahy, Director of the University of Galway's Ryan Institute, said: "This research exemplifies the world-class, impact-driven research emerging from the Ryan Institute and our growing Geospatial Centre. By using satellite Earth observation data to better understand and track global climate adaptation, Professor Golden’s work reinforces the vital role that cutting-edge interdisciplinary research plays in addressing the climate crisis and shaping international climate policy."

Professor Golden added: "I am delighted the impact our research in quantifying climate adaptation in food production using AI and earth observation data has had in providing a direct means of linking facts on the ground, anywhere on the planet, to the Paris Agreement's Global Goal on Adaptation indicators."

The full study, published in npj Climate and Atmospheric Science, is available at https://www.nature.com/articles/s41612-025-01251-1.

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