Remote sensing

Satellite images add to weight of evidence locating missing MH370
Satellite images taken two weeks after the disappearance of MH370 featured several man-made objects, potentially pointing to a more refined estimate of the location of the aircraft on the sea floor - and the un-anticipated value of satellites to society.

Probing the outer spaces of the Indian Ocean with Bio Argos
Not unlike the Argonauts of legend, Bio Argos have a mission. Luckily, this league of ocean-venturing robots are a little smarter and a lot tougher than the ancient explorers.

How to make batteries that last (almost) forever
Batteries that can self-sustain are needed for long-term animal tracking as well as shipping and logistics.

State of the Environment: Atmosphere
Technological advances like the Himawari-8 launched by Japan in 2014 have made significant improvements to our ability to measure the atmosphere, according to the latest State of the Environment Report.

Wired woodlands signal stress as climate dries
Nowhere else in the world supports trees 20m tall at such low rainfall. Intensive scientific monitoring is tracking by the second their struggle for survival.

Eye in the sky on reef pollution
Spotting an oil spill in a 2,300 km long marine park is no easy task, but new remote sensing technology is set to change that.

Mining data from aerial photography of cities
The high quality digital photography available in the modern world allows unparalleled opportunities to monitor and analyse urban environmental changes. Scientists are using supercomputers in this way to inform planning for more liveable cities.

Ocean and climate research has come a long way in thirty years
In 1985, when CSIRO's marine labs were launched, a seven-day weather forecast was little better than chance. Now, thanks to advances in our understanding of the oceans, our predictions are far better.

Two trillion light bulbs burning in our oceans
A network of floating data monitors across the world’s oceans has revealed a noticeable rise in temperature, particularly around Northern Australia, in as little as eight years – something that usually takes a lot longer to be recorded.