Global environmental science challenges in the limnological research and applications communities can only be advanced when harnessing the collective expertise and capabilities of the satellite remote sensing community and well-established in situ communities such as the Global Lake Ecological Observatory Network (GLEON). At first glance, the groups seem wildly divergent: GLEON is a grass-roots effort which has been active since 2005 and connects researchers and practitioners from around the world to ask and answer questions about lake ecosystems. Earth observing missions can take a decade to plan, build, and launch. NASA and ESA have different missions as space agencies: one primarily focused on exploration and basic research with a year-to-year appropriations cycle, while the other presents a long-term commitment to address societal needs through the Copernicus program Sentinel satellite series. The Surface Biology and Geology (SBG) mission is a future NASA satellite that will launch toward the end of this decade as part of the Earth Systems Observatory. Working together to advance the science of lake ecosystem response to climate change, each group brings different complementary strengths and assets to this societal challenge. Increasing access through open science and cloud computing are creating opportunities for better collaboration. We describe our strategy for international engagement between these groups – cultural and methodological differences aside – to derive new information, learn new insights, and expand the body of knowledge around these unique natural resources.

Observations of Planet Earth from space are a critical resource for science and society. Satellite measurements represent very large investments and United States (US) agencies organize their effort to maximize the return on that investment. The US National Research Council conducts a survey of earth science and applications to prioritize observations for the coming decade. The most recent survey prioritized a visible to shortwave infrared imaging spectrometer and a multi-spectral thermal infrared imager to meet a range of needs. First, and perhaps, foremost, it will be the premier integrated observatory for observing the emerging impacts of climate change . It will characterize the diversity of plant life by resolving chemical and physiological signatures. It will address wildfire, observing pre-fire risk, fire behavior and post-fire recovery. It will inform responses to hazards and disasters guiding responses to a wide range of events, including oil spills, toxic minerals in minelands, harmful algal blooms, landslides and other geological hazards. The SBG team analyzed needed instrument characteristics (spatial, temporal and spectral resolution, measurement uncertainty) and assessed the cost, mass, power, volume, and risk of different architectures. The Research and Applications team examined available algorithms, calibration and validation and societal applications and used end-to-end modeling to assess uncertainty. The team also identified valuable opportunities for international collaboration to increase the frequency of revisit through data sharing, adding value for all partners. Analysis of the science, applications, architecture and partnerships led to a clear measurement strategy and a well-defined observing system architecture.

Assessing and understanding the extent and trajectory of change in inland waters is a great challenge, due in part to both differing methods — and cultures — of agencies that provide synoptic observations of Earth’s systems as well as the community of lake scientists whose research generates heterogeneous and distributed in situ data. Advancements require socio-technological initiatives that harness the resources of the highly diverse and distributed community of ecologists, as well as the products and expertise of the satellite remote sensing community. Here we describe a prototype for linking in situ and remotely sensed data for lakes through the collaborative efforts of the Global Lake Ecological Observatory Network (GLEON), the Environmental Data Initiative (EDI), and NASA. GLEON provides a community of lake scientists and data from lake observatories. EDI curates and publishes data and ensures conformity to rigorous FAIR principles. NASA provides the expertise and workflows to deliver remotely sensed data products on demand. The integration of the data and the communities provides a foundation for a new generation of lake science.