The AIR Centre presented the Internal Waves Service (IWS) at the Living Planet Symposium 2025, held in Vienna, Austria, one of the largest Earth Observation events, organized by the European Space Agency (ESA).
During the event, João Pinelo and Adriana M. Santos-Ferreira from the AIR Centre’s Data Science, Cloud Infrastructure, and Development Program presented the Internal Waves Service — a global collaborative initiative led by the AIR Centre dedicated to monitoring and characterizing internal wave activity using radar satellite-based Earth Observation data. The IWS is a global effort with partners such as: the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Porto (FCUP), the Institute of Earth Sciences (ICT), the Nansen Environmental and Remote Sensing Center (NERSC), the French National Institute for Ocean Science (IFREMER), the National Oceanography Centre (NOC), the Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research (CIIMAR), the University of Exeter, the Newcastle University, University of West Attica, Cyprus Marine and Maritime Institute, the Maritime University of Constantathe, the University of Southern Mississippi, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), and the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (NASA JPL).
The IWS aims to unify the study of internal solitary waves leveraging Earth Observation and Deep Learning techniques to provide timely, high-resolution insights into internal wave patterns at a global scale.
Internal waves are subsurface oceanic phenomena that play a key role in ocean mixing, climate dynamics, and marine ecosystems. Their detection is also critical for operational purposes, as they can affect marine infrastructure, subsea operations, and submarine navigation.
The presence at the Living Planet Symposium allowed the AIR Centre team to engage with leading scientists, data providers, and policymakers, strengthening collaborations and sharing this impactful initiative with the wider EO community.
Learn more about the Internal Waves Service.
