Earth observations and integrative models in support of food and water security

Assessing the vulnerability of food supply chains to climate change-induced disruptions

Climate change is one of the most significant challenges worldwide. There is strong evidence from research that climate change will impact several food chain-related elements such as agricultural output, incomes, prices, food access, food quality, and food safety. This scoping review seeks to outline the state of knowledge of the food supply chain's vulnerability to climate change and to identify existing literature that may guide future research, policy, and decision-making aimed at enhancing the resilience of the food supply chain. A total of 1526 publications were identified using the SCOPUS database, of which 67 were selected for the present study. The vulnerability assessment methods as well as the adaptation and resilience measures that have been employed to alleviate the impact of climate change in the food supply chain were discussed. The results revealed a growing number of publications providing evidence of the weakening of the food supply chain due to climate change and extreme weather events. Our assessment demonstrated the need to broaden research into the entire food supply chain and various forms of climatic variability because most studies have concentrated on the relationships between climatic fluctuations (especially extreme rainfall, temperatures, and drought) and production. A lack of knowledge about the effects of climate change on the food supply chain and the underlying socio-economic consequences could result in underperformance or failure of the food supply chain.

Enhancing Satellite Oceanography-Driven Research in West Africa: a Case Study of Capacity Development in an Underserved Region

Marine business and resources play a major role in the economics and way of life in coastal West African countries. Such countries see great profitability from their marine resources while also facing challenges that come with a bordering sea. Despite this fact, there has been limited research into the optimal way for West African Coastal States to coexist with, and sustainably use their marine resources, a research deficit that is mainly due to a lack of infrastructure for in-situ work, lack of capacity development, and comprehensive datasets to undertake oceanographic research. The Coastal Ocean Environment Summer School in Ghana (COESSING; www.coessing.org) was developed to help meet some of these challenges. Each summer since 2015, ocean scientists (e.g., biologists, chemists, physicists, hydrologists) from the USA and Europe have collaborated with West African colleagues to lead a week-long intensive summer school in Accra, Ghana, alternating in location between the Regional Maritime University and the University of Ghana. The school receives in excess of 100 participants drawn from universities, government agencies, and the private sector organizations, mainly from Ghana and neighboring Liberia, Nigeria, Togo, and Benin, among others. The format of the school includes morning lectures, afternoon field trips, and hands-on laboratory exercises and one-on-one coaching of students. Important to the COESSING program is the satellite oceanography component which introduces participants to the extensive and often free, remotely sensed oceanographic datasets. Participants develop skills that allow them to access, process, and analyze these datasets in order to better understand regional oceanographic phenomena, such as upwelling, pollution, habitat characterization, sea level rise, and coastal erosion. Following the school, facilitators keep in touch with program participants, helping them acquire and analyze data for their studies, dissertations, and often graduate school applications, etc. In summary, schools such as COESSING are critical not only for science in the region but for the global ocean community as such training develops eager, bright minds while leading to improved regional observing and modeling strategies in severely under-sampled seas. Here, we describe a unique case in which satellite oceanography has led to such outcomes for countries bordering the Gulf of Guinea, West Africa.

Remote Estimation of Gross Primary Production (GPP) using MODIS data in Kelantan: A Preliminary Assessment

Kelantan state is located in the north-eastern of Peninsular Malaysia, with 5.8 million hectares is covered by forested areas. Gross primary production (GPP) is the amount of carbon captured by plants and it is an important biophysical parameter in the spatio-temporal dynamics of CO2. GPP estimates derived from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) are converted to the forest area and compared. GPP is estimated through a light use efficiency model (LUE) and enhanced vegetation index (EVI) as a proxy of greenness to address spatial and temporal variation in terrestrial photosynthetic activities. This study is important because the output will be used as a reference to estimate the approximate total carbon in Kelantan. Estimation GPP of Kelantan state is also useful for natural resource and land management, regional carbon cycle analysis, ecosystem status assessment, and environmental change monitoring. The objective of this study is to estimate Gross Primary Production (GPP) value of forested area in Kelantan using MODIS data. MODIS data was preprocessed, classified and analysed to get the estimated GPP of study site. The results show that average GPP value of Kelantan was estimated within the range of 0 to 646 gC/m2/month. In average, GPP in Kelantan was at 428.63 gC/m2/month. Gua Musang recorded the highest GPP value, while the lowest GPP value detected were in Kota Bharu, Tumpat and Bachok where lot of development are found at the area. The estimation of GPP in Kelantan using MODIS data is a timely significant method. However, the requirement of more study that uses MODIS data in different terrestrial types and vegetation is needed for future study.