Optical remote sensing has become an indispensable tool for studying oceanographic and coastal processes, offering valuable insights into coastal water quality, primary productivity, marine biodiversity, and climate-driven changes. By leveraging satellite-derived data, researchers can monitor algal blooms, sediment dynamics, coral reef health, fisheries, and coastal pollution, supporting sustainable marine resource management and ecosystem conservation.

The Indo-Pacific and Northwest Pacific Oceans encompass some of the most biologically productive, diverse, and climatically significant regions in the world. Additionally, the adverse pressures on the marine environment are increasing due to rapid industrialization, making the role of optical remote sensing crucial in addressing these challenges.

In addition to traditional ocean color satellite data, a new generation of satellite data—including geostationary satellite data, high-resolution satellite data, and hyperspectral satellite data—has become increasingly available. Furthermore, with advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, optical remote sensing is becoming an even more powerful and effective tool for monitoring the marine environment.

This session invites contributions on recent research findings in the field of optical remote sensing, including the following topics.

• Satellite-based monitoring of coastal water quality
• Detection of harmful algal blooms and phytoplankton species identification
• Fisheries resource management using ocean remote sensing
• Climate change monitoring in the marine biosphere
• Coral reef and marine habitat monitoring
• Optical remote sensing applications for marine environmental issues