Remote sensing/satellite observation of land and oceans is a field of research
that was developed during the second half of the 20th century, and
its importance is widely recognised because of the amount of information it can
provide to the scientific community and the general public. The outcomes of
remote sensing/satellite observation can be used to address and study
significant aspects of environmental concern, such as habitat destruction,
environmental degradation, forest fires, oil spills, and climate change. There
is continuous improvement of the methods and means of remote sensing
observations in order to achieve more accurate and useful information. The main
advantage is the possibility of observing large areas, and the main disadvantage
is that it can observe only the water and land surface. The present paper is an
effort to review the technologies used in remote sensing and the general
applications in a comprehensive manner addressed to scientists who do not
specialize in this area of research. Furthermore, this paper reviews case
studies/applications in the Mediterranean Sea, an area affected by various
polluting activities (industrial cities, agriculture, shipping, etc.) that
should be continuously monitored so that the coastal countries are able to
successfully manage this sensitive environment.