We face two pressing challenges in terms of carbon and water cycles: 1) mitigating anthropogenic emissions while enhancing carbon sequestration, and 2) ensuring food security while coping with water scarcity. Addressing these challenges requires the ability to quantify changes in carbon and water fluxes in a consistent, unbiased, and timely manner. Fortunately, innovative space-based sensors offer a promising solution.

In this talk, I will present how urban combustion and agricultural irrigation shape carbon and water fluxes as seen from space. Specifically, I will address: Q1: How much carbon and pollution do cities emit, and how do these emissions vary across cities, sectors, and time? Q2: How much water do orchards in highly productive cropland consume?

To answer these questions, I combine satellite observations of atmospheric trace gases and land-surface properties with modeling frameworks designed to interpret these data. These studies enhance our ability to monitor, report, and verify (MRV) the human impacts on carbon and water cycles across spatiotemporal scales.