# Passive Microwave Imagers, Their Applications, and Benefits: A Review
## 3 The Applications, Benefits, and Impacts of PMWIs on Society
It was estimated that regardless of correct container weight, proper packing of the cargo into the container, and proper securing and stowage aboard ship, there were on average 1629 containers lost at sea each year due to factors ranging from severe weather and rough seas to more catastrophic and rare events like structural failures, ship groundings, and collisions. This is a significant increase (18%) compared to the average annual loss for the 12 years ending in 2019 (see Figure 6). Furthermore, it was reported that the high number of containers lost in 2013 was due to adverse weather in June 2013, which caused the container ship \"MOL Comfort\" to break in two in the Indian Ocean during its voyage from Singapore to Jeddah [132], and significant loss occurred in 2020 when the ONE Opus lost more than 1800 containers due to severe weather [131]. At the same time, a high sea state can indirectly impact the well-being and effectiveness of the crew [47]. Timely data and frequent updates are crucial for accurately forecasting storm surge levels, as demonstrated by the significant surge in Venice in November 2019, which was greatly underestimated [133]. Consequently, numerical prediction models typically combine wind, wave, and storm surge forecasts by utilizing improved wind data from satellite observations through data assimilation, thereby improving accuracy, as shown by [134]. The coastal zone, serving as the interface between land and sea, harbors a signifi  
Figure 6: Summary of annual containers lost at sea—analysis of the fourteen-year trend (source: figure created by [131]). cant portion of the world's population and activities [135]. This concentration makes coastal areas crucial for various societal, economic, and ecological services. Mitigating the expensive consequences of flooding or the loss of vital infrastructure requires precise knowledge of the dynamic state of the coast, and with projected increases in coastal populations, it becomes increasingly vital to monitor variables influencing coastal hazards using satellite-based tools for effective coastal management [47]. Traditional methods such as land-based, ship-based, and airborne surveys provide highly accurate bathymetric measurements. Still, they are limited by their suitability for small areas and face logistical challenges and high costs [136]. On the other hand, space-based techniques offer a convenient and cost-effective means of gathering continuous and synoptic bathymetric data, especially in hazardous or remote regions. This enables the rapid sampling and assessment of storm impacts on individual-event timescales, facilitating timely interventions. As previously mentioned, PMWI data are valuable for forecasting intense winter storms. These weather extremes have a short but significant effect on the economy, with utilities, construction, hospitality, and retail being the most heavily affected [137]. A way in which PMWI data can have a positive impact on society and the economy in this application is by improving winter weather forecasts. For example, [PERSON] quantified the economic value of winter weather forecasts using two different criteria over Indiana, finding a range of winter weather forecast values from USD 4.1 million to USD 29.1 million [34]. Between 1980 and 2017, 14 billion-dollar winter storms in the U.S. caused damages worth USD 43.9 billion, resulting in 1013 deaths [138]. During this same period, 355 winter weather disasters globally caused 19,000 deaths, emphasizing the need for timely and accurate forecasts. [PERSON] et al. also estimated the impact of weather storms in the aviation sector, quantifying a storm's cost in January 2016 in New York City, which led to 2420 weather-related flight cancellations incurring costs of USD 13.2 million for the airlines and USD 30.1 million for the passengers [138]. Additionally, a similar analysis for the energy sector during the same storm revealed that about 30,700 customers lost power for about 4.8 h, costing USD 14.7 million.