Abstract This article summarises the scientific results gained from the satellite observation of the land surface during African Monsoon Multidisciplinary Analysis (AMMA). Validation of existing satellite products as well as developments of new algorithms are reported, spanning surface and total soil moisture, surface energy balance and radiation fluxes, vegetation properties and land cover (LC). The use of remote sensing data for investigating land–atmosphere interactions, for retrieving the components of continental water cycle and for evaluating Land Surface Models (LSM) is illustrated. The contribution of satellite data to the detection of decadal trends is also highlighted, revealing intriguing results and open questions. Copyright © 2011 Royal Meteorological Society