Announcements
7 July 2025
MDPI’s Journal Cluster of Geospatial and Earth Sciences
Topographical studies of the Earth we live in are important because they inform us about the planet's history, climate change, and natural hazards. Geoscientists, paleontologists, and earth observation scientists all work towards the goal of understanding Earth's history and its natural processes better. The rapid and continuous advancement in the field brings new methodologies and technologies to study the earth with greater precision. For instance, remote sensing technology has progressed from simple cameras for aerial photography in the 19th century to complex satellite sensors that generate topographic maps and high-resolution digital elevation models.
MDPI journals in the cluster of geospatial and earth sciences feature these cutting-edge advances in scientific research in remote sensing and physical geography. The cluster is spearheaded by MDPI’s well-established journals Remote Sensing (IF 4.1), Atmosphere (IF 2.3) and Geosciences (IF 2.1).
The ten participating journals are as follows:
- Remote Sensing (ISSN: 2072-4292) focuses on remote sensing science, from sensor design and validation/calibration to its application in geosciences, environmental sciences, ecology and civil engineering. Remote Sensing is led by Editor-in-Chief Dr. Prasad S. Thenkabail (Senior Scientist (ST), U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), USGS Western Geographic Science Center);
- Atmosphere (ISSN: 2073-4433) focuses on all areas of scientific research related to atmosphere. Atmosphere is led by Editor-in-Chief Dr. Daniele Contini (Institute of Atmospheric Sciences and Climate (ISAC), National Research Council (CNR), Italy);
- Geosciences (ISSN: 2076-3263) focuses on solid earth, the atmosphere, the hydrosphere, and the biosphere, as well as related issues in planetary and space sciences. In addition, it provides a particular place, and an advanced forum, for contributions on Earth history, natural hazards, geology-related environmental problems and geoethics, reflecting the wide scope of the field and societal, educational, cultural and general human implications and the cross-disciplinary nature of the issues. Geosciences is led by Editor-in-Chief Prof. Dr. John C. Eichelberger (Alaska Center for Energy and Power, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK, USA);
- Climate (ISSN: 2225-1154) focuses on climate research at all scales. Climate is led by Editor-in-Chief Dr. Timothy G. F. Kittel (University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA);
- Quaternary (ISSN: 2571-550X) focuses on quaternary science, embracing the whole range of scientific fields related to geological, ecological, physical, chemical, environmental and human sciences. Quaternary is led by Prof. Dr. Jef Vandenberghe (Department of Earth Sciences, VU University, De Boelelaan 1085, 1081 HV Amsterdam, the Netherlands);
- Earth (ISSN: 2673-4834) provides an advanced forum for multidisciplinary research and focuses on the interactions/connections among global environmental systems. It publishes reviews, regular research papers and short communications, as well as Special Issues on particular subjects. Earth is led by Editor-in-Chief Prof. Dr. Charles Jones (Department of Geography, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, USA);
- Geographies (ISSN: 2673-7086) focuses on providing an advanced forum for theoretical and empirical studies related to all aspects of geographies. Geographies is led by Editor-in-Chief Luca Salvati (Department of Economics and Law, University of Macerata, Via Armaroli 43, I-62100 Macerata, Italy);
- Geomatics (ISSN: 2673-7418) focuses on surveying and mapping, positioning and navigation, satellite positioning, geodesy, photogrammetry, cartography and cadastral, hydrography, remote sensing, spatial data analysis, spatial information science and geographic information systems. Geomatics is led by Editor-in-Chief Prof. Dr. Enrico Corrado Borgogno Mondino (Department of Agricultural, Forest and Food Sciences, University of Turin, L.go Braccini 2, 10095 Grugliasco, Italy);
- Meteorology (ISSN: 2674-0494) focuses on the science of weather. Meteorology is led by Editor-in-Chief Prof. Dr. Paul D. Williams (Department of Meteorology, University of Reading, UK).
- Fossil Studies (ISSN: 2813-6284) focuses on all aspects of paleontology. It publishes regular research papers, review papers and communications about all groups of fossil organisms, from all time periods, from the earliest living beings to the Holocene. Fossil Studies is led by Dr. Eric Buffetaut (CNRS, Paris, France);
| Journals | Launch year | Impact Factor (2024) | CiteScore (2024) | First Decision (Median) | Acceptance to Publication (Median Days) | APC (CHF) |
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2009 | 4.1 | 8.6 | 23.9 | 2.5 | 2700 |
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2010 | 2.3 | 4.9 | 16.9 | 2.9 | 2400 |
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2011 | 2.1 | 5.1 | 23.5 | 2.9 | 1800 |
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2013 | 3.2 | 5.7 | 21.6 | 3.9 | 1800 |
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2018 | 2.1 | 4.1 | 43.4 | 6.9 | 1600 |
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2020 | 3.4 | 5.9 | 23.7 | 2.6 | 1400 |
 |
2021 | 1.7 | 2.9 | 17.5 | 4.8 | 1200 |
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2021 | 2.8 | 5.1 | 22.1 | 3.3 | 1000 |
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2022 | / | / | 44.9 | 5.8 | 1000 |
 |
2023 | / | / | 18 | 4 | 1000 |
MDPI’s mission and values:
As a pioneer of academic open access publishing, MDPI has been serving the scientific community since 1996. Our aim is to foster scientific exchange in all forms, across all disciplines. MDPI’s guidelines for disseminating open science are based on the following values and guiding principles:
- Open Access—All of our content is published in open access and distributed under a Creative Commons License, providing free access to science and the latest research, allowing articles to be freely shared and content to be re-used with proper attribution;
- Timeliness and Efficiency—Publishing the latest research through thorough editorial work, ensuring a first decision is provided to authors in under 32 days and papers are published within 7–10 days upon acceptance;
- Simplicity—Offering user-friendly tools and services in one place to enhance the efficiency of our editorial process;
- High Quality Service—Supporting scholars and their work by providing a range of options such as journal publication at mdpi.com, early publication at preprints.org, and conferences on sciforum.net to make a positive impact on research;
- Flexibility—Adapting and developing new tools and services to meet the changing needs of the research community, driven by feedback from authors, editors, and readers;
- Rooted in Sustainability—Ensuring the long-term preservation of published papers and supporting the future of science through partnerships, sponsorships, and awards.
By adhering to these values and principles, MDPI remains committed to advancing scientific knowledge and promoting open science practices.
Selected Topics:
- “Responses of Trees and Forests to Climate Change”;
- “Past, Current and Future Processes in the Earth Critical Zone”;
- “The Geography of Digital Twin: Concepts, Architectures, Modeling, AI and Applications”;
- “Vegetation Characterization and Classification With Multi-Source Remote Sensing Data”;
- “Deep Earth and Deep Sea Engineering: Challenges, Theory and Advance Technologies”.
Selected Articles:
“Change Detection Methods for Remote Sensing in the Last Decade: A Comprehensive Review”
by Guangliang Cheng, Yunmeng Huang, Xiangtai Li, Shuchang Lyu, Zhaoyang Xu, Hongbo Zhao, Qi Zhao and Shiming Xiang
Remote Sens. 2024, 16(13), 2355; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs16132355
“Integrated Analysis of Methane Cycles and Trends at the WMO/GAW Station of Lamezia Terme (Calabria, Southern Italy)”
by Francesco D’Amico, Ivano Ammoscato, Daniel Gullì, Elenio Avolio, Teresa Lo Feudo, Mariafrancesca De Pino, Paolo Cristofanelli, Luana Malacaria, Domenico Parise, Salvatore Sinopoli et al.
Atmosphere 2024, 15(8), 946; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos15080946
“Carbon Dioxide Capture and Storage (CCS) in Saline Aquifers versus Depleted Gas Fields”
by Richard H. Worden
Geosciences 2024, 14(6), 146; https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences14060146
“Addressing the Climate Change Adaptation Gap: Key Themes and Future Directions”
by Ishfaq Hussain Malik and James D. Ford
Climate 2024, 12(2), 24; https://doi.org/10.3390/cli12020024
“Sedimentary Ancient DNA Reveals Local Vegetation Changes Driven by Glacial Activity and Climate”
by Lucas D. Elliott, Dilli P. Rijal, Antony G. Brown, Jostein Bakke, Lasse Topstad, Peter D. Heintzman and Inger G. Alsos
Quaternary 2023, 6(1), 7; https://doi.org/10.3390/quat6010007
“Biological Carbon Sequestration: From Deep History to the Present Day”
by Denis J. Murphy
Earth 2024, 5(2), 195-213; https://doi.org/10.3390/earth5020010
“Application of Machine Learning Models for Improving Discharge Prediction in Ungauged Watershed: A Case Study in East DuPage, Illinois”
by Amin Asadollahi, Binod Ale Magar, Bishal Poudel, Asyeh Sohrabifar and Ajay Kalra
Geographies 2024, 4(2), 363-377; https://doi.org/10.3390/geographies4020021
“Use of Smartphone Lidar Technology for Low-Cost 3D Building Documentation with iPhone 13 Pro: A Comparative Analysis of Mobile Scanning Applications”
by Cigdem Askar and Harald Sternberg
Geomatics 2023, 3(4), 563-579; https://doi.org/10.3390/geomatics3040030
“Decoding the Atmosphere: Optimising Probabilistic Forecasts with Information Gain”
by John R. Lawson, Corey K. Potvin and Kenric Nelson
Meteorology 2024, 3(2), 212-231; https://doi.org/10.3390/meteorology3020010
“Caletodraco cottardi: A New Furileusaurian Abelisaurid (Dinosauria: Theropoda) from the Cenomanian Chalk of Normandy (North-Western France)”
by Eric Buffetaut, Haiyan Tong, Jérôme Girard, Bernard Hoyez and Javier Párraga
Foss. Stud. 2024, 2(3), 177-195; https://doi.org/10.3390/fossils2030009
