Journal Description
Remote Sensing
Remote Sensing
is an international, peer-reviewed, open access journal about the science and application of remote sensing technology, published semimonthly online by MDPI. The Remote Sensing Society of Japan (RSSJ) and Japan Society of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (JSPRS) are affiliated with Remote Sensing and their members receive discounts on the article processing charge.
- Open Access— free for readers, with article processing charges (APC) paid by authors or their institutions.
- High Visibility: indexed within Scopus, SCIE (Web of Science), Ei Compendex, PubAg, GeoRef, Astrophysics Data System, Inspec, dblp, and other databases.
- Journal Rank: JCR - Q1 (Geosciences, Multidisciplinary) / CiteScore - Q1 (General Earth and Planetary Sciences)
- Rapid Publication: manuscripts are peer-reviewed and a first decision is provided to authors approximately 24.3 days after submission; acceptance to publication is undertaken in 2.6 days (median values for papers published in this journal in the second half of 2025).
- Recognition of Reviewers: reviewers who provide timely, thorough peer-review reports receive vouchers entitling them to a discount on the APC of their next publication in any MDPI journal, in appreciation of the work done.
- Companion journal: Geomatics.
- Journal Cluster of Geospatial and Earth Sciences: Remote Sensing, Geosciences, Quaternary, Earth, Geographies, Geomatics and Fossil Studies.
Impact Factor:
4.1 (2024);
5-Year Impact Factor:
4.8 (2024)
Latest Articles
An Adaptive Ensemble Model Based on Deep Reinforcement Learning for the Prediction of Step-like Landslide Displacement
Remote Sens. 2026, 18(5), 761; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs18050761 (registering DOI) - 3 Mar 2026
Abstract
►
Show Figures
Accurate prediction of landslide displacement is crucial for hazard prevention. However, recurrent neural network (RNN) models have limitations in simultaneously capturing lag time and feature importance, and their black-box nature limits their interpretability. Moreover, the performance of single models varies across different deformation
[...] Read more.
Accurate prediction of landslide displacement is crucial for hazard prevention. However, recurrent neural network (RNN) models have limitations in simultaneously capturing lag time and feature importance, and their black-box nature limits their interpretability. Moreover, the performance of single models varies across different deformation stages, especially during acceleration. To address these challenges, we propose an interpretable deep reinforcement learning-based adaptive ensemble (DRL-AE) framework. The method employs Seasonal and Trend decomposition using Loess to separate cumulative displacement into trend and periodic components. Trend and periodic sequences are predicted using double exponential smoothing and three RNN variants, respectively. An improved Convolutional Block Attention Module (ICBAM) enhances periodic feature extraction and provides temporal–spatial interpretability. The Deep Deterministic Policy Gradient algorithm adaptively integrates multi-model predictions in response to evolving environmental conditions. To validate the DRL-AE, a case study is conducted on the Baijiabao landslide in Zigui County, China. The results indicate that the DRL-AE substantially enhances prediction accuracy. For periodic displacement, it reduces MAE by 10.02% and RMSE by 6.65%, and increases R2 by 4.27% compared with the ICBAM-GRU model. The results also confirm the effectiveness of ICBAM in feature extraction, and the generated heatmaps provide intuitive interpretability of the relevant triggering factors.
Full article
Open AccessArticle
Improved Multispectral Target Detection Using Target-Specific Spectral Reconstruction
by
Nicola Acito, Michael Alibani and Marco Diani
Remote Sens. 2026, 18(5), 760; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs18050760 (registering DOI) - 3 Mar 2026
Abstract
Hyperspectral sensors provide high spectral resolution, enabling accurate material discrimination and effective target detection. However, their practical use is constrained by limited spatial resolution and high acquisition costs. This paper proposes a novel framework to enhance small-target detection in multispectral imagery by leveraging
[...] Read more.
Hyperspectral sensors provide high spectral resolution, enabling accurate material discrimination and effective target detection. However, their practical use is constrained by limited spatial resolution and high acquisition costs. This paper proposes a novel framework to enhance small-target detection in multispectral imagery by leveraging deep learning-based spectral reconstruction to generate high-resolution hyperspectral representations from multispectral inputs. Two state-of-the-art reconstruction networks, MST++ and MIRNet, are trained using paired multispectral–hyperspectral samples derived from AVIRIS-NG data through proper spectral response functions. To improve discriminative capability for the target of interest, a rapid, target-specific fine-tuning stage is introduced, allowing the models to adapt to spectral signatures that are poorly represented or absent in the original training data. Target detection is performed using a spectral signature-based detector applied to the reconstructed hyperspectral data. The proposed framework is evaluated in a real-world scenario involving known field-deployed targets and hyperspectral imagery acquired from an unmanned aerial vehicle. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed approach significantly outperforms baseline detection applied directly to multispectral data. These findings underscore the effectiveness of spectral reconstruction for downstream tasks such as target detection, particularly in scenarios where hyperspectral data are expensive or unavailable.
Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Deep Learning-Based Small-Target Detection in Remote Sensing)
►▼
Show Figures

Figure 1
Open AccessArticle
Robust Soil Salinity Retrieval Under Small-Sample and High-Dimensional Hyperspectral Conditions via Physically Constrained Generative Augmentation
by
Shan Yu, Lide Su, Wala Du, Deji Wuyun, Han Gao, Liangliang Yu, Yuxin Zhao, A Ruhan and Rong Li
Remote Sens. 2026, 18(5), 759; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs18050759 (registering DOI) - 2 Mar 2026
Abstract
Soil salinity mapping in heterogeneous irrigation districts faces a dual challenge: the high dimensionality of hyperspectral data leads to redundancy, while the scarcity of ground-truth samples restricts the generalization of data-driven models. Traditional regression methods often struggle to capture non-linear spectral responses under
[...] Read more.
Soil salinity mapping in heterogeneous irrigation districts faces a dual challenge: the high dimensionality of hyperspectral data leads to redundancy, while the scarcity of ground-truth samples restricts the generalization of data-driven models. Traditional regression methods often struggle to capture non-linear spectral responses under such “small-sample” conditions. To address these limitations, this study proposes a semi-supervised retrieval framework coupling Optimal Band Combination Analysis (OBCA) with a Spectral Wasserstein GAN with Gradient Penalty (S-WGAN-GP). We constructed a robust feature set via cross-scenario evaluation and developed a rigorous “Uncertainty-Aware Filtering” protocol to screen synthetic samples generated by a teacher mechanism. The OBCA screening revealed that salinity-sensitive features are robustly clustered in the Green (550–570 nm) and Near-Infrared (NIR, 880–950 nm) regions, with NIR bands demonstrating superior stability across different sites. The proposed S-WGAN-GP successfully densified the feature manifold by generating 1186 high-fidelity synthetic samples. By incorporating these augmented data, the inversion accuracy was substantially improved: the R2 of the optimal SVR model increased from 0.36 (baseline) to 0.60 (+66.7%), and the RMSE decreased from 7.06 to 5.57 dSm−1. This study confirms that physically constrained generative augmentation, when combined with rigorous quality control, effectively bridges the distribution gap in limited datasets. The proposed framework offers a transferable and accurate solution for fine-scale soil salinity monitoring in data-scarce arid regions.
Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Time-Series Mapping and Analysis of Land Surface Parameters and Changes Using Remote Sensing Data)
►▼
Show Figures

Figure 1
Open AccessArticle
Developing a Cross-Platform Transferable Spectral Index for Soda Saline–Alkali Soils: A Case Study in the Songnen Plain, Northeast China
by
He Gu, Kun Shang, Weichao Sun, Chenchao Xiao and Yisong Xie
Remote Sens. 2026, 18(5), 758; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs18050758 (registering DOI) - 2 Mar 2026
Abstract
Soil salinization is a widespread form of land degradation that severely constrains agricultural productivity and ecosystem stability. Efficient and transferable monitoring methods are therefore essential for large-scale salinization assessment. Remote sensing provides timely and synoptic observations, while the integration of multi-source datasets offers
[...] Read more.
Soil salinization is a widespread form of land degradation that severely constrains agricultural productivity and ecosystem stability. Efficient and transferable monitoring methods are therefore essential for large-scale salinization assessment. Remote sensing provides timely and synoptic observations, while the integration of multi-source datasets offers complementary spectral and spatial information. In this study, we developed a cross-platform spectral index specifically for soda saline–alkali (carbonate/bicarbonate-dominated) soils by integrating laboratory spectra and hyperspectral satellite observations through a collaborative, cross-dataset spectral feature selection framework. Dual-band spectral indices were constructed from transformed reflectance spectra, and a stepwise coupled correlation analysis was applied to identify representative candidates that consistently exhibited strong associations with log-transformed soil electrical conductivity (logEC) across datasets. An optimal central-wavelength analysis was then performed to determine a stable and transferable band pair. The study was conducted in the Songnen Plain of Northeast China using laboratory-measured soil spectra and Ziyuan-1 02D Advanced Hyperspectral Imager data, and the proposed index was further validated using Landsat-8 and Sentinel-2 Multispectral data. Results show that the proposed Difference Index based on Square Root Reflectance at 520 nm and 900 nm (DISRR520900) exhibited consistent relationships with logEC (R = 0.60 for hyperspectral satellite data and R = 0.82 for laboratory spectral data), outperforming commonly used salinity indices in terms of cross-sensor stability. The spatial distribution of soil salinization derived from DISRR520900 is highly consistent with true-color imagery, and multi-source data fusion further improves mapping continuity and spatial coverage. It should be noted that the proposed index is primarily applicable to bare or sparsely vegetated soil surfaces in soda saline–alkali regions. Under dense vegetation cover, substantial crop residue, or wet surface conditions, additional masking or correction may be required. These results demonstrate that DISRR520900 provides a stable cross-sensor solution for large-scale soil salinization mapping within comparable soil chemical contexts.
Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Hyperspectral Data Analysis of Vegetation and Soil Monitoring)
Open AccessArticle
Deep Learning for Soybean Cyst Nematode Detection: A Comparison of Vision Transformer and CNN with Multispectral Imaging
by
Sushma Katari, Noah Bevers, Kushal KC, Alison Peart, Horacio D. Lopez-Nicora and Sami Khanal
Remote Sens. 2026, 18(5), 757; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs18050757 (registering DOI) - 2 Mar 2026
Abstract
Soybean cyst nematode (SCN) is the most economically devastating pathogen of soybean in North America. Even at low to moderate infestation levels, SCN can cause 20–30% yield loss without producing any visible aboveground symptoms. In severely infested fields, yield reductions can reach 60–70%
[...] Read more.
Soybean cyst nematode (SCN) is the most economically devastating pathogen of soybean in North America. Even at low to moderate infestation levels, SCN can cause 20–30% yield loss without producing any visible aboveground symptoms. In severely infested fields, yield reductions can reach 60–70% and, in extreme cases, exceed 80%. Prior research on identifying SCN infestations has primarily relied on traditional machine-learning methods applied to Unmanned Aerial System (UAS)-based multispectral imagery, with limited success. This study hypothesizes that deep-learning (DL) methods can more effectively capture the subtle spectral and spatial signatures in multispectral images of SCN stress. To address this gap, we evaluate the performance of advanced DL architectures, including Vision Transformer (ViT) and a customized Convolutional Neural Network (CNN), for detecting SCN infestation in soybean fields using multispectral UAS imagery. Spectral analysis of the multispectral imagery revealed that the near-infrared (NIR) band is a strong discriminator between non-detected and SCN-infested areas. The DL models trained and tested across multiple growth stages showed promising results. The four-timestamp ViT model (3 June, 29 July, 19 August, and 2 September) achieved an F1-score of 0.74, while the five-timestamp SCN–CNN model (3 June, 22 July, 29 July, 19 August, and 2 September) achieved an F1-score of 0.75. Although overall performance was comparable, ViT demonstrated more stable performance across varying training and test data distributions. These findings highlight the effectiveness of DL architectures to automatically extract subtle, complex plant features from multispectral imagery throughout the growing season. Compared with manual, time-consuming soil-sampling techniques, the proposed framework enables more precise spatial and temporal monitoring of SCN infestations across fields.
Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning with Applications in Remote Sensing (Third Edition))
►▼
Show Figures

Figure 1
Open AccessArticle
Forest Aboveground Carbon Storage in the Three Parallel Rivers Region: A Remote Sensing and Machine Learning Perspective
by
Qin Xiang, Rong Wei, Chaoguan Qin, Lianjin Fu, Zhengying Li, Hailin He and Qingtai Shu
Remote Sens. 2026, 18(5), 756; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs18050756 (registering DOI) - 2 Mar 2026
Abstract
Accurate estimation of forest aboveground carbon (AGC) is crucial for understanding the carbon cycle and formulating climate policies, yet it remains challenging in complex mountainous regions. This study used machine learning framework to estimate the spatiotemporal dynamics of AGC in the Three Parallel
[...] Read more.
Accurate estimation of forest aboveground carbon (AGC) is crucial for understanding the carbon cycle and formulating climate policies, yet it remains challenging in complex mountainous regions. This study used machine learning framework to estimate the spatiotemporal dynamics of AGC in the Three Parallel Rivers region of China from 2003 to 2024. By integrating China’s National Forest Continuous Inventory (NFCI) data with multispectral satellite imagery, we employed a two-stage feature selection strategy to identify key predictor variables. Among three ensemble algorithms tested, the Random Forest model achieved the optimal performance (R2 = 0.74). The results indicated a net increase of 67.05 Tg in total AGC over the two decades, with a spatial pattern characterized by higher densities in the west and north. Geographical Detector analysis revealed that the driving forces were synergistic, with the interaction between temperature and population density exhibiting the most prominent explanatory capacity. This study provides a high-resolution (30 m) benchmark for AGC in a global biodiversity hotspot and underscores the critical role of ecological protection policies in enhancing carbon sequestration, offering valuable insights for managing similar mountain ecosystems worldwide.
Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Remote Sensing Technology for Precision Forestry and Carbon Sink Assessment)
►▼
Show Figures

Figure 1
Open AccessArticle
Resident Space Object (RSO) Tracking in Space-Based, Low Resolution, Non-Constant-Attitude Imagery
by
Perushan Kunalakantha, Vithurshan Suthakar, Paul Harrison, Matthew Driedger, Randa Qashoa, Gabriel Chianelli and Regina S. K. Lee
Remote Sens. 2026, 18(5), 755; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs18050755 (registering DOI) - 2 Mar 2026
Abstract
Resident Space Objects (RSOs) are a collection of both man-made and natural objects in near-Earth space. Given their large orbital velocities and rapidly increasing quantity, they pose a collision threat to space assets, necessitating better Space Situational Awareness (SSA). SSA begins with detecting
[...] Read more.
Resident Space Objects (RSOs) are a collection of both man-made and natural objects in near-Earth space. Given their large orbital velocities and rapidly increasing quantity, they pose a collision threat to space assets, necessitating better Space Situational Awareness (SSA). SSA begins with detecting these objects in the first place and can be accomplished by using space-based optical images, such as images from the Fast Auroral Imager (FAI) on the CASSIOPE satellite. However, these short-exposure images are low in resolution and contain various artifacts and noise, posing challenges to traditional source detection methods. Furthermore, the background stars and RSOs both move due to the satellite’s non-constant attitude, posing a challenge for tracking algorithms. Nevertheless, these images are a valuable source of SSA data, which can be used to develop algorithms to ultimately augment the capabilities of current SSA systems. Such augmentations include performing RSO detection as a simultaneous function on existing spacecraft or allowing dedicated SSA payloads to detect RSOs during slew maneuvers, where background stars will similarly move. This paper proposes a rules-based RSO tracking algorithm tailored for low-resolution, short-exposure, space-based imagery with non-constant spacecraft attitude, addressing the challenge of distinguishing RSOs from background stars that are also in motion. This method consists of a custom thresholding algorithm, along with the Iterative Closest Point (ICP) algorithm to correct the motion of the background stars, followed by a tracking algorithm to finally detect the RSOs within the imagery, returning their pixel positions. The algorithm was tested on an 878-image dataset, achieving 79% precision and 71% recall, while detecting 87% of all RSOs at least once. These results prove that the algorithm is a feasible method for detecting RSOs in non-constant-attitude imagery, providing a means to develop current SSA systems.
Full article
(This article belongs to the Section Remote Sensing Image Processing)
►▼
Show Figures

Figure 1
Open AccessArticle
Superpixel-Tokenized and Frequency-Modulated Hybrid CNN–Transformer for Remote Sensing Semantic Segmentation
by
Xinlin Xie, Chenhao Chang, Yunyun Yang and Gang Xie
Remote Sens. 2026, 18(5), 754; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs18050754 (registering DOI) - 2 Mar 2026
Abstract
►▼
Show Figures
Remote sensing semantic segmentation is fundamental for fine-grained urban scene understanding, which in turn provides pixel-level semantic insights for urban development and environmental surveillance. However, existing hybrid segmentation architectures fail to incorporate intrinsic geometric and physical priors, inevitably leading to structural fragmentation, boundary
[...] Read more.
Remote sensing semantic segmentation is fundamental for fine-grained urban scene understanding, which in turn provides pixel-level semantic insights for urban development and environmental surveillance. However, existing hybrid segmentation architectures fail to incorporate intrinsic geometric and physical priors, inevitably leading to structural fragmentation, boundary ambiguity, and spatial misalignment of heterogeneous features. Therefore, we propose a Superpixel-Tokenized and Frequency-Modulated Hybrid CNN–Transformer network (SFCT-Net) for remote sensing semantic segmentation. The proposed network integrates superpixel tokens and high-frequency constraints to preserve structural integrity and boundary precision. First, our Superpixel-Tokenized Linear Position Attention (STLPA) module replaces rigid window tokens with semantic superpixels to ensure object integrity with linear computational complexity. Second, we construct a Frequency-Modulated Deformable Edge Refinement (FMDER) module that leverages high-frequency spectral priors to modulate deformable sampling, achieving robust boundary recovery. Finally, we develop the Spatial–Semantic Feature Coupling (SSFC) module, which employs a dual-branch strategy to correct spatial drift and align deep semantic features with shallow details. Experiments conducted on our self-built Taiyuan Satellite Remote Sensing Dataset (TSRSD) along with the ISPRS Vaihingen and Potsdam benchmark datasets demonstrate that our proposed SFCT-Net delivers state-of-the-art performance and efficiency by fusing superpixel and frequency priors for robust structural and boundary recovery.
Full article

Figure 1
Open AccessArticle
Automated Machine Learning for High-Resolution Daily and Hourly Methane Emission Mapping for Rice Paddies over South Korea: Integrating MODIS, ERA5-Land, and Soil Data
by
Jiah Jang, Seung Hee Kim, Menas Kafatos, Jaeil Cho, Gayoung Yoo, Sujong Jeong and Yangwon Lee
Remote Sens. 2026, 18(5), 753; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs18050753 (registering DOI) - 2 Mar 2026
Abstract
Agriculture is a major global source of methane (CH4), and accurate emission estimates are essential for refining national greenhouse gas inventories and supporting climate-resilient policies. This study develops a high-resolution estimation framework for CH4 emissions from Korean rice paddies by
[...] Read more.
Agriculture is a major global source of methane (CH4), and accurate emission estimates are essential for refining national greenhouse gas inventories and supporting climate-resilient policies. This study develops a high-resolution estimation framework for CH4 emissions from Korean rice paddies by integrating multi-source datasets, including Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) vegetation indices, European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) Reanalysis Version 5 (ERA5)-Land meteorological variables, and Harmonized World Soil Database (HWSD) soil properties. Using CH4 flux observations from four global rice ecosystems (Italy, Japan, South Korea, and USA), we constructed parallel daily and hourly machine learning models using an automated machine learning (AutoML) framework to compare their performance and process-level interpretability. The daily model demonstrated high predictive accuracy with correlation coefficients (CC) of 0.897 in 5-fold cross-validation and 0.819 in Leave-One-Year-Out (LOYO) cross-validation. Shapley Additive Explanations (SHAP) analysis revealed that while soil temperature is the dominant predictor for daily emissions (explaining ~50% of the variance), variable importance shifts significantly at finer resolutions. The hourly model exhibited a more complex multivariate structure. In this high-resolution context, although Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) remains constant diurnally, its importance strengthens as a critical regulator of emission sensitivity, interacting with hourly meteorological fluctuations to capture short-term dynamics. The resulting 500 m daily gridded maps provide a robust foundation for national inventory refinement and spatially targeted mitigation planning. Our findings suggest that while the daily model offers optimal computational efficiency for long-term monitoring, the hourly model is superior for mechanistic understanding and detecting episodic emission events. This multi-resolution framework establishes an empirical basis for selecting appropriate temporal scales in operational greenhouse gas monitoring systems.
Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue CH4Rice Project: Assessment of Methane Emission from Rice Paddies and Water Management Using Remote Sensing Technology)
►▼
Show Figures

Figure 1
Open AccessArticle
A Multimodal Feature Fusion Framework for UAV Positioning in Weak GNSS Environments Using a Priori High-Resolution Satellite Imagery
by
Liming He, Zhengqi Zhao, Zhenglin Qu, Ronghua He, Yu Zhang, Haoran Li and Yadong Zhu
Remote Sens. 2026, 18(5), 752; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs18050752 (registering DOI) - 2 Mar 2026
Abstract
To address the challenges of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) navigation in weak global navigation satellite system (GNSS) environments, this study proposes a novel multimodal feature fusion framework for real-time positioning using a priori high-resolution satellite imagery. This framework utilizes georeferenced satellite images as
[...] Read more.
To address the challenges of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) navigation in weak global navigation satellite system (GNSS) environments, this study proposes a novel multimodal feature fusion framework for real-time positioning using a priori high-resolution satellite imagery. This framework utilizes georeferenced satellite images as matching sources and employs a “Multimodal features + LightGlue” algorithm to achieve high-precision cross-modal matching. By combining point, line, and plane features for enhanced robustness in low-texture scenarios, the system further integrates LightGlue’s lightweight confidence classifier to accelerate inference while maintaining high accuracy on challenging image pairs. Consequently, the proposed method outperforms LoFTR, RoMa, SuperPoint + SuperGlue, and SuperPoint + LightGlue in matching performance. Experimental results demonstrate that at a flight altitude of 80 m, the average real-time positioning error is 0.73 m, which increases to 6.24 m at 480 m. Factors such as ground object type, seasonal changes, flight altitude, and satellite image scale significantly influence accuracy. This research demonstrates that the visual navigation system meets practical operational needs for real-time UAV positioning in GNSS-deprived environments.
Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue AI-Enhanced Remote Sensing for High-Precision Positioning and Navigation)
►▼
Show Figures

Figure 1
Open AccessArticle
A Hybrid RTM-Informed Machine Learning Framework with Crop-Specific Canopy Structural Parameterization for Crop Fractional Vegetation Cover Estimation
by
Lili Xu, Junya Zhang, Tao Cheng, Quanjun Jiao, Yelu Qin, Haoyan Ma and Hao Wu
Remote Sens. 2026, 18(5), 751; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs18050751 (registering DOI) - 2 Mar 2026
Abstract
Fractional vegetation cover of crops (CropFVC) is a critical indicator for remote sensing-based crop monitoring. However, existing inversion models are largely developed for general vegetation types, limiting their effectiveness for crop-specific applications. Here, we developed a gap-fraction-refined hybrid CropFVC model that integrates crop-specific
[...] Read more.
Fractional vegetation cover of crops (CropFVC) is a critical indicator for remote sensing-based crop monitoring. However, existing inversion models are largely developed for general vegetation types, limiting their effectiveness for crop-specific applications. Here, we developed a gap-fraction-refined hybrid CropFVC model that integrates crop-specific PROSAIL calibration, an ALA (averages of leaf angle) -based dynamic projection function, and a Random Forest model. The model was validated with 43343 CropFVC samples of four major crops (winter wheat, rice, maize, and soybean) across China during March to August 2024, spanning key phenological stages, and further compared against SNAP (10 m) and GEOV3 (300 m) products. Results showed that (1) the proposed model achieved stable performance across diverse canopy structures, with average RMSE < 9.3% for wheat, rice, maize, and soybean; (2) compared with SNAP (10 m), RMSE decreased by 4.83%, 3.10%, 7.51%, and 8.63% for wheat, rice, maize, and soybean, respectively; compared with GEOV3 (300 m), reductions reached 7.88%, 9.49%, 13.63%, and 19.75%, respectively. Further observations showed that the model-derived CropFVC captured intra-field variability and abnormal crop conditions well, enabling more accurate monitoring of crop-specific FVC dynamics across phenological stages. The proposed operational framework enhances CropFVC estimation by improving canopy structural representation and reducing retrieval bias. By enabling more accurate 10 m CropFVC mapping at the field scale, the crop-specific approach provides practical support for precision agriculture and crop-related food security monitoring.
Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Remote Sensing for Crop Monitoring and Food Security (Second Edition))
►▼
Show Figures

Figure 1
Open AccessArticle
Effect of Spatial Resolution on Land Cover Mapping in an Agropastoral Area of Niger (Aguié and Mayahi) Using Sentinel-2 and Landsat 8 Imagery Within a Random Forest Regression Framework
by
Sanoussi Abdou Amadou, Dambo Lawali, Jean-François Bastin, Jan Bogaert, Adrien Michez and Jeroen Meersmans
Remote Sens. 2026, 18(5), 750; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs18050750 (registering DOI) - 1 Mar 2026
Abstract
►▼
Show Figures
Monitoring environmental changes over time requires images with extensive historical depth. However, high spatial resolution images often lack such depth. This study investigates the impact of spatial resolution on image classification. Thus, Landsat 8 and Sentinel-2 images acquired between October and December 2020
[...] Read more.
Monitoring environmental changes over time requires images with extensive historical depth. However, high spatial resolution images often lack such depth. This study investigates the impact of spatial resolution on image classification. Thus, Landsat 8 and Sentinel-2 images acquired between October and December 2020 were processed and classified using Random Forest regression on Google Earth Engine (GEE). This method allows for continuous land cover maps, required for robust assessment of land cover dynamics in patchy landscapes. A total of 1719 training samples were collected from the Collect Earth Online (CEO) platform to train the model. In addition to the spectral bands, vegetation indices were considered to optimize classification results. The study revealed statistical differences in land cover areas estimated by the two sensors. These differences are statistically significant at p < 0.001, although they are small. Validation results showed that the RMSE from Sentinel-2 is slightly lower than that from Landsat 8, with this difference significant at p < 0.05. Therefore, spatial resolution influences the accuracy of image classification. Nevertheless, given the observed differences between the two sensors, which ranged from 0.03% to 3.94% across land covers, Landsat imagery remains suitable for producing reliable land cover maps in heterogeneous landscapes.
Full article

Figure 1
Open AccessArticle
Seven Decades of Aridity Transitions in China: Spatiotemporal Patterns and Contemporary Hydrological Responses
by
Jiasen He, Haishan Niu, Lei Feng, Runkui Li, Afera Halefom, Yan He, Xianfeng Song and Zheng Duan
Remote Sens. 2026, 18(5), 749; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs18050749 (registering DOI) - 1 Mar 2026
Abstract
Global warming profoundly affects hydrological processes and regional aridity. However, the shifts in the arid–humid transition zone and its relationship to divergent surface and subsurface hydrological responses remain not fully understood. This study investigates the spatiotemporal aridity changes in China using hydroclimate datasets
[...] Read more.
Global warming profoundly affects hydrological processes and regional aridity. However, the shifts in the arid–humid transition zone and its relationship to divergent surface and subsurface hydrological responses remain not fully understood. This study investigates the spatiotemporal aridity changes in China using hydroclimate datasets (1950–2022) and examines associated hydrological responses via remote sensing (RS) since the early 2000s. The results reveal that: (1) a pronounced ~32-year oscillatory pattern governs both the expansion and contraction of drylands and non-drylands, with China currently in a wetting phase; (2) a distinct climatic transitional zone is identified, and a distinct boundary emerges separating drylands and non-drylands, here referred to as China’s Arid–Humid Divide, reflecting the climatic equilibrium shaped by multiple monsoon systems and local topography; and (3) the nationwide expansion of surface water bodies, following the increase of groundwater storage in partial areas, was detected via recent RS data. These findings provide new insights into the mechanisms driving long-term aridity transitions and support climate adaptation and sustainable land management in China.
Full article
(This article belongs to the Section Ecological Remote Sensing)
►▼
Show Figures

Figure 1
Open AccessArticle
An Interpretable Nonlinear Intelligent Bias Correction Method for FY-4A/GIIRS Hyperspectral Infrared Brightness Temperatures
by
Gen Wang, Bing Xu, Song Ye, Xiefei Zhi, Tiening Zhang, Youpeng Yang, Yang Liu, Feng Xie, Qiao Liu and Haili Zhang
Remote Sens. 2026, 18(5), 748; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs18050748 (registering DOI) - 1 Mar 2026
Abstract
The hyperspectral infrared observations of the Geostationary Interferometric Infrared Sounder (GIIRS) on the Fengyun-4A (FY-4A) satellite are an important data source for numerical weather prediction (NWP) assimilation. However, there are systematic differences between observed and simulated brightness temperatures (i.e., the observation increments contain
[...] Read more.
The hyperspectral infrared observations of the Geostationary Interferometric Infrared Sounder (GIIRS) on the Fengyun-4A (FY-4A) satellite are an important data source for numerical weather prediction (NWP) assimilation. However, there are systematic differences between observed and simulated brightness temperatures (i.e., the observation increments contain predictable systematic bias components). To address the issue that traditional linear methods struggle to capture the nonlinear relationships between biases and forecast predictors, this study proposes an intelligent bias correction method that integrates ensemble learning and explainable artificial intelligence. First, the entropy reduction method is used to select 69 mid-wave channels. Then, Random Forest, XGBoost, LightGBM, Decision Tree, and Extra Tree are used as base learners to construct a weighted average ensemble model. Training and validation are conducted using high-frequency clear-sky observation data from FY-4A/GIIRS during Typhoon Lekima. The results show that: (1) the ensemble learning correction method outperforms single models and traditional offline methods, with root mean square errors of brightness temperature bias of less than 0.9209 K for the training set and 1.4447 K for the test set; (2) Shapley Additive Explanations (SHAP)-based interpretability analysis reveals the contribution and nonlinear influence mechanisms of factors such as longitude, atmospheric thickness, surface temperature, and total precipitable water on bias correction. This study provides an intelligent bias correction framework with both high precision and explainability, offering a reference for the bias correction and assimilation applications of hyperspectral satellite observations like GIIRS.
Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Improving Meteorological Forecasting Models Using Remote Sensing Data)
Open AccessArticle
Particle Size Characteristics at the Top of Biomass Burning Plumes Based on Two Case Studies
by
Makiko Nakata, Sonoyo Mukai and Souichiro Hioki
Remote Sens. 2026, 18(5), 747; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs18050747 (registering DOI) - 1 Mar 2026
Abstract
Biomass burning aerosols (BBA) released from large-scale wildfires pose a serious threat worldwide, necessitating a comprehensive understanding of their plume characteristics. To address this challenge, this study used satellite data provided by the Second-generation Global Imager (SGLI) aboard the Global Change Observation Mission-C
[...] Read more.
Biomass burning aerosols (BBA) released from large-scale wildfires pose a serious threat worldwide, necessitating a comprehensive understanding of their plume characteristics. To address this challenge, this study used satellite data provided by the Second-generation Global Imager (SGLI) aboard the Global Change Observation Mission-C and regional-scale numerical chemical transport model (CTM) simulations to characterize BBA plumes. The SGLI data and CTM simulations were compared and verified, and the 3D characteristics of BBA plumes, including concentration, diffusion range, spatial variation in optical properties, plume top height, and vertical profile, were subsequently derived. In this study, we focused on large-scale forest fires that occurred in western North America in September 2020 and Indonesia in September 2019. In both cases, Aerosol optical thickness (AOT) and Ångström Exponent (AE) values show a positive correlation with the height of the BBA plume top. The results showed that the higher the BBA plume top, the thicker the plume and the smaller the aerosol size. This point is what we particularly wish to highlight in this study. The SGLI polarization data proved useful for characterizing the upper layers of the BBA plumes. By understanding the detailed characteristics at the top of the plume, it is possible to predict the BBA plume’s advection and lifetime.
Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Aerosol Remote Sensing from Space, Ground or Computers)
►▼
Show Figures

Figure 1
Open AccessArticle
GeoAI-Enabled Ensemble Modeling to Assess Land Use and Atmospheric Pollutant Impacts on Land Surface Temperature in the US Southwest
by
Bijoy Mitra and Guiming Zhang
Remote Sens. 2026, 18(5), 746; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs18050746 (registering DOI) - 1 Mar 2026
Abstract
The US Southwest is one of the driest and hottest regions, with a recent upsurge in land surface temperature (LST). Further, with land-use changes and global warming, anthropogenic pollution also significantly contributes to the rise in surface temperatures. While the impact of pollution
[...] Read more.
The US Southwest is one of the driest and hottest regions, with a recent upsurge in land surface temperature (LST). Further, with land-use changes and global warming, anthropogenic pollution also significantly contributes to the rise in surface temperatures. While the impact of pollution on LST has been studied only in specific urban regions, insights from a broader, more diverse topography remain limited. This research incorporates LST with land cover parameters (NDBI, MNDWI, NDBSI, SAVI, WET), surface albedo, air pollutants (NO2, SO2, O3, CO), aerosol particles, urban nighttime light, and digital elevation model to evaluate the non-linear spatial dependence of these variables for the summer (from June to August 2025) and winter (from December 2024 to February 2025) seasons in the US southwest. All multi-resolution inputs were harmonized by projecting to WGS84 and applying a ~11 km fishnet sampling grid commensurate with the coarsest-resolution dataset (Sentinel-5P), ensuring each sample captures a unique pixel value across all layers. AutoML was applied to benchmark learning algorithms, and we found that CatBoost, Extra Trees, LightGBM, HistGradientBoosting, and Random Forest were among the optimal models for predicting LST. After tuning these models using Bayesian optimization, we achieved a mean R2 of 0.86 during summer and 0.84 during winter. After developing the hyperparameter-optimized model, explainable AI, e.g., SHAP, was employed to understand the complex nonlinear dynamics and top contributing features. Landcover variables had a more dominant impact on the spatial distribution of summer LST, while winter LST was more influenced by pollutant parameters. Partial Dependency Plot and Accumulated Local Effect were further incorporated to examine the marginal effects of the top-contributing features on spatial LST prediction. By extending the study area to the entire US Southwest, this study effectively captures urban–rural contrasts, climate- and land-cover–dependent pollutant responses, and regional climatic influences. It presents explicit spatial dependencies among LST, pollutants, land cover, topography, and nighttime activity that will aid future researchers and policymakers in effectively developing sustainable thermal planning for urban activities.
Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Emulation and Surrogate Modeling in Remote Sensing: Advances, Challenges and Applications)
►▼
Show Figures

Figure 1
Open AccessArticle
Semantic Segmentation of Multispectral Remote Sensing Imagery for Coastal Wetlands with SegFormer
by
Simin Peng, Huachen Xie, Nian Liu and Yi Zeng
Remote Sens. 2026, 18(5), 745; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs18050745 (registering DOI) - 28 Feb 2026
Abstract
Pixel-level semantic segmentation plays an essential role in coastal wetland monitoring using multispectral remote sensing imagery. However, accurate mapping remains challenging due to spectral confusion among heterogeneous land-cover types, fragmented spatial structures, and pronounced class imbalance. Based on the situation, we used the
[...] Read more.
Pixel-level semantic segmentation plays an essential role in coastal wetland monitoring using multispectral remote sensing imagery. However, accurate mapping remains challenging due to spectral confusion among heterogeneous land-cover types, fragmented spatial structures, and pronounced class imbalance. Based on the situation, we used the original SegFormer as the basic framework and developed an improved framework to better suit the characteristics of coastal wetland scenes. Prior to the encoder, we introduced a Spectral-Aware Embedding (SAE) module to strengthen inter-band feature representation through spectral projection and adaptive channel weighting. In the decoder, we constructed a Wetland Boundary-Refined Decoder (WBRD), utilizing a dual-path refinement strategy to capture fine-scale textures and a multi-scale boundary attention mechanism to enhance the delineation of irregular boundaries. Additionally, we incorporated a Wetland Imbalance Loss (WIL) during training to moderate the influence of dominant classes. In this article, we evaluated our framework on the Yan14 dataset. The results showcased the framework’s effectiveness, improving segmentation accuracy and boundary fidelity, particularly for rare and narrow wetland categories, while maintaining reasonable computational efficiency.
Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Explainable Artificial Intelligence (XAI) in Remote Sensing Big Data (Second Edition))
Open AccessArticle
A Bias Correction Scheme for FY-3E/HIRAS-II Data Assimilation Based on EXtreme Gradient Boosting
by
Hongtao Chen and Li Guan
Remote Sens. 2026, 18(5), 744; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs18050744 (registering DOI) - 28 Feb 2026
Abstract
More and more spaceborne infrared hyperspectral atmospheric observations are assimilated into data assimilation systems. The key to bias correction (BC) of these instruments depends on selecting predictors. However, it is difficult to find a set of predictors that are highly correlated with the
[...] Read more.
More and more spaceborne infrared hyperspectral atmospheric observations are assimilated into data assimilation systems. The key to bias correction (BC) of these instruments depends on selecting predictors. However, it is difficult to find a set of predictors that are highly correlated with the O-B biases in all FY-3E/HIRAS-II channels, due to its multi-channel characteristics. A machine learning model XGBoost (EXtreme Gradient Boosting) BC scheme for FY-3E/HIRAS-II is established in this article. The selected predictors include model skin temperature, model total column water vapor, 1000–300 hPa thickness, 200–50 hPa thickness, scan position, observed brightness temperature (BT) and simulated BT. The method is also compared with the operational static BC and the variational BC, to validate its effect. The two-week data assimilation experiments show that the XGBoost BC is the most effective among the three BC schemes. The mean and standard deviation of O-B in all channels are the smallest after BC, and the effective observations through quality control are the largest, followed by the static BC. The static BC and variational BC are performed based on linear regression, which may lead to a small loss of valid observations in some channels that are weakly correlated with the predictor, whereas machine learning algorithms can search for the nonlinear correlation between biases and predictors. Compared with ERA5, both temperature- and humidity-analysis fields based on XGBoost BC are closest to ERA5 at all levels, and the root mean square errors do not change much over time.
Full article
Open AccessArticle
A Deep Learning-Driven Spatio-Temporal Framework for Timely Corn Yield Estimation Across Multiple Remote Sensing Scenarios
by
Xiaoyu Zhou, Yaoshuai Dang, Jinling Song, Zhiqiang Xiao and Hua Yang
Remote Sens. 2026, 18(5), 743; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs18050743 (registering DOI) - 28 Feb 2026
Abstract
►▼
Show Figures
Crop yield estimation, particularly early-season yield prediction, is highly important for global food security and disaster mitigation. In this study, we utilized deep learning models combined with remote sensing data to develop in-season crop yield estimation models, enabling immediate yield prediction. We employed
[...] Read more.
Crop yield estimation, particularly early-season yield prediction, is highly important for global food security and disaster mitigation. In this study, we utilized deep learning models combined with remote sensing data to develop in-season crop yield estimation models, enabling immediate yield prediction. We employed a convolutional neural network (CNN) for spatial feature extraction and a long short-term memory network (LSTM) for temporal patterns, complemented by Gaussian process regression (GP) that introduced geographical coordinates. Three groups of in-season yield prediction experiments were designed, utilizing four-phase, two-phase, and single-phase data, respectively. The results indicated that under the two-phase training scheme, the LSTM_GP model achieved the highest performance in the sixth period, with an value of 0.61 and a root mean square error ( ) value of 983.38 kg/ha. When trained on single-phase data at the twelfth phase (approximately mid-to-late July), the LSTM_GP model also performed best, attaining an value of 0.62 and an value of 969.06 kg/ha. The single-phase prediction model outperformed time-series models in yield prediction accuracy. The periods from mid-to-late July to early-to-mid August represent critical crop growth stages were essential for accurate yield prediction. From our research, we found that adding GP can improve the prediction accuracy, especially for LSTM. Moreover, the proposed single-phase prediction model realized reliable crop yield prediction as well as the silking to early grain-filling stage (mid-to-late July), providing a critical lead time of approximately 2–2.5 months before harvest to support pre-harvest agricultural decision-making.
Full article

Figure 1
Open AccessArticle
Unsupervised Hyperspectral Image Denoising via Spectral Learning Preference of Neural Networks
by
Ruobing Zhang, Michael K. Ng, Marina Ljubenovic and Lina Zhuang
Remote Sens. 2026, 18(5), 742; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs18050742 (registering DOI) - 28 Feb 2026
Abstract
Existing hyperspectral denoising networks typically rely on large amounts of high-quality paired noisy–clean images for training, which are often unavailable. Moreover, the noise distribution in real hyperspectral images (HSIs) is complex and variable, making it challenging for existing networks to handle noise distributions
[...] Read more.
Existing hyperspectral denoising networks typically rely on large amounts of high-quality paired noisy–clean images for training, which are often unavailable. Moreover, the noise distribution in real hyperspectral images (HSIs) is complex and variable, making it challenging for existing networks to handle noise distributions not present in the training dataset, resulting in poor generalization. To address these issues, this paper proposes an unsupervised Hyperspectral image Denoising approach exploiting the spectral learning preference of neural networks with an adaptive early stopping strategy (termed HyDePre). Inspired by the Deep Image Prior, which reveals that neural networks tend to capture natural image structures before fitting noise, we observe that deep neural networks exhibit a similar learning preference in the spectral domain. Specifically, as training progresses, the network first fits smooth spectral feature curves and only later adapts to Gaussian noise and complex impulse noise. This observation provides an opportunity to use an early stopping strategy, allowing the network to fit only the clean spectral signals and thus achieve denoising. Our method does not require clean images for training, but instead optimizes network parameters to automatically learn prior spectral information from a single noisy image, modeling the intrinsic structure of the input data to uncover its underlying patterns.However, finding the optimal stopping point is challenging without access to clean images as sources of prior information. To tackle this challenge, we introduce an adaptive early stopping strategy based on the average spectral maximum variation of the reconstructed image, effectively preventing overfitting. The experimental results demonstrate that HyDePre outperforms existing methods in terms of both visual quality and quantitative metrics.
Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Hyperspectral Remote Sensing Image Processing: 2nd Edition)
►▼
Show Figures

Figure 1
Journal Menu
► ▼ Journal Menu-
- Remote Sensing Home
- Aims & Scope
- Editorial Board
- Reviewer Board
- Topical Advisory Panel
- Photography Exhibition
- Instructions for Authors
- Special Issues
- Topics
- Sections & Collections
- Article Processing Charge
- Indexing & Archiving
- Editor’s Choice Articles
- Most Cited & Viewed
- Journal Statistics
- Journal History
- Journal Awards
- Society Collaborations
- Conferences
- Editorial Office
Journal Browser
► ▼ Journal BrowserHighly Accessed Articles
Latest Books
E-Mail Alert
News
6 November 2025
MDPI Launches the Michele Parrinello Award for Pioneering Contributions in Computational Physical Science
MDPI Launches the Michele Parrinello Award for Pioneering Contributions in Computational Physical Science
9 October 2025
Meet Us at the 3rd International Conference on AI Sensors and Transducers, 2–7 August 2026, Jeju, South Korea
Meet Us at the 3rd International Conference on AI Sensors and Transducers, 2–7 August 2026, Jeju, South Korea
Topics
Topic in
AI, BDCC, Fire, GeoHazards, Remote Sensing
AI for Natural Disasters Detection, Prediction and Modeling
Topic Editors: Moulay A. Akhloufi, Mozhdeh ShahbaziDeadline: 31 March 2026
Topic in
Land, Remote Sensing, Sensors, Applied Sciences
Recent Progress and Applications in Quantitative Remote Sensing
Topic Editors: Huawei Wan, Yu Wang, Hongmin Zhou, Longhui LuDeadline: 30 April 2026
Topic in
Applied Sciences, Architecture, Buildings, CivilEng, Energies, Materials, Remote Sensing, Sustainability
Recent Studies and Innovative Approaches to Sustainable Communities, Buildings, Cities and Infrastructure
Topic Editors: Samad Sepasgozar, Sara Shirowzhan, Mohammed Al-MhdawiDeadline: 20 May 2026
Topic in
Sustainability, Buildings, Sensors, Remote Sensing, Land, Climate, Atmosphere
Advances in Low-Carbon, Climate-Resilient, and Sustainable Built Environment
Topic Editors: Baojie He, Stephen Siu Yu Lau, Deshun Zhang, Andreas Matzarakis, Fei GuoDeadline: 25 May 2026
Conferences
Special Issues
Special Issue in
Remote Sensing
Remote Sensing Applications for Enhancing Wildfire Management and Ecosystem Multifunctionality
Guest Editors: Paula García-Llamas, Angela TaboadaDeadline: 10 March 2026
Special Issue in
Remote Sensing
Machine Learning in Global Change Ecology: Methods and Applications
Guest Editors: Boyi Liang, Hongyan Liu, Ying Qu, Jiangzhou Xia, Micol RossiniDeadline: 10 March 2026
Special Issue in
Remote Sensing
Advances in Atmospheric Greenhouse Gases Observation and Remote Sensing Applications
Guest Editors: Ailin Liang, Yawen Kong, Simone LolliDeadline: 10 March 2026
Special Issue in
Remote Sensing
Spatiotemporal AI Methods for Atmospheric Remote Sensing
Guest Editors: Qian Liu, Manzhu YuDeadline: 13 March 2026
Topical Collections
Topical Collection in
Remote Sensing
Google Earth Engine Applications
Collection Editors: Lalit Kumar, Onisimo Mutanga
Topical Collection in
Remote Sensing
Sentinel-2: Science and Applications
Collection Editors: Clement Atzberger, Jadu Dash, Olivier Hagolle, Jochem Verrelst, Quinten Vanhellemont, Jordi Inglada, Tuomas Häme
Topical Collection in
Remote Sensing
Current, Planned, and Future Satellite Missions: Guidelines for Data Exploitation by the Remote Sensing Community
Collection Editors: Jose Moreno, Magaly Koch, Robert Wang
Topical Collection in
Remote Sensing
The VIIRS Collection: Calibration, Validation, and Application
Collection Editors: Xi Shao, Xiaoxiong Xiong, Changyong Cao



