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Remote Sensing for Planetary Geomorphology and Mapping

A special issue of Remote Sensing (ISSN 2072-4292). This special issue belongs to the section "Remote Sensing in Geology, Geomorphology and Hydrology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 December 2026 | Viewed by 763

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
State Key Laboratory of Resources and Environmental Information Systems, Institute of Geographic and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
Interests: GIS; digital topography and geomorphology analysis; information extraction; digital mapping; geomorphological application under eco-environmental change
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Guest Editor
Planetary Environmental and Astrobiological Research Laboratory, School of Atmospheric Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Zhuhai 519000, China
Interests: planetary surface geological processes, with a focus on the physical and chemical processes of celestial body impacts; the impact history of the inner solar system; the search for impact craters on Earth

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In the era of globalization, based on the classical problems, geomorphologic study should develop the geomorphological theory, technique and methodology of the new era with the aid of remote sensing, big data, AI and other techniques. Moreover, geomorphological application studies at global and planetary scale should be conducted, as they can provide a scientific basis for planetary evolution history.

With the continuous promotion of remote sensing and sample study on Earth, Mars, Venus, the Moon and other planetary bodies, on the basis of classical global geomorphological study, studies on aspects such as the mechanisms and effects of geomorphological formation and evolution, geology and geomorphology and environmental evolution, and the effects of geomorphology on the planetary body can serve to improve earth system science research.

This Special Issue invites studies covering quantitative geomorphology and planetary geomorphology research using different remote sensing data acquired via sensors and other platforms. Topics may cover digital geomorphology researches at different scales, from regional to global and even planetary extent. Meanwhile, digital topographic analysis can also be incorporated by using DEM data from different sources and at different resolutions.

This Special Issue focuses on the quantitative geomorphology research using different data sources and techniques. Undoubtedly, remote sensing is one of the most important ways to acquire these data and techniques. For example, remote sensing images are sourced in a long time-series; DEM data are acquired using stereo-images or InSAR methods. Hence, this Special Issue has close overlap with the scope of the Remote Sensing journal.

Articles may address, but are not limited, to the following topics:

  • Geomorphological classification and mapping;
  • Geomorphological information Tupu;
  • Geomorphological disaster;
  • Permafrost change monitoring;
  • Digital topographic analysis;
  • Ground subsidence monitoring;
  • Lunar carter extraction;
  • Water inrush disaster.

Suggested article types for submissions include research papers, review papers, technical letters or other proper formats.

Prof. Dr. Weiming Cheng
Dr. Zhiyong Xiao
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Remote Sensing is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • quantitative geomorphology
  • planetary geomorphology
  • remote sensing
  • DEM
  • GIS
  • impact geomorphology
  • ecological and environmental change
  • geology
  • geomorphological evolution
  • geomorphological classification and mapping

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 3567 KB  
Article
Temporal Evolution of Crater Populations Formed on Different Facies of Lunar Complex Craters
by Yihan Zhang, Minggang Xie and Zhiyong Xiao
Remote Sens. 2026, 18(10), 1510; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs18101510 - 11 May 2026
Viewed by 63
Abstract
The formation of a large complex crater is accompanied by the simultaneous formation of coeval sub-geological units that have diverged physical properties, such as a central melt pool and an ejecta blanket. Crater populations formed on different geological units of a given young [...] Read more.
The formation of a large complex crater is accompanied by the simultaneous formation of coeval sub-geological units that have diverged physical properties, such as a central melt pool and an ejecta blanket. Crater populations formed on different geological units of a given young complex craters usually exhibit different size–frequency distributions (SFDs), but the difference disappears for relatively old craters, e.g., the Copernicus crater with an age of about 800 million years ago (Ma). However, there is a lack of temporal and theoretical constraints on the evolutionary pathway connecting these two SFD end-member states. Here, by observing crater SFDs of complex craters with ages between about 75 Ma and 871 Ma, we find a decrease in the crater SFD difference between coeval geological units with increasing age. The time-dependent crater SFD difference is consistent with modeled production functions with consideration of time-dependent target physical properties. The time dependence of target properties potentially arises from impact-induced damage, which efficiently converts coherent melt into ejecta-like fragments. Our results also imply that the proportion of self-secondary craters to the diameter ≥120 m crater population superposing on the facies of lunar complex craters with age older than crater Tycho is possibly less than 50% and decreases with time. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Remote Sensing for Planetary Geomorphology and Mapping)
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27 pages, 17237 KB  
Article
Flood Susceptibility Mapping and Runoff Modeling in the Upper Baishuijiang River Basin, China
by Hao Wang, Quanfu Niu, Jiaojiao Lei and Weiming Cheng
Remote Sens. 2026, 18(9), 1270; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs18091270 - 22 Apr 2026
Viewed by 223
Abstract
Mountain flood susceptibility in complex mountainous basins is strongly influenced by terrain–climate interactions; however, the linkage between spatial susceptibility patterns and hydrological processes remains poorly understood. This study proposes a process-oriented framework that explicitly links flood susceptibility patterns with hydrological processes, moving beyond [...] Read more.
Mountain flood susceptibility in complex mountainous basins is strongly influenced by terrain–climate interactions; however, the linkage between spatial susceptibility patterns and hydrological processes remains poorly understood. This study proposes a process-oriented framework that explicitly links flood susceptibility patterns with hydrological processes, moving beyond conventional approaches that rely on independent model integration. The Baishuijiang River Basin, located in Wenxian County, southern Gansu Province, China, is selected as a representative mountainous watershed for this analysis. The specific conclusions are as follows: (1) Flood susceptibility was mapped using a Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO)-enhanced Maximum Entropy (MaxEnt) model based on multi-source environmental variables, including climatic, terrain, soil, land cover, and vegetation factors. The model achieved high predictive accuracy (Area Under the Receiver Operating Characteristic Curve (AUC) = 0.912), identifying precipitation of the driest month (bio14), elevation, and land use as dominant controlling factors. Medium-to-high-susceptibility areas account for approximately 22% of the basin and are mainly distributed along river valleys and flow convergence areas. These patterns are strongly associated with reduced infiltration capacity under dry antecedent conditions and enhanced flow concentration in steep terrain, and they exhibit clear nonlinear responses and threshold effects. (2) Hydrological simulations using Hydrologic Engineering Center–Hydrologic Modeling System (HEC-HMS) show good agreement with observed runoff (Nash–Sutcliffe Efficiency (NSE) = 0.74–0.85). Sensitivity analysis indicates that runoff dynamics are primarily controlled by the Curve Number (CN), recession constant, and ratio to peak, corresponding to infiltration capacity, recession processes, and peak discharge amplification. The spatial consistency between high-susceptibility areas and areas of strong runoff response demonstrates that susceptibility patterns can be physically explained through hydrological processes, providing a process-based interpretation rather than a purely statistical prediction. (3) Future projections indicate that medium–high-susceptibility areas remain generally stable but show a gradual expansion (+5.2% ± 0.8%) and increasing concentration along river corridors under climate change scenarios. This reflects intensified precipitation variability and enhanced runoff concentration processes, suggesting a climate-driven amplification of flood risk in hydrologically connected areas. Overall, this study goes beyond conventional susceptibility assessment by establishing a physically interpretable framework that provides a consistent linkage between environmental controls, susceptibility patterns, and hydrological responses. The proposed approach is transferable to similar mountainous basins with strong terrain–climate interactions, although uncertainties related to data limitations and single-basin application remain and require further investigation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Remote Sensing for Planetary Geomorphology and Mapping)
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