Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
9.4
4.3
Journals
Remote Sensing
Special Issues
Remote Sensing of Lithosphere–Atmosphere–Ionosphere Coupling Prior to Earthquakes and Other...
remotesensing-logo
Submit to Special Issue Submit Abstract to Special Issue Review for Remote Sensing Propose a Special Issue

Journal Menu

► Journal Menu

Journal Browser

► Journal Browser
share announcement

Remote Sensing of Lithosphere–Atmosphere–Ionosphere Coupling Prior to Earthquakes and Other Natural Hazards: Second Edition

A Special Issue of Remote Sensing (ISSN 2072-4292) belonging to the section "Atmospheric Remote Sensing".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 January 2027 | Viewed by 2409

Editors

Dr. Dedalo Marchetti

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Istituto Nazionale Di Geofisica E Vulcanologia, Rome, Italy
Interests: earthquake precursors; satellite data processing; earth magnetic field; atmospheric and seismological investigation to research earthquake precursors
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Essam Ghamry

E-Mail Website1 Website2
Guest Editor
1. National Research Institute of Astronomy and Geophysics (NRIAG), Helwan, Cairo 11421, Egypt
2. Institute for Space-Earth Environmental Research, Nagoya University, Nagoya 464-8601, Japan
Interests: space geophysics; observational ground magnetic, electric and space weather; magnetosphere and ionosphere; non-seismological earthquake precursors; lithospheric magnetic field model
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Cristiano Fidani

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Istituto Nazionale Di Geofisica E Vulcanologia, Rome, Italy
Interests: statistical analysis of time series; electromagnetic interactions; earthquake forecasting; magnetic field effects; macroscopic earthquake phenomena; electric field effects; statistical correlations and effects; ionization effects; statistical correlation; climate
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Following the successful previous Special Issue (https://www.mdpi.com/journal/remotesensing/special_issues/LAIC_EarthquakePrecursors), we launched a second edition, integrating new topics. The aim of this Special Issue is to collect papers that use remote sensing, especially satellite data and new methodologies, to understand the preparatory phase of medium–large earthquakes in the world and other natural hazards like volcano eruptions, extreme weather, and geomagnetic storms/substorms. In the last decades, several satellite observations have been used not only for co-seismic precise effects estimation (such as ground displacement estimated by the InSAR technique) but also to search for possible precursor signals. Some satellites have been launched for this purpose, such as DEMETER (Detection of Electro-Magnetic Emissions Transmitted from Earthquake Regions), which flew from 2004 to 2010, and the CSES (China Seismo Electromagnetic Satellite) mission, which is composed of CSES-01, launched in orbit on 2 February 2018, and its successor, CSES-02, which was recently launched on 14 June 2025. Other satellites, especially those dedicated to Earth Observation, such as MODIS on TERRA/AQUA by NOAA or Swarm by ESA, provide crucial remote sensing data that are very useful for investigating possible pre-earthquake signals. For example, detecting bursts of particles and ionospheric disturbances several months or a few hours before the occurrence of medium–large earthquakes.

Furthermore, papers concerning earthquake investigations using remote sensing data are precious for understanding the physics and mechanisms of such phenomena.

We welcome papers that explore the statistical significance of pre-earthquake processes that occurred in the lithosphere, atmosphere and ionosphere, as detected by ground observations or satellite and or other methods. Papers with deterministic, empirical, or analytical models studying the preparation phase of the earthquakes including, but not limited to, the lithosphere, atmosphere, and ionosphere coupling (LAIC) effects are also welcome.

The interaction of different Earth layers, the so-called lithosphere, atmosphere, ionosphere coupling, has also been proposed on the occasion of volcano-eruption, both as a pre-eruption phenomenon as well as a co-volcanic disturbance. We welcome papers that investigate active volcanoes using remote sensing to determine their potential hazard and their influence on the atmosphere and ionosphere.

This Special Issue also seeks to advance our understanding of other significant natural hazards, such as extreme weather (tropical cyclones/hurricanes/typhoons, heavy rainfall, storm surges, tornadoes, thunderstorms with high lightning activity and flash flooding), as well as geomagnetic storms/substorms. Such geomagnetic storm phenomena include ionospheric irregularities and the magnetospheric–ionospheric–atmospheric coupling. Studies using satellite data, eventually integrated with ground-based observations, numerical modelling, and artificial intelligence approaches, are particularly encouraged for submission.

Research on new case studies (earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, geomagnetic storms and other natural hazards), reviews, new methods, ideas of future perspectives and applications to investigate the interactions between the geo-layers are warmly welcome.

Dr. Dedalo Marchetti
Prof. Dr. Essam Ghamry
Dr. Cristiano Fidani
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-anonymized 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

  • earthquake
  • precursors
  • LAIC
  • ground-based observations
  • satellite observations
  • ionospheric disturbances
  • volcano eruptions
  • extreme weather
  • geomagnetic storms/substorms
  • natural hazards

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Related Special Issue

Published Papers (3 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

26 pages, 15573 KB  
Article
A Network-Based Framework for Characterizing Pre-Seismic Ionospheric Disturbances Using the TEC Anomaly Significance Index
by Roberto Colonna, Karan Nayak, Devanshu Ghildiyal, Sambit Prasanajit Naik, Rosendo Romero Andrade and Sagarika Rout
Remote Sens. 2026, 18(16), 2810; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs18162810 - 19 Aug 2026
Viewed by 344
Abstract
This study investigates pre-seismic ionospheric Total Electron Content (TEC) disturbances preceding the Mw 6.9 Northern Aegean Sea earthquake of 24 May 2014 using observations from 13 Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) stations. A pronounced negative TEC disturbance was identified on 22 May 2014, [...] Read more.
This study investigates pre-seismic ionospheric Total Electron Content (TEC) disturbances preceding the Mw 6.9 Northern Aegean Sea earthquake of 24 May 2014 using observations from 13 Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) stations. A pronounced negative TEC disturbance was identified on 22 May 2014, approximately two days before the earthquake, under comparatively quiet solar and geomagnetic conditions. Station-wise Z-score analysis, which expresses the TEC departure from the reference mean in units of standard deviation, revealed significant negative deviations across the network, while inter-station correlations indicated a temporally coherent but spatially heterogeneous ionospheric response. To characterize the disturbance beyond peak-based measures, the TEC Anomaly Significance Index (TASI) was developed by integrating the mean absolute Z-score, coefficient of variation, and Shannon entropy. TASI showed strong agreement with the maximum absolute Z-score ranking (Spearman’s ρ=0.89, p<0.001) while providing greater sensitivity to cumulative and persistent anomaly behaviour. It exhibited stronger associations than maximum ∣Z∣ for six of the seven evaluated temporal descriptors, particularly those representing anomaly duration and consecutive persistence. Among the analyzed GNSS stations, KASI recorded the highest TASI despite not being the nearest station to the epicenter, indicating that anomaly significance was not governed solely by epicentral distance. The proposed framework provides a multidimensional, network-based approach for characterizing potential pre-seismic ionospheric disturbances and establishes a basis for future multi-event and control-period validation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Remote Sensing of Lithosphere–Atmosphere–Ionosphere Coupling Prior to Earthquakes and Other Natural Hazards: Second Edition)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

26 pages, 9654 KB  
Article
Case Study of Normalized Stokes Linear Polarization of Whistlers and Transmitter VLF Emissions as Derived from CSES-1/EFD Instrument
by Mohammed Y. Boudjada, Werner Magnes, Patrick H. M. Galopeau and Helmut Lammer
Remote Sens. 2026, 18(16), 2742; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs18162742 - 14 Aug 2026
Viewed by 306
Abstract
We report on electric field measurements recorded onboard the China Seismo-Electromagnetic Satellite (CSES). In this study, we emphasize the whistler and transmitter very low frequency (VLF) radiations recorded in the frequency range between 1.8 kHz and 25 kHz. The electric field detector (EFD) [...] Read more.
We report on electric field measurements recorded onboard the China Seismo-Electromagnetic Satellite (CSES). In this study, we emphasize the whistler and transmitter very low frequency (VLF) radiations recorded in the frequency range between 1.8 kHz and 25 kHz. The electric field detector (EFD) instrument onboard the CSES works as a double probe instrument and allows access to the three electric components of VLF waves. Three frequencies were selected, two related to whistler hiss (i.e., 2.5 kHz channel) and chorus (i.e., 5 kHz channel) radiations and one to the NAA ground-based transmitter signal (i.e., 24 kHz). We investigate the corresponding power spectral density variations, from which we derive the Stokes intensity I and normalized q linear polarization components. This leads us to study their statistical fluctuations and to emphasize the behaviors of natural whistler hiss and chorus radiations and man-made transmitter emissions. The Stokes intensities of the natural whistler and NAA transmitter radiations are estimated, respectively, to be about 1 mV2 m−2 Hz−1 and 0.05 mV2 m−2 Hz−1. The correlation coefficients of the Stokes intensity polarizations are in the order of 98% powerfully coupled, contrary to the Stokes normalized linear polarizations, which are found to be relatively paired, i.e., less than 60%. The signal-to-noise ratio is estimated considering three intensity levels (i.e., high, medium, low). This analysis leads us to characterize the Stokes normalized linear components of VLF radio waves and to show different behaviors of the polarization when considering the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. The regions of enhanced whistler Stokes intensities of whistler hiss and chorus emissions are confined to the sub-auroral regions in both hemispheres, particularly at geomagnetically ranges linked to the NAA transmitter station and its conjugate region in the Southern Hemisphere. In this investigation, we point out the Stokes polarization parameters, which are essential for the characterization of whistler VLF radio waves, particularly when considering the CSES mission objectives and commitments. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Remote Sensing of Lithosphere–Atmosphere–Ionosphere Coupling Prior to Earthquakes and Other Natural Hazards: Second Edition)
►▼ Show Figures

Graphical abstract

30 pages, 6001 KB  
Article
Spatial Correspondence Between Seismic b-Value Stress Localization and Pre-Earthquake GNSS-TEC Anomalies in Southern California and Northern Baja California
by Karan Nayak and Roberto Colonna
Remote Sens. 2026, 18(15), 2574; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs18152574 - 4 Aug 2026
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 383
Abstract
Identifying reliable earthquake precursors remains a major challenge in geophysics. Among the most widely investigated candidates are seismicity-based indicators, such as the Gutenberg–Richter b-value, and ionospheric disturbances expressed through Total Electron Content (TEC) anomalies. However, these observables are commonly investigated independently, and [...] Read more.
Identifying reliable earthquake precursors remains a major challenge in geophysics. Among the most widely investigated candidates are seismicity-based indicators, such as the Gutenberg–Richter b-value, and ionospheric disturbances expressed through Total Electron Content (TEC) anomalies. However, these observables are commonly investigated independently, and their quantitative spatial relationship remains poorly constrained. This study investigates the spatio-temporal evolution of b-values and GNSS-derived TEC anomalies preceding the 2019 Ridgecrest (Mw 7.1) and 2010 Baja California (Mw 7.2) earthquakes. Temporal analyses reveal progressive reductions in b-values prior to both earthquakes, while spatial mapping identifies localized low-b regions with thresholds of b≤0.88 for Ridgecrest and b≤0.83 for Baja California. Independent TEC analyses reveal negative ionospheric anomalies of approximately 2.34 TECU and 4.27 TECU, occurring 9–10 days and ~2 days before the respective mainshocks under geomagnetically quiet conditions. A multi-scale centroid-based spatial validation framework, incorporating both global and local low-b centroids together with Monte Carlo randomization tests, demonstrates that the dominant low-b regions consistently exhibit the closest spatial correspondence with the TEC depletion. The observed centroid separations occupied only a limited fraction of the theoretical earthquake preparation zone, with normalized distances of 0.33 and 0.24 for the global centroids, decreasing to 0.32 and 0.17, respectively, for the dominant local low-b regions. Overall, the results support a stress-conditioned lithosphere–atmosphere–ionosphere coupling framework and demonstrate that integrating long-term seismic stress evolution with GNSS-derived ionospheric observations provides an objective multi-parameter framework for investigating the spatial organization of earthquake preparation processes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Remote Sensing of Lithosphere–Atmosphere–Ionosphere Coupling Prior to Earthquakes and Other Natural Hazards: Second Edition)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-3
Back to TopTop