Remote Sensing of Water Dynamics in Permafrost Regions

Dear Colleagues,

Permafrost is highly sensitive to climate change, with thaw-induced shifts in water dynamics profoundly affecting hydrology, ecosystems, and infrastructure stability. Processes such as thermokarst formation, wetland drying, and active layer deepening alter surface and subsurface water regimes. Remote sensing has become an essential tool for monitoring these changes across spatially vast and logistically challenging permafrost landscapes. With advances in satellite and UAV platforms, thermal, radar, and optical sensors now provide critical insights into freeze–thaw cycles, soil moisture, and hydrological connectivity. Understanding these dynamics is key to predicting environmental responses and supporting sustainable development in cold-region environments.

This Special Issue aims to advance the scientific understanding of water dynamics in permafrost regions by promoting innovative applications of remote sensing technologies. It seeks to highlight methodological developments, multi-sensor data integration, and new insights into hydrological processes such as surface water change, soil moisture variability, freeze–thaw transitions, and landscape–hydrology interactions. This topic aligns closely with the scope of Remote Sensing by focusing on the use of Earth observation tools to monitor and model dynamic geophysical and hydrological phenomena. Contributions will strengthen the journal’s mission to support cutting-edge research in remote sensing for environmental monitoring, geoscience, and climate-related change detection. Potential topics for this Special Issue include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Monitoring of thermokarst lakes, ponds, wetlands, and river dynamics;
• Remote sensing of soil moisture, active layer thickness, and ground ice melt;
• Freeze–thaw cycle detection and seasonal snow cover mapping;
• Detection and monitoring of thaw slumps, ice-rich permafrost degradation, and surface subsidence;
• Hydrological connectivity and watershed-scale runoff dynamics in permafrost regions;
• Impacts of permafrost thaw on carbon and water fluxes using remote sensing.

Dr. Zeyong Gao
Dr. Lingxiao Wang
Guest Editors

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