Multi-Sensor Remote Sensing for Comprehensive Seismic Ground Displacement Analysis

Dear Colleagues,

For decades, our understanding of the earthquake cycle—from interseismic strain accumulation to coseismic rupture and postseismic relaxation—has been largely constrained by sparse networks of seismometers and point-based geodetic instruments (e.g., GNSS, strainmeters). While these tools have provided foundational insights into fault mechanics and seismic hazards, they inherently suffer from spatial aliasing, often missing critical near-field deformation signals or off-fault damage. The advent of advanced remote sensing technologies has fundamentally shifted this paradigm. Satellite and airborne sensors now offer a synoptic, high-resolution, cost-effective means of capturing the full 3D displacement field of the Earth’s surface before, during, and after major earthquakes.

This Special Issue focuses on the integrated use of multi-sensor remote sensing, encompassing the following:

- Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) (e.g., Sentinel-1, ALOS-2, NISAR) for millimeter-scale line-of-sight displacement maps;

- Pixel Offset Tracking (POT) and Multi-Aperture InSAR (MAI) for large deformation gradients (e.g., near-fault ruptures);

- GNSS for absolute reference and temporal densification;

- Optical imagery (e.g., Sentinel-2, Landsat, Planet, high-resolution stereo imagery) for sub-pixel correlation of horizontal surface offsets;

- LiDAR (both airborne and terrestrial) for high-precision topographic change detection and fault scarp profiling;

- Other emerging techniques.

Importance of this Research Area

Understanding the complete earthquake cycle through multi-sensor remote sensing is of paramount importance for three interconnected reasons:

1. Constraining Earthquake Physics and Rupture Dynamics: Traditional seismic inversions for slip distribution are often non-unique. Adding spatially dense, high-precision surface displacement fields from InSAR and optical correlation uniquely constrains fault geometry, rupture directivity, shallow slip deficit, and the partitioning of energy between seismic radiation and aseismic deformation. This, in turn, refines our mechanical models of fault zone behavior.
2. Unveiling the Full Deformation Cycle: Seismic hazard assessment requires knowledge of long-term strain accumulation (interseismic locking) and transient postseismic processes (afterslip, viscoelastic relaxation, poroelastic rebound). Multi-epoch, multi-sensor time-series analysis (e.g., SBAS, PS-InSAR) now allows us to separate these signals over decadal timescales, revealing how a single earthquake modifies stress on adjacent faults and reloads the rupture interface for the next event.
3. Bridging the Gap to Seismic Hazard and Risk Reduction: Ultimately, this research directly supports practical hazard mitigation. Comprehensive displacement maps enable the following:

    - Improved Probabilistic Seismic Hazard Assessments (PSHAs): These methods provide spatially continuous fault slip rates and locking depths.

    - Near-Real-Time Disaster Response: Rapidly derived coseismic displacement fields can identify heavily damaged zones, surface rupture pathways, and triggered landslides, guiding emergency responders within hours.

    - Infrastructure and Urban Planning: High-resolution deformation maps inform building codes, critical infrastructure siting (dams, pipelines, nuclear facilities), and early warning systems for earthquake-triggered secondary hazards (e.g., subsidence, lateral spreading).

Scope of this Special Issue

We invite contributions that push the boundaries of multi-sensor remote sensing for seismic ground displacement analysis. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:

- Novel data fusion frameworks (e.g., InSAR + GNSS + optical) for 3D displacement field reconstruction;

- Case studies of the full earthquake cycle (interseismic, coseismic, postseismic) from recent or historical events;

- Advanced time-series algorithms for detecting transient aseismic slip (slow earthquakes, episodic tremor and slip);

- Integration of remote sensing with physics-based models (e.g., finite element models, rate-state friction laws);

- Machine learning/deep learning approaches for automated fault mapping, displacement pattern recognition, or phase unwrapping;

- Synergistic use of upcoming missions (NISAR, ROSE-L, Sentinel-1 Next Generation) for future seismic hazard monitoring.

By bringing together these diverse approaches, this Special Issue will provide a definitive compendium on how multi-sensor remote sensing is revolutionizing our ability to see, understand, and ultimately mitigate the impact of earthquakes. We welcome original research articles, reviews, and technical notes that advance this critical and rapidly evolving field.

Dr. Guoguang Wei
Dr. Liuwei Xu
Dr. Lijia He
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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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.

• multi-sensor remote sensing
• seismic ground displacement
• earthquake cycle (interseismic/coseismic/postseismic)
• fault rupture imaging
• InSAR (interferometric synthetic aperture radar)
• GNSS geodesy
• surface deformation time-series
• seismic hazard assessment
• optical pixel tracking/offset tracking
• data fusion