Remote Sensing for Cryospheric Hazards
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 January 2026 | Viewed by 245
Special Issue Editors
Interests: remote sening; imaging processing; geo-hazards mapping; cryospheric hazards; ice-rock avalanches; glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs); machine learning in geoscience; permafrost degradation; hazard risk assessment
Interests: remote sensing; snow avalanche; climate change; early Warning system; snow monitoring; snow physics; avalanche movement
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
The world is currently facing the unprecedented crisis of global warming, which has caused landscape instability in the cryosphere, especially in glacierized environments. Destabilized glaciers are contributing to an increase in the frequency and intensity of cryospheric hazards such as ice-rock avalanches, glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs), snow avalanches, and glacial debris flows. Tragic events like the 2021 ice-rock avalanche and debris flow in Chamoli, India—resulting in over 200 fatalities and the destruction of critical infrastructure—underscore the catastrophic potential of glacier-related disasters. While considerable progress has been made in studying glacier instability, the complex interplay between geological processes and climate-induced changes remains poorly understood due to the lack of effective observation methods. This knowledge gap hinders the development of effective mitigation and early-warning systems. Remote sensing technology offers significant advantages in cryosphere observation by enabling large-scale, continuous, and non-invasive monitoring of remote and harsh environments. It provides essential data on glacier dynamics, ice cover changes, and associated hazards, thereby promoting better understanding and management of the increasing risks posed by a warming climate.
This Special Issue primarily aims to showcase the latest advances in the use of remote sensing technologies for the detection, monitoring, and warning of cryospheric hazards. Topics may range from reconstructing the evolutionary history of cryospheric hazards in hotspot regions to analyzing glacier dynamics prior to hazard events, such as changes in glacier velocity, mass balance fluctuations, and glacial lake expansion. This Special Issue also aims to highlight how multi-source remote sensing data can offer new insights into the formation and evolution of cryospheric hazards, their developmental conditions, and future trends. Through the integration of diverse remote sensing approaches, we seek to improve the scientific understanding and forecasting of cryospheric disasters in the context of ongoing climate change.
We welcome submissions that explore a wide range of topics, including but not limited to the following:
- Cryospheric hazards detection with remote sensing;
- Spatiotemporal change analysis of historical events;
- Climate effect on development of cryospheric hazards;
- Monitoring of frozen ground hazards;
- Monitoring of glacial lakes and GLOFs;
- Susceptibility mapping of cryospheric hazards;
- Machine learning in cryospheric hazard assessment;
- Risk assessment of cryospheric hazards;
- Future trend analysis of cryospheric hazards;
- Multidisciplinary case studies of recent cryospheric disasters.
Dr. Yao Li
Dr. Jiansheng Hao
Dr. Chenchen Qiu
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 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
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
- remote sensing detection
- climate change
- glacierized regions
- glacier retreat
- cryospheric hazards
- ice-rock avalanche
- GLOF
- glacial debris flow
- susceptibility mapping
- risk assessment
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