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27 pages, 2785 KB  
Article
HAFNet: Hybrid Attention Fusion Network for Remote Sensing Pansharpening
by Dan Xu, Jinyu Zhang, Wenrui Li, Xingtao Wang, Penghong Wang and Xiaopeng Fan
Remote Sens. 2026, 18(3), 526; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs18030526 - 5 Feb 2026
Abstract
Deep learning–based pansharpening methods for remote sensing have advanced rapidly in recent years. However, current methods still face three limitations that directly affect reconstruction quality. Content adaptivity is often implemented as an isolated step, which prevents effective interaction across scales and feature domains. [...] Read more.
Deep learning–based pansharpening methods for remote sensing have advanced rapidly in recent years. However, current methods still face three limitations that directly affect reconstruction quality. Content adaptivity is often implemented as an isolated step, which prevents effective interaction across scales and feature domains. Dynamic multi-scale mechanisms also remain constrained, since their scale selection is usually guided by global statistics and ignores regional heterogeneity. Moreover, frequency and spatial cues are commonly fused in a static manner, leading to an imbalance between global structural enhancement and local texture preservation. To address these issues, we design three complementary modules. We utilize the Adaptive Convolution Unit (ACU) to generate content-aware kernels through local feature clustering, thereby achieving fine-grained adaptation to diverse ground structures. We also develop the Multi-Scale Receptive Field Selection Unit (MSRFU), a module providing flexible scale modeling by selecting informative branches at varying receptive fields. Meanwhile, we incorporate the Frequency–Spatial Attention Unit (FSAU), designed to dynamically fuse spatial representations with frequency information. This effectively strengthens detail reconstruction while minimizing spectral distortion. Specifically, we propose the Hybrid Attention Fusion Network (HAFNet), which employs the Hybrid Attention-Driven Residual Block (HARB) as the fundamental utility to dynamically integrate the above three specialized components. This design enables dynamic content adaptivity, multi-scale responsiveness, and cross-domain feature fusion within a unified framework. Experiments on public benchmarks confirm the effectiveness of each component and demonstrate HAFNet’s state-of-the-art performance. Full article
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24 pages, 5237 KB  
Article
A Precision Weeding System for Cabbage Seedling Stage
by Pei Wang, Weiyue Chen, Qi Niu, Chengsong Li, Yuheng Yang and Hui Li
Agriculture 2026, 16(3), 384; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture16030384 - 5 Feb 2026
Abstract
This study developed an integrated vision–actuation system for precision weeding in indoor soil bin environments, with cabbage as a case example. The system integrates lightweight object detection, 3D co-ordinate mapping, path planning, and a three-axis synchronized conveyor-type actuator to enable precise weed identification [...] Read more.
This study developed an integrated vision–actuation system for precision weeding in indoor soil bin environments, with cabbage as a case example. The system integrates lightweight object detection, 3D co-ordinate mapping, path planning, and a three-axis synchronized conveyor-type actuator to enable precise weed identification and automated removal. By integrating ECA and CBAM attention mechanisms into YOLO11, we developed the YOLO11-WeedNet model. This integration significantly enhanced the detection performance for small-scale weeds under complex lighting and cluttered backgrounds. Based on the optimal model performance achieved during experimental evaluation, the model achieved 96.25% precision, 86.49% recall, 91.10% F1-score, and a mean Average Precision (mAP@0.5) of 91.50% calculated across two categories (crop and weed). An RGB-D fusion localization method combined with a protected-area constraint enabled accurate mapping of weed spatial positions. Furthermore, an enhanced Artificial Hummingbird Algorithm (AHA+) was proposed to optimize the execution path and reduce the operating trajectory while maintaining real-time performance. Indoor soil bin tests showed positioning errors of less than 8 mm on the X/Y axes, depth control within ±1 mm on the Z-axis, and an average weeding rate of 88.14%. The system achieved zero contact with cabbage seedlings, with a processing time of 6.88 s per weed. These results demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed system for precise and automated weeding at the cabbage seedling stage. Full article
29 pages, 890 KB  
Article
Enhancing Cross-Regional Generalization in UAV Forest Segmentation Across Plantation and Natural Forests with Attention-Refined PP-LiteSeg Networks
by Xinyu Ma, Shuang Zhang, Kaibo Li, Xiaorui Wang, Hong Lin and Zhenping Qiang
Remote Sens. 2026, 18(3), 523; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs18030523 - 5 Feb 2026
Abstract
Accurate fine-scale forest mapping is fundamental for ecological monitoring and resource management. While deep learning semantic segmentation methods have advanced the interpretation of high-resolution UAV imagery, their generalization across diverse forest regions remains challenging due to high spatial heterogeneity. To address this, we [...] Read more.
Accurate fine-scale forest mapping is fundamental for ecological monitoring and resource management. While deep learning semantic segmentation methods have advanced the interpretation of high-resolution UAV imagery, their generalization across diverse forest regions remains challenging due to high spatial heterogeneity. To address this, we propose two enhanced versions based on the PP-LiteSeg architecture for robust cross-regional forest segmentation. Version 01 (V01) integrates a multi-branch attention fusion module composed of parallel channel, spatial, and pixel attention branches. This design enables fine-grained feature enhancement and precise boundary delineation in structurally regular artificial forests, such as the Huayuan Forest Farm. As a result, V01 achieves a mIoU of 92.64% and an F1-score of 96.10%, representing an approximately 18 percentage-point mIoU improvement over PSPNet and DeepLabv3+. Building on this, Version 02 (V02) introduces a lightweight residual connection that directly shortcuts the fused features, thereby improving feature stability and robustness under complex textures and illumination, and demonstrates stronger performance in naturally heterogeneous forests (Longhai Township), attaining an mIoU of 91.87% and an F1-score of 95.77% (5.72 percentage-point mIoU gain over DeepLabv3+). We further conduct comprehensive comparisons against conventional CNN baselines as well as representative lightweight and transformer-based models (BiSeNetV2 and SegFormer-B0). In bidirectional cross-region transfer (train on one region and directly test on the other), V02 exhibits the most stable performance with minimal degradation, highlighting its robustness under domain shift. On a combined cross-regional dataset, V02 achieves a leading mIoU of 91.50%, outperforming U-Net, DeepLabv3+, and PSPNet. In summary, V01 excels in boundary delineation for regular plantation forests, whereas V02 shows more stable generalization across highly varied natural forest landscapes, providing practical solutions for region-adaptive UAV forest segmentation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Remote Sensing-Assisted Forest Inventory Planning)
19 pages, 5296 KB  
Article
HiDEF: A Hierarchical Disaster Information Extraction Framework Based on Adversarial Augmentation and Dynamic Prompting
by Xiaodong Wang, Tengfei Yang and Xiaohan Yang
Appl. Sci. 2026, 16(3), 1620; https://doi.org/10.3390/app16031620 - 5 Feb 2026
Abstract
In disaster emergency response, spatial location information embedded within social media texts holds substantial value for the rapid localization of affected areas and the implementation of precise rescue operations. Existing research predominantly employs natural language processing and deep learning technologies for geographic information [...] Read more.
In disaster emergency response, spatial location information embedded within social media texts holds substantial value for the rapid localization of affected areas and the implementation of precise rescue operations. Existing research predominantly employs natural language processing and deep learning technologies for geographic information extraction; however, two critical limitations persist: first, insufficient integration of textual semantic features for disaster relevance determination, resulting in inadequate correlation between extracted results and actual disaster locations; second, absence of mechanisms for identifying affected sites in multi-location contexts, thereby compromising decision support efficacy. Addressing these challenges, this study proposes a hierarchical disaster location information extraction framework that integrates semantic understanding. The framework operates through a three-tier hierarchy: data-level adversarial augmentation, semantic-level dynamic parsing, and parameter-level scale optimization. It achieves three core functionalities: (1) precise determination of disaster relevance for geographic location information; (2) identification of affected areas in multi-location contexts; (3) establishment of a logarithmic scaling relationship between LLM parameter scale and optimal prompt sample size. Full article
27 pages, 20135 KB  
Article
Seeing Like Argus: Multi-Perspective Global–Local Context Learning for Remote Sensing Semantic Segmentation
by Hongbing Chen, Yizhe Feng, Kun Wang, Mingrui Liao, Haoting Zhai, Tian Xia, Yubo Zhang, Jianhua Jiao and Changji Wen
Remote Sens. 2026, 18(3), 521; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs18030521 - 5 Feb 2026
Abstract
Accurate semantic segmentation of high-resolution remote sensing imagery is crucial for applications such as land cover mapping, urban development monitoring, and disaster response. However, remote sensing data still present inherent challenges, including complex spatial structures, significant intra-class variability, and diverse object scales, which [...] Read more.
Accurate semantic segmentation of high-resolution remote sensing imagery is crucial for applications such as land cover mapping, urban development monitoring, and disaster response. However, remote sensing data still present inherent challenges, including complex spatial structures, significant intra-class variability, and diverse object scales, which demand models capable of capturing rich contextual information from both local and global regions. To address these issues, we propose ArgusNet, a novel segmentation framework that enhances multi-scale representations through a series of carefully designed fusion mechanisms. At the core of ArgusNet lies the synergistic integration of Adaptive Windowed Additive Attention (AWAA) and 2D Selective Scan (SS2D). Specifically, our AWAA extends additive attention into a window-based structure with a dynamic routing mechanism, enabling multi-perspective local feature interaction via multiple global query vectors. Furthermore, we introduce a decoder optimization strategy incorporating three-stage feature fusion and a Macro Guidance Module (MGM) to improve spatial detail preservation and semantic consistency. Experiments on benchmark remote sensing datasets demonstrate that ArgusNet achieves competitive and improved segmentation performance compared to state-of-the-art methods, particularly in scenarios requiring fine-grained object delineation and robust multi-scale contextual understanding. Full article
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24 pages, 2931 KB  
Article
Infrastructure–Environment Complementarity in African Development: Spatial Thresholds and Economic Returns in Tanzania’s BRI Corridors
by Kizito August Ngowi, Min Ji, Hanyu Ji, Zequn Liu and Pengfei Song
Sustainability 2026, 18(3), 1643; https://doi.org/10.3390/su18031643 - 5 Feb 2026
Abstract
Conventional infrastructure appraisal in Africa prioritizes short-term economic performance while insufficiently accounting for the environmental conditions that govern long-term sustainability, spatial equity, and development resilience. To address this gap, this study develops an explicitly SDG-oriented spatial–ecological framework to examine how environmental quality conditions [...] Read more.
Conventional infrastructure appraisal in Africa prioritizes short-term economic performance while insufficiently accounting for the environmental conditions that govern long-term sustainability, spatial equity, and development resilience. To address this gap, this study develops an explicitly SDG-oriented spatial–ecological framework to examine how environmental quality conditions the economic returns of large-scale infrastructure investments under corridor-based development. The primary objective is to quantify infrastructure–environment complementarity and identify ecological thresholds regulating spatial spillovers and investment effectiveness along Tanzania’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) corridors. High-resolution remote sensing and spatially explicit socioeconomic data for 2012–2023 are integrated within a spatial econometric design. A Spatial Durbin Model (SDM) incorporating the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) is estimated to capture non-linear interaction effects, with economic activity proxied by Night-Time Light (NTL) intensity across 2680 corridor grid cells. The results identify a statistically robust ecological threshold at NDVI = −0.8σ, beyond which infrastructure investments shift from low to high economic effectiveness. A strong positive infrastructure–environment interaction (β = 6.44, p < 0.001) indicates that environmental quality functions as a productive modulating factor rather than a passive constraint. Spatial classification shows that 63% of corridor areas are investment-ready, while 15% require ecological restoration prior to effective infrastructure deployment. Although institutional quality and long-term post-construction dynamics are not explicitly modeled, the framework provides a replicable and policy-relevant decision-support tool, offering actionable guidance for aligning corridor development with SDGs 9, 11, and 13 and advancing sustainable infrastructure planning in the Global South. Full article
(This article belongs to the Section Development Goals towards Sustainability)
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31 pages, 2038 KB  
Article
Enhanced Cropland SOM Prediction via LEW-DWT Fusion of Multi-Temporal Landsat 8 Images and Time-Series NDVI Features
by Lixin Ning, Daocheng Li, Yingxin Xia, Erlong Xiao, Dongfeng Han, Jun Yan and Xiaoliang Dong
Sensors 2026, 26(3), 1048; https://doi.org/10.3390/s26031048 - 5 Feb 2026
Abstract
Soil organic matter (SOM) is a key indicator of arable land quality and the global carbon cycle; accurate regional-scale SOM estimation is vitally significant for sustainable agricultural development and climate change research. This study evaluates a multisource data-fusion approach for improving cropland SOM [...] Read more.
Soil organic matter (SOM) is a key indicator of arable land quality and the global carbon cycle; accurate regional-scale SOM estimation is vitally significant for sustainable agricultural development and climate change research. This study evaluates a multisource data-fusion approach for improving cropland SOM prediction in Yucheng City, Shandong Province, China. We applied a Local Energy Weighted Discrete Wavelet Transform (LEW-DWT) to fuse multi-temporal Landsat 8 imagery (2014–2023). Quantitative analysis (e.g., Information Entropy and Average Gradient) demonstrated that LEW-DWT effectively preserved high-frequency spatial details and texture features of fragmented croplands better than traditional DWT and simple splicing methods. These were combined with 41 environmental predictors to construct composite Ev–Tn–Mm features (environmental variables, temporal NDVI features, and multi-temporal multispectral information). Random Forest (RF) and Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) models were trained and compared to assess the contribution of the fused data to SOM mapping. Key findings are: (1) Comparative analysis showed that the LEW-DWT fusion strategy achieved the lowest spectral distortion and highest spatial fidelity. Using the fused multitemporal dataset, the CNN attained the highest predictive performance for SOM (R2 = 0.49). (2) Using the Ev–Tn–Mm features, the CNN achieved R2 = 0.62, outperforming the RF model (R2 = 0.53). Despite the limited sample size, the optimized shallow CNN architecture effectively extracted local spatial features while mitigating overfitting. (3) Variable importance analysis based on the RF model reveals that mean soil moisture is the primary single variable influencing the SOM, (relative importance 15.22%), with the NDVI phase among time-series features (1.80%) and the SWIR1 band among fused multispectral bands (1.38%). (4) By category, soil moisture-related variables contributed 45.84% of total importance, followed by climatic factors. The proposed multisource fusion framework offers a practical solution for regional SOM digital monitoring and can support precision agriculture and soil carbon management. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soil Sensing and Mapping in Precision Agriculture: 2nd Edition)
35 pages, 15027 KB  
Article
Multi-Scale Drivers of Urban Vegetation Moisture Stress: A Comparative OLS and GWR Analysis in Makassar City, Indonesia
by Ramdan Pano Anwar, Muhammad Irfan, Arifuddin Akil, Chenyu Du and László Kollányi
Land 2026, 15(2), 267; https://doi.org/10.3390/land15020267 - 5 Feb 2026
Abstract
Rapid urban expansion in tropical coastal cities has intensified vegetation moisture stress, compromising urban resilience and ecological stability. This study investigates the spatial drivers of the Moisture Stress Index (MSI) in Makassar City, Indonesia, by integrating biophysical indicators and land-use characteristics through multi-scale [...] Read more.
Rapid urban expansion in tropical coastal cities has intensified vegetation moisture stress, compromising urban resilience and ecological stability. This study investigates the spatial drivers of the Moisture Stress Index (MSI) in Makassar City, Indonesia, by integrating biophysical indicators and land-use characteristics through multi-scale regression analyses. Utilizing dry-season satellite composites (May–August 2025), the research derived Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Land Surface Temperature (LST), and Normalized Difference Built-up Index (NDBI). MSI was modeled using Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) and Geographically Weighted Regression (GWR) across 240 m, 480 m, and 960 m grids. Results indicate that MSI is highly sensitive to urban morphology and land-use configuration. High moisture stress was concentrated in commercial–industrial and dense residential zones characterized by extreme population densities exceeding 28,000 people/km2 and elevated NDBI. In contrast, agricultural zones and open/green spaces provided significant cooling and moisture retention. Comparative performance analysis reveals that the local GWR model significantly outperformed the global OLS model, achieving a substantial reduction in AICc (−10,475.81) and resolving significant spatial autocorrelation to achieve random residuals (z-score = 1.55). The study further confirms that NDBI is the most robust biophysical predictor of MSI. Spatial heterogeneity analysis demonstrated that land-use influences are geographically contingent, with institutional areas showing varied effects based on campus design and canopy presence. These findings emphasize the necessity of scale-aware, climate-adaptive urban planning and demonstrate that GWR provides a high-fidelity tool for identifying neighborhood-level “micro-hotspots” overlooked by global modeling frameworks. Full article
13 pages, 3690 KB  
Article
Design and Development of a Regional Collaborative Platform for Construction Waste Management
by Hong-Ping Wang, Xin Qu, Hao Luo, Xingbin Chen and Hai-Ying Hu
Buildings 2026, 16(3), 666; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings16030666 - 5 Feb 2026
Abstract
To address the “silo effect” in construction waste management and the inefficiency of resource allocation in large-scale, multi-section engineering projects, this study developed a cloud-based regional collaborative platform for construction waste management. The platform adopts a technical framework based on Java 1.8.0, Spring [...] Read more.
To address the “silo effect” in construction waste management and the inefficiency of resource allocation in large-scale, multi-section engineering projects, this study developed a cloud-based regional collaborative platform for construction waste management. The platform adopts a technical framework based on Java 1.8.0, Spring Boot 2.4.4, and MySQL 8.0.16, and integrates a visual interactive interface. It supports dynamic access, data entry, quality review, and scheduling of construction waste information across multiple sections and projects. Validated through a case study on the Changhu section of the Guangdong Guanshen–Changhu Expressway expansion project, the platform successfully achieved spatial–temporal optimization of 740 thousand cubic meters of diversified construction waste across seven sections. The comprehensive utilization rate of construction waste increased by more than 25%. Practice has shown that the platform effectively promotes carbon emission reduction in earthworks, enhances resource circularity, and provides digital support for construction quality control. This platform presents an innovative informatics-driven approach to construction waste management, serving as a replicable model. Full article
(This article belongs to the Section Construction Management, and Computers & Digitization)
26 pages, 4800 KB  
Article
Porosity and Permeability Estimations from X-Ray Tomography Images and Data Using a Deep Learning Approach
by Edwar Herrera, Oriol Oms and Eduard Remacha
Appl. Sci. 2026, 16(3), 1613; https://doi.org/10.3390/app16031613 - 5 Feb 2026
Abstract
This work presents a novel deep learning workflow for estimating porosity and permeability from combined data, where numerical variables such as high-resolution bulk density (RHOB) and photoelectric factor (PEF) data are integrated with X-ray computed tomography (X-CT) image data, using a dual-energy X-CT [...] Read more.
This work presents a novel deep learning workflow for estimating porosity and permeability from combined data, where numerical variables such as high-resolution bulk density (RHOB) and photoelectric factor (PEF) data are integrated with X-ray computed tomography (X-CT) image data, using a dual-energy X-CT approach (DECT). Convolutional neural networks (CNNs) were calibrated with routine core analysis (RCAL) laboratory measurements from one well from Sinú-San Jacinto Basin (Colombia). The CNN architecture combines two main branches: An image branch, in which a CNN extracts spatial features from normalized X-CT sections using 3 × 3 convolution layers, ReLU activation, batch normalization, and maxPooling, and a numerical branch, which processes the input vectors corresponding to RHOB and PEF using fully connected dense layers and dropout regularization. Both branches are concatenated in a fusion layer, from which the model’s final predictions are made. Results indicate a strong correlation between porosity, permeability, RHOB and PEF logs, and CT images. The porosity model achieved excellent predictive performance, with an R2 = 0.996, MAE = 3.96 × 10−3, MSE = 3.82 × 10−5, and 0.064 maximum error. The permeability model also performed well, with a linear R2 = 0.983, though metrics reflected the wide dynamic range of permeability. Consequently, artificial neural networks (ANNs) can accurately predict porosity and permeability at various depths where no corresponding laboratory data exists, demonstrating excellent predictive capabilities over several rock intervals, in a high vertical resolution because of X-CT data scale (0.625 mm). Full article
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26 pages, 31609 KB  
Article
Frequency Domain and Gradient-Spatial Multi-Scale Swin KANsformer for Remote Sensing Scene Classification
by Xiaozhang Zhu, Junqing Huang and Haihui Wang
Remote Sens. 2026, 18(3), 517; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs18030517 - 5 Feb 2026
Abstract
Transformer-based deep learning techniques have recently shown outstanding potential in remote sensing scene classification (RSSC), benefiting from their ability to capture global semantic relationships and contextual dependencies. However, effectively utilizing the raw image and global semantic information while simultaneously taking into account detailed [...] Read more.
Transformer-based deep learning techniques have recently shown outstanding potential in remote sensing scene classification (RSSC), benefiting from their ability to capture global semantic relationships and contextual dependencies. However, effectively utilizing the raw image and global semantic information while simultaneously taking into account detailed features and multi-scale spatial relationships remains a major challenge. Therefore, this paper proposes a novel FG-Swin KANsformer model that integrates frequency domain and gradient prior information from raw images with the Kolmogorov–Arnold Network (KAN) to enhance nonlinear feature modeling. The FG-Swin KANsformer consists of three key components: the Discrete Cosine Transform (DCT) module, the gradient-spatial feature extraction (GSFE) module, and the Swin Transformer module integrated with KAN. In the feature embedding phase, the DCT module extracts frequency domain features, while the GSFE module uses multi-scale convolutions and Sobel operators to extract spatial structures and gradient information at different scales, thereby enhancing the utilization of the original image’s frequency domain and gradient prior information. In the Swin Transformer feature modeling phase, the conventional multilayer perceptron (MLP) in Swin Transformer Blocks is replaced by KAN, which decomposes complex multivariate functions into univariate compositions, thereby improving nonlinear representation capacity and enhancing feature discrimination. The thorough experiments on three distinct public remote sensing (RS) datasets demonstrate that FG-Swin KANsformer exhibits outstanding performance. Full article
29 pages, 25337 KB  
Article
PTU-Net: A Polarization-Temporal U-Net for Multi-Temporal Sentinel-1 SAR Crop Classification
by Feng Tan, Xikai Fu, Huiming Chai and Xiaolei Lv
Remote Sens. 2026, 18(3), 514; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs18030514 - 5 Feb 2026
Abstract
Accurate crop type mapping remains challenging in regions where persistent cloud cover limits the availability of optical imagery. Multi-temporal dual-polarization Sentinel-1 SAR data offer an all-weather alternative, yet existing approaches often underutilize polarization information and rely on single-scale temporal aggregation. This study proposes [...] Read more.
Accurate crop type mapping remains challenging in regions where persistent cloud cover limits the availability of optical imagery. Multi-temporal dual-polarization Sentinel-1 SAR data offer an all-weather alternative, yet existing approaches often underutilize polarization information and rely on single-scale temporal aggregation. This study proposes PTU-Net, a polarization–temporal U-Net designed specifically for pixel-wise crop segmentation from SAR time series. The model introduces a Polarization Channel Attention module to construct physically meaningful VV/VH combinations and adaptively enhance their contributions. It also incorporates a Multi-Scale Temporal Self-Attention mechanism to model pixel-level backscatter trajectories across multiple spatial resolutions. Using a 12-date Sentinel-1 stack over Kings County, California, and high-quality crop-type reference labels, the model was trained and evaluated under a spatially independent split. Results show that PTU-Net outperforms GRU, ConvLSTM, 3D U-Net, and U-Net–ConvLSTM baselines, achieving the highest overall accuracy and mean IoU among all tested models. Ablation studies confirm that both polarization enhancement and multi-scale temporal modeling contribute substantially to performance gains. These findings demonstrate that integrating polarization-aware feature construction with scale-adaptive temporal reasoning can substantially improve the effectiveness of SAR-based crop mapping, offering a promising direction for operational agricultural monitoring. Full article
17 pages, 2162 KB  
Article
Assessment and Attribution of Carbon–Water Synergistic Evolution in the Yellow River Basin
by Zhen Cao, Hao Cui, Lichuan Wang and Yuchao Guo
Sustainability 2026, 18(3), 1624; https://doi.org/10.3390/su18031624 - 5 Feb 2026
Abstract
Since 2000, the vegetation cover in the Yellow River Basin (YRB) has significantly increased. However, the responses of carbon and water cycles to large-scale vegetation recovery in the basin and their driving mechanisms remain unclear. This study employs methods such as Sen’s slope [...] Read more.
Since 2000, the vegetation cover in the Yellow River Basin (YRB) has significantly increased. However, the responses of carbon and water cycles to large-scale vegetation recovery in the basin and their driving mechanisms remain unclear. This study employs methods such as Sen’s slope trend test, partial correlation analysis, residual analysis, and interpretable machine learning models to investigate the variations in gross primary productivity (GPP), evaporation (ET), and water use efficiency (WUE) in the YRB. It aims to reveal the spatial differentiation mechanisms that drive GPP, ET, and WUE. The results indicate the following: (1) From 2001 to 2020, significant increasing trends were observed in GPP, ET, and WUE across the YRB (p < 0.05), with the most pronounced vegetation recovery observed in the middle reaches. (2) GPP, ET, and WUE are most strongly correlated with the Leaf Area Index, with median values of 0.78, 0.30, and 0.70, respectively. (3) On average, climate change contributes spatially 24.8%, 35.6%, and 24.3% to GPP, ET, and WUE, respectively, while human activities contribute, on average, 75.2%, 64.4%, and 75.7%. (4) Regarding their synergistic evolution, GPP changes predominantly drive WUE changes in the YRB relative to ET. (5) The contributions of NDVI changes to WUE, GPP, and ET changes are 60.4%, 73.1%, and 14.9%, respectively. Overall, NDVI changes dominate the changes in GPP and, by extension, in WUE. This research sheds light on the pathways toward ecological restoration and sustainable development in the YRB. Full article
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24 pages, 17936 KB  
Article
Remote-Sensing Estimation of Evapotranspiration for Multiple Land Cover Types Based on an Improved Canopy Conductance Model
by Jianfeng Wang, Xiaozhou Xin, Zhiqiang Ye, Shihao Zhang, Tianci Li and Shanshan Yu
Remote Sens. 2026, 18(3), 513; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs18030513 - 5 Feb 2026
Abstract
Evapotranspiration (ET) links the water cycle with the energy balance and serves as a key driving process for ecosystem functioning and water resource management. Canopy conductance (Gc) plays a central role in regulating transpiration, but many models inadequately represent its regulatory mechanisms and [...] Read more.
Evapotranspiration (ET) links the water cycle with the energy balance and serves as a key driving process for ecosystem functioning and water resource management. Canopy conductance (Gc) plays a central role in regulating transpiration, but many models inadequately represent its regulatory mechanisms and show varying applicability across different land cover types. This study develops a remote-sensing ET estimation approach suitable for large scales and diverse land cover types and proposes an improved canopy conductance model for daily latent heat flux (LE) estimation. By integrating the canopy radiation transfer concept from the K95 model into the multiplicative Jarvis framework, an improved canopy conductance model is developed that includes limiting effects from photosynthetically active radiation (PAR), vapor pressure deficit (VPD), air temperature (T), and soil moisture (θ). Eighteen combinations of limiting functions are designed to evaluate structural performance differences. Using observations from 79 global flux sites during 2015–2023 and integrating multi-source datasets, including ERA5, MODIS, and SMAP, a two-stage parameter optimization was applied to determine the optimal limiting function combination for each land cover type. And nine sites from nine different land cover types were selected for independent spatial validation. Temporal validation within the optimization sites shows that, at the daily scale, the model achieves a Kling–Gupta efficiency (KGE) of 0.82, a correlation coefficient (R) of 0.82, and a Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) of 27.83 W/m2, demonstrating strong temporal stability. Spatial validation over independent holdout sites achieved KGE = 0.84, R = 0.84, and RMSE = 22.53 W/m2. At the 8-day scale, when evaluated over the holdout sites, the model achieves KGE = 0.87, R = 0.88, and RMSE = 18.74 W/m2. Compared with the K95 and Jarvis models, KGE increases by about 34% and 15%, while RMSE decreases by about 38% and 12%, respectively. Relative to the MOD16 and PML-V2 products, KGE increases by about 32% and 16%, while RMSE decreases by about 33% and 17%, respectively. Comprehensive comparisons show that explicitly coupling canopy structure with multiple environmental constraints within the Jarvis framework, together with structure optimization across land cover types, can markedly improve large-scale remote-sensing ET retrieval accuracy while maintaining physical consistency and physiological rationality. This provides an effective pathway and parameterization scheme for producing ET products applicable across ecosystems. Full article
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26 pages, 6037 KB  
Article
The Extended Embedded Self-Shielding Method in SCALE 6.3/Polaris
by Kang Seog Kim, Matthew Jessee, Andrew Holcomb and William Wieselquist
J. Nucl. Eng. 2026, 7(1), 13; https://doi.org/10.3390/jne7010013 - 5 Feb 2026
Abstract
The SCALE transport lattice code, Polaris, has been previously developed to generate few-group homogenized cross sections for whole-core nodal diffusion simulators in which the embedded self-shielding method (ESSM) is used for resonance self-shielding calculations to process cross sections. Although the ESSM capability has [...] Read more.
The SCALE transport lattice code, Polaris, has been previously developed to generate few-group homogenized cross sections for whole-core nodal diffusion simulators in which the embedded self-shielding method (ESSM) is used for resonance self-shielding calculations to process cross sections. Although the ESSM capability has been very successful in light-water reactor analysis, it may require enhancements in computational efficiency; treatment of spatially dependent resonance self-shielding effects; and handling of interrelated resonance effects among fuel, cladding, and control rod materials. Therefore, this study focuses on improving computational efficiency by using a Dancoff-based Wigner–Seitz approximation combined with a material-based resonance categorization, through which a spatially dependent ESSM capability is developed to accurately estimate self-shielded cross sections inside the fuel. Benchmark results show that the new capability significantly enhances computational efficiency and accuracy for spatially dependent local zones within the fuel and through depletion. Full article
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