TerraMosaic Daily Digest: Jan 17, 2026
Daily Summary
Today's collection of 73 new papers highlights a diverse range of research efforts focused on understanding, predicting, and mitigating landslide hazards and related geohazards. A significant portion of the research focuses on slope stability analysis, including investigations into soil properties, reinforcement techniques, and the impact of environmental factors like temperature and water content. There's a strong emphasis on numerical modeling, particularly using DEM and FE methods, to simulate complex soil-structure interactions and seismic responses. Remote sensing and AI are increasingly being used for hazard detection, mapping, and monitoring, with applications ranging from deforestation detection to small ship identification in SAR imagery. Several papers address specific regional challenges, such as landslide assessment in the Garhwal Himalayas, karst conduit network mapping in mountainous tunneling areas, and the impact of climate change on cryosphere-related hazards in the Qilian Mountains. Finally, a number of studies focus on applied solutions, including the development of urban flood resilience indexes, optimization of shelter site selection, and the prediction of bridge scour. The research collectively aims to improve our ability to assess risk, design resilient infrastructure, and manage geohazards effectively.
Editor’s Choice today spotlights "The pull-out mechanical properties of the interface between geogrid and calcareous sand considering temperature effects", which explores temperature-driven interface behavior in geosynthetics–calcareous sand systems and pairs laboratory pull-out tests with data-driven constitutive modeling. Across the broader set, we continue to see strong momentum in AI-enabled remote sensing, high-fidelity numerical modeling, and climate-driven hazard analysis, alongside applied work that connects geohazard science to urban resilience and infrastructure risk management.
Key Trends
- AI/Remote Sensing Integration: A surge in the use of AI and remote sensing techniques for automated feature extraction, change detection, and hazard mapping. This includes advanced deep learning architectures and the application of SAR data for various purposes.
- Numerical Modeling Advancements: Continued development and application of sophisticated numerical models (DEM, FE) to simulate complex geotechnical phenomena, including soil-structure interaction, seismic response, and the effects of environmental factors.
- Climate Change Impacts: Increasing focus on the influence of climate change on geohazards, including glacier retreat, permafrost thaw, and altered hydrological regimes.
- Focus on Urban Resilience: Several studies address the need for improved urban resilience to floods and earthquakes, including the development of resilience indexes and optimization of emergency response strategies.
Selected Papers
This digest features 73 selected papers from 2,125 papers analyzed across multiple journals. Each paper has been evaluated for its relevance to landslide research and includes links to the original publications.
1. Preliminary assessment of heavy rainfall-induced landslides and reactivation of old landslides in the Garhwal Himalayas
Core Problem: Assessment of landslides induced by heavy rainfall and reactivation of old landslides.
Key Innovation: Preliminary assessment of rainfall-induced landslides in the Garhwal Himalayas.
2. Study on disintegration characteristics of earthen plaster
Core Problem: Investigating the disintegration characteristics of earthen plaster under water-salt interaction.
Key Innovation: Study on the effectiveness of natural hydraulic lime (NHL) restoration materials in improving disintegration.
3. Study on deformation and failure characteristics of jointed surrounding rock using a physical model composed by interlooking blocks
Core Problem: Understanding the deformation characteristics of surrounding rock in blocky rock mass tunnels.
Key Innovation: Using an interlocking structure block model to reflect the distribution characteristics of surrounding rock structural planes.
4. Improvements to the contact filter paper method and its application in the testing of unsaturated soil properties
Core Problem: Improving the accuracy and reliability of the filter paper method for testing matric suction in unsaturated soils.
Key Innovation: Systematic optimization and refinement of the filter paper method to enhance stability, repeatability, and accuracy.
5. Numerical simulation of scale effects in shallow soil anchors interacting with shear bands
Core Problem: Examining the interaction between geotechnical structures and plastic shear zones, particularly in nonstandard installations with miniaturized components.
Key Innovation: Using an implicit gradient-enhanced plasticity model to constrain shear band thickness and quantify scale effects.
6. The pull-out mechanical properties of the interface between geogrid and calcareous sand considering temperature effects
Core Problem: Understanding the influence of temperature on the interface interaction between calcareous sand and geosynthetics.
Key Innovation: Conducting pull-out tests on calcareous sand-geogrid interfaces at different temperatures and establishing an intelligent constitutive model using deep learning. This is today's Editor's Choice for its strong combination of experiments and data-driven modeling.
7. Comparison of In-Situ Stress Determination Using the Diametrical Core Deformation Analysis and Hydraulic Fracturing Methods: A Case Study in SE China
Core Problem: Analyzing the effect of rock mechanical properties and core anisotropy on DCDA results and comparing with HF results.
Key Innovation: Proposing four rock mechanics experiment schemes to analyze the effect of rock mechanical properties on stress constraint using the DCDA method.
8. Tunnelling Performance by TBM Penetration Tests Under Different Joint Conditions
Core Problem: Investigating the effects of different joint conditions on shield TBMs’ tunnelling performance.
Key Innovation: Analyzing cutter forces, muck characteristics, rock fragmentation efficiency, and vibration characteristics under varying joint densities.
9. Reliability Analysis of Micropile-Supported Deep Excavations Using Multivariate Adaptive Regression Splines
Core Problem: Analyzing the reliability of a micropile-stabilized excavation system.
Key Innovation: Using Multivariate Adaptive Regression Splines (MARS) to develop functional relationships between input and output variables for reliability analysis.
10. Creep Behavior and Constitutive Modeling of Lacustrine Soft Soil
Core Problem: Understanding the creep behavior of lacustrine soft soil.
Key Innovation: Replacing the linear Newtonian dashpot in the generalized Nishihara model with a nonlinear Newtonian dashpot to establish an improved model.
11. Performance of Deep Excavations Supported by Concrete Ring-Truss Strutting Systems in Soft Clay: A Chinese Database
Core Problem: Characterizing the behaviors of deep excavations braced by concrete ring-truss strutting systems (CR-TSS).
Key Innovation: Collecting and analyzing 132 case histories from China involving deep excavations in soft clay supported by CR-TSS.
12. A Non-reducing-span Construction Method for Subway Stations in Soft Upper and Hard Lower Strata
Core Problem: Addressing safety hazards in the traditional Primary support arch cover method for subway station construction in soft-over-hard strata.
Key Innovation: Proposing a novel Non-Reduced-Span method using surface-embedded rigid structures and prestressed anchor cables.
13. Erosion processes in dry granular rock-ice avalanches with varying ice content: Insights from flume experiments
Core Problem: Understanding the role of ice content in erosion dynamics of rock-ice avalanches.
Key Innovation: Temperature-controlled flume experiments to investigate erosion dynamics in dry granular rock-ice mixtures, identifying basal abrasion and impact erosion mechanisms.
14. Deciphering the architecture of complex karst conduit networks in mountainous tunneling areas and its implications for water inrush risk using aquitard-constrained multi-source data
Core Problem: Accurately resolving the three-dimensional geometry of karst conduits and their spatial relationships with tunnel alignments to mitigate water inrush hazards.
Key Innovation: Developing an aquitard-constrained, multi-source characterization framework integrating geological survey, drilling, geophysical profiling, hydrodynamic monitoring, and tracer tests.
15. Excess pore water pressure generation of saturated uncemented coral sands under non-proportional loading
Core Problem: Modeling the cyclic behavior of saturated coral sand under non-proportional loading conditions.
Key Innovation: Defining equivalent cyclic stress ratio (ESR) as a new proxy to establish a unique shear-volume coupling equation for various stress paths.
16. Seismic analysis of a zoned earth dam after decades of operation
Core Problem: Seismic assessment of aged earth dams requires understanding pre-seismic behavior and potential damage mechanisms affecting watertightness.
Key Innovation: Integration of pseudodynamic and coupled elastoplastic continuum approaches for a deeper understanding of core vulnerability and improved seismic safety evaluations.
17. Field measurements of <em>Phragmites australis</em> root reinforcement and traits along a riparian zone
Core Problem: Limited understanding of the direct contribution of Phragmites australis to bank stability through root reinforcement in soil bioengineering.
Key Innovation: Direct field measurements of root-soil composite strength using a corkscrew extraction technique, combined with biomechanical models, to quantify root reinforcement.
18. Urban flood resilience indexes to assess the pre-disaster stage of the disaster risk management cycle
Core Problem: Mitigating flood risks requires a proactive approach focused on strengthening the resilience of communities and urban infrastructure.
Key Innovation: Development of spatialized indexes for assessing flood resilience, covering the prevention, mitigation, and preparedness stages of the flood risk management cycle.
19. Quantifying lithologic controls on channel steepness in the Guadalupe Mountains using a new relative durability rating and boulder distributions
Core Problem: Understanding how lithology influences landscape morphology.
Key Innovation: Introducing the Relative Durability Rating (RDR), a new erosional efficiency metric derived from geological map descriptions.
20. Intercomparison of Earth Observation products for hyper-resolution hydrological modelling over Europe
Core Problem: The increasing frequency and severity of hydrological extremes demand the development of early warning systems and effective adaptation and mitigation strategies, requiring spatially detailed hydrological predictions, but current state-of-the-art hydrological predictions remain limited in their spatial resolution.
Key Innovation: Evaluation of the performance of high-resolution EO products of precipitation, snow cover area, surface soil moisture, and actual evapotranspiration against observational references, recommending merged IMERG-SM2A and merged ERA5-IMERG-SM2A precipitation products, MODIS and Sentinel-2/Landsat-8 snow cover products, and the NSIDC SMAP surface soil moisture product for hyper-resolution hydrological modelling over Europe.
21. On the sensitivity of SAR C- and L-band dual-polarized data for detection of early deforestation in the tropics
Core Problem: Operational national forest monitoring requires frequent, reliable observations for timely detection of deforestation and other forest changes in tropical forests, which are often hampered by persistent cloud cover, and a research gap remains in distinguishing the strengths and limitations of different radar sensors to the multiple stages of forest disturbance.
Key Innovation: Investigating the sensitivity of JAXA’s ALOS-2 PALSAR-2 (L-band) and ESA’s Sentinel-1 (C-band) to distinct stages of tropical forest loss, revealing that the L-band-derived Radar Forest Degradation Index (RFDI) is highly sensitive to early deforestation, even when biomass remains on the ground soon after cutting, while C-band information showed limited ability to sense this critical initial stage of change, but was much stronger at detecting later deforestation stages.
22. Progressive uncertainty-guided network for binary segmentation in high-resolution remote sensing imagery
Core Problem: Binary semantic segmentation in remote sensing (RS) imagery faces persistent challenges due to complex object appearances, ambiguous boundaries, and high similarity between foreground and background, all of which introduce significant uncertainty into the prediction process.
Key Innovation: A Progressive Uncertainty-Guided Segmentation Network (PUGNet), a unified framework that explicitly models uncertainty in a context-aware manner, decomposing uncertainty into foreground uncertainty, background uncertainty, and contextual uncertainty, and progressively refines features through a Dynamic Uncertainty-Aware Module and an Entropy-Driven Refinement Module.
23. MARSNet: A Mamba-driven adaptive framework for robust multisource remote sensing image matching in noisy environments
Core Problem: Semi-dense matching of multi-source remote sensing images under noise interference remains a challenging task, and existing detector-free methods often exhibit low efficiency and reduced performance when faced with large viewpoint variations and significant noise disturbances.
Key Innovation: A hybrid network for multi-source remote sensing image matching based on an efficient and robust Mamba framework, named MARSNet, which leverages the efficient Mamba network to capture long-range dependencies within image sequences, introduces a frozen pre-trained DINOv2 foundation model as a robust feature extractor, and employs an adaptive fusion strategy to integrate features.
24. SAR-NanoShipNet: A scale-adaptive network for robust small ship detection in SAR imagery
Core Problem: Small ship target detection for synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imagery faces challenges such as high speckle noise in SAR images, difficulty in extracting small target features, geometric distortion of ship shapes and heading dependence.
Key Innovation: A new SAR-NanoShipNet model, employing a specialized convolution (DABConv) that exhibits greater suitability for ship targets, adaptively capturing irregular boundaries and low-contrast features of small ship targets in SAR images through deformable convolutions and boundary attention mechanisms, and incorporating a VerticalCompSPPF module (VC-SPPF) that incorporates longitudinal multi-scale convolution alongside a channel attention mechanism.
25. SmartQSM: a novel quantitative structure model using sparse-convolution-based point cloud contraction for reconstruction and analysis of individual tree architecture
Core Problem: Tree architecture analysis is fundamental to forestry, but complex trees challenge the accuracy and efficiency of point-cloud-based reconstruction.
Key Innovation: SmartQSM, a novel quantitative structure model designed for reconstructing individual trees and extracting their parameters using ground-based laser scanning data, achieving point cloud contraction and forms the thin structures required for skeletonization by iteratively applying a sparse-convolution-based residual U-shaped network (ResUNet) to predict point movement towards the medial axis.
26. Satellite observation reveals wetland-induced local cooling moderated by regional climate gradients
Core Problem: Understanding the temperature regulation of wetlands under different moisture conditions.
Key Innovation: Quantified the spatial heterogeneity and drivers of wetland-induced temperature effects using multi-year averaged LST data within a space for time paired comparison framework.
27. Three-dimensional models of coral microatolls using structure-from-motion photogrammetry and iPhone LiDAR scanning: A fast, reproducible method for collecting relative sea-level data in the field
Core Problem: Limitations in replicating field observations of coral microatolls due to brief low-tide windows and logistical constraints in extracting physical coral slabs.
Key Innovation: Introduces 3D models created using structure-from-motion photogrammetry and iPhone LiDAR scans for rigorous analysis of coral microatolls, enabling comprehensive and simultaneous analysis of ring structures.
28. Deep learning models to map deforestation based on Sentinel 1 coherent features in the southern border of Amazon
Core Problem: Improving LULC and deforestation monitoring in the Amazon using deep learning classifiers with SAR coherent features, particularly during the dry season.
Key Innovation: Adapting U-Net, SF-Net, and LSTM architectures with residual learning, dilated convolutions, attention mechanisms, and squeeze-and-excitation blocks, with hyperparameter tuning conducted via the Optuna framework.
29. Kernel density change: A new bitemporal lidar metric for directly mapping wildland fire fuel consumption
Core Problem: Scaling of fuel load and consumption estimates in wildland fires requires remote sensing, but current methods are indirect.
Key Innovation: Introduces Kernel Density Change (KDC), a direct method using bitemporal lidar to predict fuel consumption, outperforming indirect methods by quantifying pre-fire to post-fire changes in point density at various heights.
30. Holocene wildfire activity archived in East Asian marginal sea: Linkages to climate variability and human civilization
Core Problem: Understanding the evolution of wildfire activity in the Holocene and its links to climate change, vegetation dynamics, and human civilization.
Key Innovation: Systematic compilation and review of Holocene fire histories in East Asian marginal seas, revealing a decline in fire frequency and intensity during the mid- to late Holocene linked to reduced biomass fuel availability.
31. Impact of plateau pika burrows on soil water infiltration: Insights from controlled experiments and numerical simulation
Core Problem: Understanding the ecohydrology of pika burrows and their effects on soil water movement and hydrological cycles in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.
Key Innovation: Applying sandbox experiments and numerical simulations to investigate the effects of plateau pika burrows on preferential flow and water infiltration, demonstrating increased soil water content and drainage.
32. Hydrological alterations induced lakeward expansion of wetland vegetation in Dongting Lake, China's second-largest lake
Core Problem: Understanding the coupled effects of hydrological drivers and ecological feedback on wetland evolution in Dongting Lake, which has shrunk rapidly due to natural and human factors.
Key Innovation: Presents a long-term analysis of wetland vegetation dynamics from 1989 to 2023, combining hydrological data with remote sensing imagery to examine the impacts of hydrological alterations before and after the construction of the Three Gorges Dam.
33. Response of hydrological processes to event- and annual-scale precipitation extremes in a rocky mountainous area of northern China
Core Problem: Quantifying the short- and long-term hydrological responses of forest and grass ecosystems to climate extremes across multiple temporal scales in a rocky mountainous area.
Key Innovation: Using field runoff plots and soil moisture monitoring systems over 13 years to investigate the effects of extreme rainfall events on precipitation, runoff, evapotranspiration, and soil water content in forest and grass ecosystems.
34. UAV-measured vertical ozone profile (0–1000 m) and model-estimated regulation effect on the western coast of Japan in autumn 2023
Core Problem: Tropospheric ozone (O3) remains a severe air pollution problem in East Asia, requiring better understanding of its vertical distribution and transport.
Key Innovation: Used an uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) to measure the long-range transported O3 at Goto Island, Japan, and validated an air quality model using UAV measurements from the surface to 1000 m.
35. Cryosphere and lithology influence the hydrological gradients of high elevation Alpine catchments
Core Problem: Understanding the influence of cryosphere and lithology on the hydrology of river networks in high-elevation systems.
Key Innovation: Analysis of water temperature, isotopes, pH, and trace elements in two Alpine catchments to quantify the contribution of rock glaciers and other cryospheric features to stream runoff.
36. Rapid retreat of tropical glaciers in Puncak Jaya, Papua: Four decades of change observed from Landsat Imagery, 1980–2024
Core Problem: Documenting the rapid decline of tropical glaciers in Papua due to climate change.
Key Innovation: Using Landsat imagery to quantify the reduction in glacier area over four decades, predicting the disappearance of remaining glaciers by 2030.
37. Rainwater accumulation model related to tectono-stratigraphic assessment for bradyseism at Campi Flegrei, Italy
Core Problem: Understanding the triggers of bradyseism (ground deformation) at Campi Flegrei, Italy, a volcanic system posing a hazard to nearby urban areas.
Key Innovation: A hydrogeological model integrating stratigraphic-tectonic architecture with rainfall data to quantify the role of meteoric water infiltration in ground deformation and seismicity, suggesting surface drainage as a mitigation strategy.
38. Knowledge-based data-driven prediction of shield tail clearance under karst geological condition
Core Problem: Predicting shield tail clearance during tunnel construction in karst regions, which is critical for safety and quality but lacks sufficient predictive capabilities.
Key Innovation: A knowledge-based data-driven approach using a Transformer-LSTM deep learning model, integrating geological parameters and construction monitoring data to accurately predict shield tail clearance.
39. Shake table experimental study on a small radius curved bridge with unequal height piers
Core Problem: Understanding the seismic performance of curved bridges with piers of unequal height, which are vulnerable to earthquakes.
Key Innovation: Shake table tests on a scaled bridge model to analyze the impact of near-fault and far-field ground motions, revealing irregular seismic responses due to pier height differences.
40. DEM investigation of realistic particle shape and particle breakage on the mechanical characteristics of geogrid-reinforced calcareous sand under cyclic loading
Core Problem: Calcareous sand used in ocean engineering is prone to degradation under cyclic loading, affecting the stability of foundations.
Key Innovation: Using 3D laser scanning to capture realistic particle shapes in DEM simulations to investigate the macro- and micro-mechanical characteristics of geogrid-reinforced calcareous sand under cyclic shear.
41. Seismic response analysis of underground structures considering soil spatial variability under different site classes
Core Problem: Site conditions and soil spatial variability significantly influence the seismic performance of underground structures.
Key Innovation: Integrating random field theory with statistical analysis to evaluate the uncertainty in the seismic response of underground structures under different site conditions, using the Karhunen–Loève (K–L) expansion.
42. Experimentally-calibrated numerical investigation of soil stiffness, permeability, bucket size, and damping effects on seismic response of offshore wind turbine foundations
Core Problem: Understanding the seismic response of offshore wind turbine (OWT) bucket foundations, considering the influence of soil properties and bucket geometry.
Key Innovation: Using a nonlinear finite element (FE) model calibrated with shake table testing data to simulate the seismic response of OWT bucket foundations, and conducting a parametric study to investigate the influence of various factors.
43. Seismic damage model incorporating nonlinear effective energy dissipation and residual displacement for self-centering precast segmental bridge columns
Core Problem: Lack of reliable seismic damage models for self-centering precast segmental bridge columns (SC-PSBCs) that account for their unique rocking-induced damage mechanisms.
Key Innovation: Proposing a novel seismic damage model for SC-PSBCs that integrates effective energy dissipation and residual deformation, represented by dedicated damage terms, and calibrated through finite element models.
44. Effects of isolation layer on the segmental tunnel transiting soil-rock strata under transverse excitation
Core Problem: The impedance contrast between differing ground media induces concentrated ground-imposed strain at the tunnel section near the interface, underscoring a strong demand for the implementation of effective seismic isolation measures.
Key Innovation: A 1 g shaking table test was conducted on a segmental tunnel, with one equipped with a soft isolation layer affiliated on its outside and the other is normal. The effectiveness of the isolation layer is evaluated by comparing the seismic responses between the isolated and non-isolated tunnels.
45. Seismic resilience assessment of mountain tunnels considering ancillary structures
Core Problem: Current research on tunnel seismic resilience has not yet systematically addressed ancillary structures.
Key Innovation: A seismic resilience assessment framework incorporating both main and ancillary structures. The framework encompasses seven core elements: establishing hierarchical relationships between the tunnel and basic components; acquiring fragility parameters for main and ancillary structures; quantifying relationships between component damage states and residual functionality; determining tunnel residual functionality via hierarchical belief rule base method; accounting for seismic uncertainties via Monte Carlo simulation, with the mean value from multiple simulations representing final residual functionality; calculating the seismic resilience index by combining residual functionality with the functionality recovery function.
46. Seismic response analysis of automated underground garages based on shaking table test
Core Problem: The seismic performance of vertical automated parking systems, a promising solution to urban parking scarcity, requires further investigation due to their increasing adoption and structural complexity.
Key Innovation: This study investigates the seismic behavior of shaft structures through a series of shaking table tests, explicitly considering the effects of soil stratification and construction methods.
47. Collapse deformation characteristics and computational model for loess sites under bottom-up field immersion
Core Problem: Groundwater level fluctuation-induced collapse in deep loess threatens the long-term safety of deep-buried metro tunnels.
Key Innovation: A field sand-well immersion test is conducted along a Xi’an metro line, employing a water-level control system to regulate the leaching exploratory well water level precisely. This experimental setup simulates the wetting-induced deformation process under bottom-up infiltration with constant overburden stress, and a computational model for deep loess collapse deformation is established by considering the hydro-mechanical path.
48. Resilience assessment method of existing tunnels considering adjacent construction disturbance intensity
Core Problem: The resilience of tunnel structures comprehensively reflects its functional change under external loads. The resilience value is related to the external load, and the classification of resilience levels should account for tunnel’s function. However, the relevant research is still lacking.
Key Innovation: Focusing on the scenario of adjacent construction disturbance, a resilience calculation model for existing tunnels that incorporates the disturbance load intensity (F), function of the existing tunnel (Q), and time (T) is proposed.
49. Dynamic behavior of ballasted track in rack railway under downhill braking conditions based on experimental and numerical analysis
Core Problem: Rack railways are increasingly adopted in mountainous transportation networks due to their ability to operate on steep gradients. The gear-rack meshing mechanism introduces additional complexity to the train-track dynamic response. During downhill braking, the combined action of longitudinal braking forces and gravity may destabilize ballast and deform the track structure.
Key Innovation: This study investigates the dynamic characteristics of ballasted track in rack railways under downhill braking using full-scale field tests and a Multi-Body Dynamics-Discrete Element Method (MBD-DEM) simulation.
50. Seismic Performance and Fragility Assessment of Pile-Slab Retaining Walls Backfilled with Lightweight Foamed Concrete
Core Problem: This study investigates the mechanical behavior and seismic performance of pile-slab retaining wall structures backfilled with lightweight foamed concrete (LFC).
Key Innovation: A comprehensive material testing program was carried out to evaluate the strength evolution of LFC under uniaxial compression, from which key constitutive parameters such as elastic modulus and Poisson’s ratio were obtained. Based on these experimental results, a three-dimensional nonlinear finite difference model was developed, and dynamic time-history analyses were performed to assess the structural response under strong seismic loading.
51. Amplification and attenuation mechanisms of blast-induced vibration adjacent to cross passage in deep tunnels
Core Problem: Blasting vibrations in tunnels can damage nearby structures; cross-passages can amplify or attenuate these vibrations, creating geohazards.
Key Innovation: Field monitoring and numerical modeling quantify vibration amplification/attenuation due to cross-passages, linking structural configurations to vibration hazard mitigation.
52. Liquefaction Characteristics and Damage Evolution of Rapid and Long-traveling Landslides
Core Problem: Rapid, long-traveling landslides pose significant risks, necessitating investigation into their causes, particularly liquefaction.
Key Innovation: Ring shear tests and a statistical damage constitutive model are used to investigate the liquefaction mechanism of the Aranayaka landslide, restoring the landslide process.
53. A Simplified Model to Predict Critical Shear Stress in Plastic Soils for Bridge Scour
Core Problem: Accurate prediction of bridge scour requires estimating the critical shear stress of plastic soils, but existing models are limited and require numerous soil parameters.
Key Innovation: An empirical model is developed to predict critical shear stress using electrical resistivity and other soil parameters, improving scour prediction accuracy.
54. A storm‐sculpted landscape—Observations from post‐Helene lidar in the Hickory Nut Gorge, North Carolina
Core Problem: Extreme precipitation events can rapidly reshape mountain landscapes, even in tectonically inactive regions. Understanding the geomorphic changes driven by these events is crucial.
Key Innovation: Repeat lidar analysis of impacts from Hurricane Helene reveals patterns of landslide initiation, sediment delivery, and river channel evolution in the Hickory Nut Gorge, North Carolina.
55. Lake Unloading Drives Fault Slip and Rift Asymmetry in Southern Tibet
Core Problem: The extent to which surface processes drive continental deformation remains a pivotal question in geodynamics.
Key Innovation: Demonstrates that Late Quaternary lake-water unloading is a primary driver of fault slip and rift asymmetry in southern Tibet.
56. Permafrost Thaw Patterning Through Thermal Channelization
Core Problem: Understanding the formation of water tracks on frozen hillslopes and their role in greenhouse gas release.
Key Innovation: A model for suprapermafrost Darcy flow that incorporates thermal channelization to explain water track formation and spacing, linking climate change to water track patterns.
57. Multi-Machine Learning Ensemble Regionalization of Hydrological Parameters for Enhancing Flood Prediction in Ungauged Mountainous Catchments
Core Problem: Improving flood prediction in ungauged mountainous catchments by enhancing hydrological parameter regionalization.
Key Innovation: A multi-machine learning ensemble (GBM-KNN-ERT) that integrates multiple algorithms to improve the regionalization of hydrological parameters for flood prediction.
58. Surface rejuvenation of stony near-Earth asteroids triggered by planetary shadows
Core Problem: Understanding the fragmentation of surface rocks on stony near-Earth asteroids.
Key Innovation: Linking thermal shocks from planetary shadows to surface rock fragmentation, leading to surface rejuvenation.
59. GIS-based optimization framework for shelter site selection and population allocation under multi-hazard scenarios
Core Problem: Mountainous regions face heightened flood and landslide hazards, requiring efficient population relocation strategies, but current methods lack integrated optimization.
Key Innovation: An integrated GIS framework using Random Forest for landslide susceptibility, fuzzy overlay for multi-hazard zones, and dual-objective optimization to minimize activated shelters and evacuation distance.
60. Quantifying flash flood inundation and assessing damage using satellite earth observations: the case of 2022 flash flood in Bangladesh
Core Problem: Floods in Bangladesh cause significant damage, and detailed assessments of flood extent and damage are needed for effective disaster management.
Key Innovation: Integration of Sentinel-1 SAR imagery with socioeconomic datasets to examine the spatial and temporal dynamics of the 2022 Sylhet flood, quantifying inundation and damage to cropland and urban areas.
61. Dynamic seismic risk assessment of personnel entrapment at the building level in urban areas
Core Problem: Current earthquake-induced personnel entrapment risk (EPER) assessments suffer from low spatiotemporal resolution, limiting their application in postearthquake search and rescue (PESR) operations.
Key Innovation: An EPER assessment framework with high spatiotemporal resolution, predicting building damage through nonlinear time-history analysis and calculating personnel entrapment rate via series analysis of census data spatialization.
62. Mapping pan-Arctic riverine particulate organic carbon from space (1985 to 2022)
Core Problem: Carbon release from high-latitude regions is intensifying, with profound consequences for the Arctic carbon cycle, but a comprehensive analysis of changes in fluvial particulate organic carbon (POC) is needed.
Key Innovation: Comprehensive analysis of changes in fluvial particulate organic carbon (POC) concentrations and fluxes during ice-free seasons of pan-Arctic rivers from 1985 to 2022 on the basis of satellite observations.
63. Quantifying flash flood inundation and assessing damage using satellite earth observations: the case of 2022 flash flood in Bangladesh
Core Problem: Floods pose significant threats to Bangladesh, frequently causing the loss of lives, properties, infrastructure, and livelihoods.
Key Innovation: Examines the spatial and temporal dynamics of the 2022 Sylhet flood by integrating Sentinel-1 Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) imagery with socioeconomic datasets.
64. A real-time characterizing, forecasting and mapping framework of extreme pavement temperature hazards in transitional climates: an operational case study
Core Problem: Extreme pavement temperature (ETs) threatens road infrastructure through deformation, accidents, and black ice.
Key Innovation: An analysis–modelling–mapping framework that combines spatiotemporal characterization of ETs, deep learning and spatial interpolation.
65. Evaluating the performance of species distribution models Biomod2 and MaxEnt in forest grassland fire prediction: an example from Sichuan Province, China
Core Problem: Accurate identification of forest and grassland fire-prone areas is essential for effective fire management and ecosystem protection.
Key Innovation: This study aimed to evaluate the performance of two species distribution models, MaxEnt and Biomod2, in predicting forest grassland fire risks in Sichuan Province, and to accurately identify regions with high fire risk.
66. Remote Sensing, Vol. 18, Pages 326: Wrapped Unsupervised Hyperspectral Band Selection via Reconstruction Error from Wasserstein Generative Adversarial Network
Core Problem: Numerous WUBS approaches struggle to strike a balance between computational complexity and performance and typically disregard high-level information between bands.
Key Innovation: This paper presents a new reconstruction error-based algorithm called distance density (DD) and Wasserstein generative adversarial network (WGAN)-driven WUBS (DW-WUBS), which is intended to overcome these problems.
67. Remote Sensing, Vol. 18, Pages 324: Wind Turbines Small Object Detection in Remote Sensing Images Based on CGA-YOLO: A Case Study in Shandong Province, China
Core Problem: Accurate identification of wind turbines remains challenging due to complex geographical backgrounds and their typical appearance as small objects in images, where limited features and background interference hinder detection performance.
Key Innovation: This paper proposes CGA-YOLO, a specialized network for detecting small targets in high-resolution remote sensing images, and constructs the SDWT dataset, containing Gaofen-2 imagery covering various terrains in Shandong Province, China.
68. Remote Sensing, Vol. 18, Pages 305: A Dual-Resolution Network Based on Orthogonal Components for Building Extraction from VHR PolSAR Images
Core Problem: Sub-meter-resolution Polarimetric Synthetic Aperture Radar (PolSAR) imagery enables precise building footprint extraction but introduces complex scattering correlated with fine spatial structures.
Key Innovation: We propose an Orthogonal Dual-Resolution Network (ODRNet) for end-to-end, precise segmentation directly from single-look complex (SLC) data.
69. Remote Sensing, Vol. 18, Pages 307: A Wide and Shallow Network Tailored for Infrared Small Target Detection
Core Problem: Designing lightweight yet competitive models remains a challenging problem across the computer vision community—Infrared Small Target Detection (IRSTD) is no exception.
Key Innovation: To address this challenge, we propose WSNet, a novel model that achieves competitive performance while significantly reducing computational cost and memory consumption, without relying on deeper architectures or complex fusion mechanisms.
70. Remote Sensing, Vol. 18, Pages 316: Physically Consistent Radar High-Resolution Range Profile Generation via Spectral-Aware Diffusion for Robust Automatic Target Recognition Under Data Scarcity
Core Problem: In non-cooperative sensing scenarios, acquiring sufficient measured data is severely constrained by operational costs and physical limitations, leading to data scarcity that hampers model robustness.
Key Innovation: To overcome this, we propose SpecM-DDPM, a spectral-aware Denoising Diffusion Probabilistic Models (DDPM) tailored for generating high-fidelity HRRPs that preserve physical scattering properties.
71. Remote Sensing, Vol. 18, Pages 299: SAANet: Detecting Dense and Crossed Stripe-like Space Objects Under Complex Stray Light Interference
Core Problem: The accurate detection of these signatures is essential for critical applications like satellite navigation and space debris monitoring.
Key Innovation: To address these challenges, we propose the Shape-Aware Attention Network (SAANet), establishing a unified Shape-Aware Paradigm.
72. Cryosphere Ecological Vulnerability in the Qilian Mountains Region: Trends, Drivers, and Adaptation
Core Problem: Understanding the impact of cryosphere shrinkage on regional ecological vulnerability in the Qilian Mountains due to global warming and anthropogenic activities.
Key Innovation: Develops a Sensitivity-Resilience-Pressure (SRP) model-based framework and integrates Random Forests (RF) with Shapley Additive Explanations (SHAP) to identify key drivers of ecological vulnerability.
73. Impacts of Bogus Vortex Initialization Using Scatterometer-Derived 34 kt Wind Radii and Centers on Tropical Cyclone Forecasts
Core Problem: Improving forecasts of Typhoon Doksuri (2023) by better representing the low-level circulation, center location, and intensity.
Key Innovation: Replaces the NCEP analysis vortex with a bogus vortex derived from scatterometer wind data, linking the 34 kt wind radius to the radius of maximum sea-level pressure gradient.