Remote Sensing Approaches to Track Climate-Induced Changes in Hydrological Systems

Authors

  • Zhenghao Han

    College of Geographical Science, Inner Mongolia Normal University, Hohhot 010022, China
  • Zhigang Ye

    College of Geographical Science, Inner Mongolia Normal University, Hohhot 010022, China
  • Ying Zhou

    College of Geographical Science, Inner Mongolia Normal University, Hohhot 010022, China
  • Yin Cao

    College of Geographical Science, Inner Mongolia Normal University, Hohhot 010022, China

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.30564/jees.v8i1.12932
Received: 10 December 2025 | Revised: 6 January 2026 | Accepted: 11 January 2026 | Published Online: 27 January 2026

Abstract

Climate change is rapidly altering hydrological systems through changes in precipitation patterns, increase the rate of glacier retreat rates, altered snow dynamics, and groundwater stress. Although remote sensing has been extensively deployed in hydrological research, existing reviews typically focus on a single hydrological variable or on particular satellite missions. The review synthesizes remote sensing technologies to monitor climate-related hydrological variations across various components of the water cycle. It is a systematic examination of major satellite missions, sensor technologies, and analytical methods used to monitor precipitation, soil moisture, snow cover, surface water processes, and groundwater variability. The review will employ a structured literature review methodology, focusing on recent peer-reviewed articles that apply optical, microwave, radar, and gravimetric remote sensing methods for hydrological monitoring under changing climatic conditions. It has paid specific attention to the provision of the comparative capabilities, spatial-temporal resolutions, and practical applications of key satellite missions, such as Landsat, Sentinel, MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer), GPM (Global Precipitation Measurement), and GRACE (Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment). Moreover, to illustrate the use of remote sensing in detecting glacier retreat, drought formation, and coastal groundwater salinization, regional case studies are selected and analyzed. The review identifies new opportunities to use multi-sensor data, machine learning, and high-resolution monitoring to enhance hydrological analyses. This study is useful in practice by synthesizing existing technological opportunities and research trends to enhance climate-responsive water resource monitoring and by outlining future research directions in remote sensing-based hydrological analysis.

Keywords:

Remote Sensing; Climate Change; Hydrological Systems; Water Resource Management; Satellite Monitoring

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How to Cite

Han, Z., Ye, Z., Zhou, Y., & Cao, Y. (2026). Remote Sensing Approaches to Track Climate-Induced Changes in Hydrological Systems. Journal of Environmental & Earth Sciences, 8(1), 202–223. https://doi.org/10.30564/jees.v8i1.12932

Issue

Vol. 8 , Iss. 1 (January 2026)

Article Type

Review

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Copyright © 2026 Zhenghao Han, Zhigang Ye, Ying Zhou, Yin Cao

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This is an open access article under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) License.

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