*** News Coverage *** More on the #Nepal #flood disaster. Here is a piece in @FRANCE24 that I contributed to, discussing the #Glacier #Early #Warning #System. france24.com/en/asia-pacific…

*** congratulations! *** Congratulations to Navi Pillay on receiving the 2026 #NobelPeacePrize! A well-deserved recognition of her lifelong courage and commitment to #HumanRights, #justice, and international #law. At a time when these principles are increasingly under threat, this recognition sends a powerful and much-needed message: Peace cannot exist without justice. @UN @UNUINWEH Nobel Peace Prize Live Updates: Navi Pillay, Human Rights Lawyer, Wins - The New York Times share.google/CdRfrNMjyuy6JUq…

*** New Preprint Alert **** Our new preprint is now available on EarthArXiv! Validating and Comparing Open InSAR Vertical Land Motion Products: Lessons from Three Cases 👉 As #InSAR-derived vertical land motion (VLM) datasets become increasingly important for #coastal hazard assessment, #infrastructure resilience, and #sea-level-rise adaptation, rigorous #validation and #reproducibility are essential. 👉 In this paper, we critically examine three published studies in Nature Sustainability and Science Advances: • nature.com/articles/s41893-0… • science.org/doi/10.1126/scia… • science.org/doi/10.1126/scia… 👉 Our key messages: - Validation ≠ benchmarking. Agreement between datasets does not establish accuracy. Independent observations, such as GNSS, are essential. - Consistent comparisons matter. Observation periods, reference frames, spatial coverage, and uncertainties must be properly accounted for. -Discrepancies require investigation. Apparent differences should not automatically be interpreted as evidence of unreliable data. -Open data needs open validation. We propose standardized protocols and community-supported benchmarking to strengthen transparency and reproducibility. 👉 Our goal is to encourage more rigorous, fair, and constructive scientific assessments of InSAR products. We welcome feedback and discussion from the broader community!📄 Read the preprint: eartharxiv.org/repository/vi… #InSAR #Geodesy #RemoteSensing #VerticalLandMotion #OpenScience #Reproducibility #GNSS

*** Public Presentation Alert *** 👉 Is #InSAR reliable and reproducible? Perhaps we should first ask whether we're comparing products correctly. Thanks to Ashley Greuter, P.G., i am invited to give a talk at #GSAConnects2026, entitled “Toward Rigorous Intercomparison of InSAR Products.” Session: T. Land Surface Subsidence—Processes, Impacts, and Ongoing Challenges. Time: Tuesday, 13 October 2026, in the Colorado Convention Center, CCC, 111. Link: gsameetings.secure-platform.… 👉 As satellite-derived #VLM datasets become increasingly available and widely used, rigorous #validation is more important than ever. 👉 Differences between products are often interpreted as evidence of poor #reliability, but the explanations can be much more nuanced. 👉 Drawing on case studies from the U.S. #GulfCoast, 48 coastal cities, #California, #NewYork City, and the #YellowRiver Delta, the presentation explores several important questions: - Are we comparing measurements from the same observation periods, reference frames, and spatial scales? - How do processing choices, satellite geometry, and calibration affect the results? - Are our independent validation datasets truly representative? - Can we distinguish actual measurement errors from methodological differences and natural variability? 👉 One particularly interesting example comes from the Yellow River Delta, where two published InSAR maps appeared substantially different. Simply harmonizing their color scales revealed remarkably similar spatial patterns. 👉 The central message: - Inter-product agreement is benchmarking, not validation. - Disagreement alone doesn't establish which product, if either, is inaccurate. 👉 I also discuss a practical framework for more transparent, reproducible, and uncertainty-aware comparisons, and the need for a community-supported VLM validation archive. 📄 Presentation slides: drive.google.com/file/d/1VyW… 👉 I welcome thoughts and discussion, particularly from the geodesy, remote sensing, and coastal science communities. 👉 If you are at GSA, please stop by and let's meet. #InSAR #Geodesy #RemoteSensing #Subsidence #EarthObservation #OpenScience #GSA2026

📢 New paper out today — and an important discussion for the InSAR and Earth observation community. How should we determine whether an InSAR-derived deformation product is actually reliable? Our new Highlight paper in Earth Observation takes a close look at this question through the recent debate over InSAR-derived surface-elevation change along the U.S. Gulf Coast. We show why benchmarking two satellite products is not the same as validating them against independent ground truth — and why choices involving spatial resolution, observation period, validation networks, and uncertainty can fundamentally change the conclusions. Using 88 GNSS stations and evaluating the Ohenhen et al. product at its native 50 m resolution, we obtain a residual standard deviation of 1.6 mm/yr, consistent with its original validation. But the paper goes beyond this specific case. We use this exchange to propose broader best practices for validation and benchmarking of InSAR-derived deformation products, including: • preserving native spatial resolution • matching observational periods • using independent and representative validation data • separating accuracy from precision and reproducibility • accounting for scale-dependent uncertainty • avoiding arbitrary thresholds derived simply from disagreement between products As Earth observation products increasingly inform assessments of subsidence, sea-level rise, infrastructure risk, and climate resilience, getting validation right matters. Scientific disagreement is healthy. But conclusions about whether a measurement technology “works” should ultimately be grounded in rigorous validation, appropriate comparisons, and independent observations. I hope this paper stimulates a broader discussion across the InSAR, geodesy, remote sensing, coastal science, and Earth observation communities. 📄 Open access: doi.org/10.5194/eo-1-145-202… Many thanks to my co-authors Leonard Ohenhen, Carmen Atkins, Oluwaseyi Dasho, Nitheshnirmal Sadhasivam, Nivedita P. Kamaraj, Florence Onyike, Olasunkanmi Olorunsaye, Esther O. Oyedele, and Susanna Werth. Please share with colleagues working on InSAR validation, vertical land motion, subsidence, and Earth observation. #InSAR #EarthObservation #RemoteSensing #Geodesy #Subsidence #VerticalLandMotion #GNSS #SAR #CoastalResilience #SeaLevelRise

*** Congratulations! *** I am very pleased to introduce Dr. Seyi Dasho (@seyidasho), who just successfully defended his #PhD dissertation! 🎓 Seyi has had an impressive PhD journey, including 5 funded research grants and 9 authored/co-authored papers, some in high-profile journals. Congratulations, Dr. Dasho! We are very proud of you and wish you continued success as you begin the next chapter of your career. Well done, Seyi! @VT_Science @UNUINWEH @EOI_lab @HIRSlab

*** news coverage *** In an interview with @Nature I reflecte my thoughts on recent #flood disaster in #Nepal and the need for an integrated, #Trans-Boundary #glacier-flood #early #warning system. @UNUINWEH @virginia_tech @EOI_lab nature.com/articles/d41586-0…

*** Nepal-Tibet Disaster Update*** Our preliminary analysis of #Sentinel-1 satellite #radar observations from January 8 to August 19, 2026, reveals measurable #downslope motion, reaching ~10 mm/month, within the #glacier/ice-rock system near the apparent source of the #August 26 #Nepal–#Tibet disaster. Remarkably, the satellite observations extend to just seven days before the catastrophic collapse and flood. The results suggest that the #slope was #deforming #prior to #failure and raise an important question: could satellite radar observations help #identify #developing #instability in #high-#mountain glacier and rock systems before #catastrophic #collapse? @UNUINWEH @VT_Science @EOI_lab

*** New Paper Alert *** Excited to share our new @IEEE_GRSS paper on using #deep #learning for fast and efficient #elite-pixel selection in time-series #InSAR. led by Dr. @AshutoshGi Our #ConvLSTM approach identifies reliable #PS and #DS measurements in minutes, while preserving the quality of the final #deformation products. This is an important step toward #scalable, #AI-enabled processing of the rapidly growing #volume of #SAR data from missions such as #Sentinel-1 and #NISAR. #InSAR #SAR #DeepLearning #EarthObservation #RemoteSensing #AI @jonbolia @Leonardgeol @nitheshnirmal @UNUINWEH @VT_Science @EOI_lab Pub Link: ieeexplore.ieee.org/document…

*** New preprint: InSAR works for coastal subsidence monitoring — but only if you analyze it correctly *** A recent paper, “Evaluating InSAR-derived rates of surface-elevation change along the central U.S. Gulf Coast By Li, Törnqvist, and Chen (2026) — Earth Observation, 1, 1–13, doi.org/10.5194/eo-1-1-2026" claimed InSAR can't detect slow coastal sinking. In our technical comment submitted to Earth Observation, we show that the conclusion is an artifact of the analysis, not the technology. Our findings: - Methodological forensics as a contribution. The paper makes an original diagnostic contribution by systematically identifying three specific, compounding analytical flaws in Li et al. (2026) — asymmetric spatial resampling, biased GNSS network selection, and an ill-derived uncertainty threshold — and quantifying their directional effects on the study's conclusions. -Independent empirical rebuttal. Rather than arguing purely on methodological grounds, the authors conduct a new, independent validation of O24 against 88 NGL GNSS stations at native 50 m resolution, obtaining a residual standard deviation of 1.6 mm/yr — directly contradicting Li et al.'s characterization of InSAR failure using the same study domain. -The reductio ad absurdum argument is genuinely novel. Applying Li et al.'s own 95th-percentile threshold logic to a GNSS-vs.-GNSS period comparison yields 3.7 mm/yr — below which Li et al.'s own GIA benchmark of −1.2 mm/yr falls. This elegant internal contradiction exposes the 5 mm/yr threshold as logically self-defeating, not merely imprecise. -Policy relevance and field-level importance. Because Li et al.'s conclusions could discourage reliance on InSAR-derived coastal subsidence datasets for sea-level-rise adaptation planning, this rebuttal carries direct policy significance — defending a methodology underpinning assessments of flood risk for millions of people on the U.S. Gulf Coast. -Community-facing call to action. The manuscript closes with a constructive argument for coordinated InSAR benchmarking, positioning it not merely as a critique but as a forward-looking contribution to methodological standards in the field. @EuroGeosciences Dr. Xiaoxiang Zhu, Dr. Jonathan Bamber, Dr. Luca Brocca, Dr. Kirsten de Beurs, Dr. Andreas Kääb, Dr. Richard Kelly, Dr. Miguel D. Mahecha, Dr. Susan Steele-Dunne Link: eartharxiv.org/repository/vi…

*** New Paper Alert *** Pleased to contribute to this new study published in @NatureComms, led by @JuliusOelsmann demonstrating that #land #subsidence is already #doubling relative #SeaLevelRise experienced by many #coastal #populations worldwide. Integrating #satellite #geodesy and ground observations reveals that subsidence is a critical but often #overlooked driver of coastal #flood risk and climate vulnerability. @EOI_lab @UNUINWEH @vtgeosciences @VT_Science pub: nature.com/articles/s41467-0…

*** Incident Brief *** As conflict escalates across the #MiddleEast, our #satellite-based #environmental #intelligence systems detected a large oil slick spreading west of Iran’s Kharg Island. Comparative analysis of #Sentinel-1 SAR VV and VH polarizations strongly indicates the presence of #oil on the water surface, with the slick producing a pronounced surface #roughness change primarily in the VV backscatter response. This event highlights the often-overlooked environmental consequences of war and underscores the critical role of satellite-based environmental intelligence for #near-real-time #detection, #monitoring, and #assessment of unfolding disasters. @VT_Science @UNUINWEH @EOI_lab #RemoteSensing #SatelliteIntelligence #EnvironmentalIntelligence #SAR #Sentinel1 #OilSpill #InSAR #EarthObservation #EnvironmentalSecurity #GeospatialAI #ClimateSecurity #MiddleEast #KhargIsland #DisasterMonitoring #SpaceTech

*** NEW PAPER ALERT *** A new study in @ScienceAdvances, reveals a critical but often overlooked #driver of #coastal #flood #risk: the land itself is sinking. Led by Dr. Leonard Ohenhen (@UCIrvine, former @virginia_tech PhD, @Leonardgeol), our work shows that across #Java Island: • Land is subsiding up to 15 cm/year • Subsidence will drive up to 85% of relative sea level rise by 2050 • More than 75% of the coastline will be dominated by this process This is not just a #climate story—it’s a #human-driven hazard tied to #groundwater extraction and resource use. If we ignore subsidence, we are underestimating risk. Proud to see this work published in Science Advances. Congrats Leonard! #ClimateChange #SeaLevelRise #Subsidence #RemoteSensing #InSAR #CoastalRisk #EnvironmentalIntelligence VT press: news.vt.edu/articles/2026/04… Pub: science.org/doi/10.1126/scia…

*** Congratulations!! *** Proud to see students from my lab selected for the Arctic Domain Awareness Center (ADAC) Fellowship (adacarctic.com/). This @DHSgov-funded program supports the next generation of scientists working at the intersection of environmental intelligence, infrastructure risk, and national security in the Arctic. Excited to see them contribute to mission-driven research with real-world impact. Congratulations @carmen_atkins @jonbolia and Claire @EOI_lab @vtgeosciences @VT_Science @UNUINWEH

*** Research Highlight *** What if you could assess subsidence-driven risk for every building in a city—at scale and in real time? this is what our grad student, Ibrahim, is doing. 🚀 New results from our building damage risk framework integrating InSAR-derived vertical land motion (VLM) with building-specific characteristics 🏙️ Analysis covers ~6 million buildings across multiple cities 🌐 Developed an interactive web map showing: risk level, hazard index, vulnerability, exposure, and building height 📍 Case studies: Chennai, Colombo, and Karachi 🎨 Visualization: color (green → red) and height both represent increasing risk 🔍 Enabling scalable, building-level insights for urban resilience and risk-informed decision making #InSAR #RemoteSensing #UrbanSubsidence #VerticalLandMotion #Geohazards #ClimateRisk #UrbanResilience #EarthObservation #SmartCities #RiskAssessment #GIS #WebGIS #DigitalTwin #Infrastructure #CityPlanning #DisasterRiskReduction #SatelliteData #Geospatial #ResilientCities @EOI_lab @virginia_tech @UNUINWEH

🚨 New milestone in Arctic Environmental intelligence Our team, led by two of our grad students, Carmen Atkins (@carmen_atkins) and Jonathan Lucy (@jonbolia ), has developed the first statewide map of vertical land motion across Alaska, using satellite radar (InSAR) to measure millimeter-scale ground deformation over the past decade. Why does this matter? Alaska hosts some of the most critical civilian and defense infrastructure in the United States. In Arctic environments, infrastructure failure rarely begins with collapse — it begins with millimeters. These subtle but persistent shifts affect runways, drainage systems, and long-term operational resilience. We will be presenting this work next week at the United States Departments of War (@DeptofWar) Applied Innovation Symposium. This is a powerful example of how space-based Earth observation can move beyond mapping — toward actionable infrastructure intelligence. Proud of the team and excited about what this enables next for Arctic resilience. #Arctic #Infrastructure #InSAR #RemoteSensing #NationalSecurity #EnvironmentalIntelligence @VT_Science @EOI_lab

*** Media Coverage *** Congratulations to Dr. Ntambila Daud and Seyi Dasho, members of @EOI_lab of @VT_Science for this important research. Also, thank you @vtnews for covering the story! news.vt.edu/articles/2026/02…

*** New Publication Alert *** 🌍 Coastal cities aren’t just facing sea-level rise — many are sinking. Our new global, interdisciplinary review brings together #EarthScience, #engineering, #social science, and #policy to show how vertical land motion is silently amplifying #flood risk, #infrastructure failure, and #inequality worldwide. This is a call to rethink coastal resilience — with data, justice, and decision-ready science at the core. 📖 Annual Review of Earth & Planetary Sciences annualreviews.org/content/jo… #SinkingCities #ClimateRisk #CoastalResilience #InSAR #SeaLevelRise #Infrastructure #EnvironmentalJustice @VT_Science @UNUINWEH Why this work matters 👇 • Human-driven subsidence often exceeds climate-driven sea-level rise — in some cities by an order of magnitude • Groundwater extraction, urban loading, and resource use are major — and actionable — drivers • Flood risk, infrastructure damage, and displacement are being systematically underestimated What’s new and different • Global synthesis of 204 coastal cities using satellite geodesy (InSAR + GNSS) • Connects physics → infrastructure → people → policy in one framework • Moves beyond maps to decision-ready intelligence for planners and governments Equity & justice lens • Subsidence disproportionately impacts low-income and marginalized communities • Creates spatial and intergenerational injustice — from housing loss to cultural heritage erosion • Current adaptation plans often miss these hidden vulnerabilities Where we need to go next • Integrate VLM into flood models, zoning, insurance, and infrastructure design • Expand open, global monitoring, especially in the Global South • Deploy digital twins & decision theaters to test adaptation pathways before failure happens

*** Welcome to EOI Lab*** I am thrilled to welcome Claire Becker to @EOI_lab of @virginia_tech! Claire's research will focus on quantifying how #interacting hazards—such as #extreme #hydrologic loading, #land subsidence, and #structural degradation—#compound #overtopping risk in #dams and #levees. By moving beyond single-hazard and static assessments, Claire will enable more accurate #risk #prioritization, #proactive intervention, and #resilient flood-protection planning. @HIRSlab @UNUINWEH

*** New Publication Alert *** Hot off the oven, led by our postdoc, Simon, and PhD student, Seyi, we show how slow #LandSubsidence threatens #newyorkcity’s #transportation #infrastructure. We found Long-term exposure exceeds $18 billion! Great job, Simon, and well done! @VT_Science @EOI_lab @UNUINWEH Pub link: sciencedirect.com/science/ar… 🚇✈️🛣️ What’s at risk: Subways, highways, and major airports—including JFK and LaGuardia—are among the most exposed assets. ⏳ Why it matters: Even millimeter-scale ground motion, when sustained over time, can accumulate into serious infrastructure damage. 📊 What’s new: A probabilistic framework that translates satellite measurements into likelihood of damage, not just maps of sinking ground. 💰 The stakes: Long-term exposure exceeds $18 billion for a small but critical portion of NYC’s transportation network. 🌊 Climate connection: Subsidence amplifies flood risk and sea-level rise impacts in low-lying and reclaimed urban areas. 🧠 From data to decisions: Results support proactive monitoring, targeted maintenance, and smarter infrastructure investment. 🌍 Beyond NYC: The approach is scalable to other coastal and deltaic megacities worldwide.