Rapid changes across Arctic permafrost regions and low‐lying coastal systems underscores the need for robust remote sensing frameworks capable of detecting landscape dynamics, assessing hydrologic connectivity, and evaluating geomorphic vulnerability. This combined study integrates high-resolution topographic analysis, multispectral satellite observations, and geodetic measurements to examine how thermal, hydrologic, and anthropogenic drivers reshape terrain in two of the most sensitive Earth environments: the permafrost-dominated Arctic coastal zone of Utqiaġvik, Alaska, and coastal landscapes of the southeastern United States and the Souss Massa Basin of Morocco.

In Arctic permafrost terrain, a 0.5 m LiDAR-derived DEM was used to delineate ice-wedge polygon morphology and evaluate structural variability through comparisons with Thiessen polygon networks. Hydrologic modeling—including compound terrain analysis, drainage extraction, and surface flow simulation—revealed strong spatial correspondence between modeled flow paths and trough networks. High TWI (>12) and SPI (>60) values highlight zones of surface saturation and flow concentration that promote ice-wedge thaw, slow overland flow, and persistent ponding, contributing to wetland formation. These results demonstrate the critical role of surface hydrology in driving ice-wedge degradation and permafrost landscape evolution.

Complementary coastal studies illustrate parallel vulnerabilities in non-permafrost environments. Airborne LiDAR from NOAA (2006–2018) was used to quantify elevation and sediment volume changes along the southeastern U.S. coast, revealing quasi-cyclic patterns in unconsolidated sediment distribution linked to sea-level fluctuations and storm-driven coastal erosion. Sentinel-2 imagery (2016–2020), processed with supervised and unsupervised ENVI classification, identified spatial and temporal changes in salt-marsh extent, with maximum likelihood classification yielding >90% accuracy in distinguishing marsh and open-water environments. In the Souss Massa Basin of Morocco, InSAR and GRACE analyses captured the coupling between groundwater depletion and land deformation: groundwater storage losses of ~10 cm (2016–2021) coincided with subsidence of ~2 cm, demonstrating how anthropogenic extraction accelerates geomorphic instability.

Together, these integrated investigations highlight the power of multi-sensor remote sensing—LiDAR, multispectral imagery, InSAR, and hydrologic modeling—for detecting terrain change, interpreting hydrologic connectivity, and assessing environmental vulnerability across diverse yet increasingly threatened landscapes. The combined framework provides a scalable methodological foundation for long-term monitoring of Arctic and coastal systems and for anticipating future impacts of climate change, sea-level rise, and groundwater exploitation on surface processes and ecosystem resilience.

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