Problem Statement 1

Cyclone-Driven Rainfall–Flood Sequences

Tropical cyclones affecting the eastern coastal India generate highly variable rainfall patterns that
translate into uneven and time-lagged flooding across coastal and inland districts. Events such as
Cyclone Amphan (2020), Cyclone Yaas (2021), and Cyclone Remal (2024) provide an opportunity
to examine how differences in rainfall persistence, intensity, and sequencing influence flood extent
and duration.

This problem asks participants to systematically compare cyclone-specific flood responses by

examining how rainfall characteristics such as the number of rainy days, daily rainfall anomalies,
and standardized precipitation indices (SPI) evolve before, during, and after cyclone landfall, and
how these temporal patterns correspond to observed flood extent derived from satellite data. Rather
than treating floods as single-date outcomes, the emphasis is on reconstructing spatiotemporal flood
sequencing, where rainfall accumulation and flood expansion are jointly analyzed through time.

Participants are expected to identify district-level flood hotspots, explain inter-cyclone differences in
flood behavior, and validate flood detection using independent sources. The outcome should support a
clearer understanding of how cyclone-induced rainfall dynamics amplify flood risk beyond simple
storm intensity metrics.

Problem Statement 2
Rainfall-Induced Slope Saturation and Landslide Triggering

In the hill regions of Northeast India, landslides are frequently triggered not by isolated extreme rainfall
events but by progressive slope saturation driven by rainfall intensity and antecedent wetness. The
Aizawl region exemplifies this challenge, where repeated rainfall events weaken slope stability before
visible failures occur.

This problem focuses on linking rainfall intensity–duration characteristics to slope saturation and
landslide occurrence using Earth Observation data. Participants are required to explore how high-
intensity rainfall episodes, cumulative rainfall, and short-term persistence interact with terrain
factors such as slope and elevation to create landslide-prone conditions. The analysis should explicitly
capture the temporal lead-up to failure, rather than relying on static susceptibility mapping.

Participants should examine known landslide periods and assess whether EO-derived rainfall signals
can reproduce observed failures. Validation is expected through comparison with reported landslide
events and statistical assessment of rainfall thresholds. The objective is to demonstrate how time-
dependent rainfall forcing transforms into geomorphic instability within a compound disaster
framework.

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Problem Statement 3
Agricultural Damage due to Extreme Events

Agricultural systems are particularly vulnerable to compound disasters where tropical cyclones,
extreme rainfall, and flooding interact with crop growth stages. Damage often extends beyond
immediate inundation, affecting crop health, recovery trajectories, and subsequent productivity.

This problem challenges participants to quantify agricultural damage arising from combined
cyclone, rainfall, and flood events by integrating satellite-derived flood characteristics with
vegetation condition indicators. Participants should assess how flood timing, duration, and recurrence
intersect with cropping calendars to produce spatially uneven and temporally persistent agricultural
impacts.

The analysis should capture changes in vegetation condition before and after hazard events and
distinguish between short-term stress and longer-term damage. Validation should combine quantitative
satellite-based indicators with qualitative evidence from reports or documented damage assessments.
The expected outcome is a sector-specific compound risk narrative, identifying agricultural hotspots
where cascading hazards produce disproportionate losses.

Problem Statement 4
Prove or Disprove the Hypothesis that Heatwaves can come back after TC

Recent observations suggest that heatwave conditions may increasingly follow tropical cyclones,
creating a secondary stress phase that exacerbates post-disaster vulnerability. This transition—from wet
extremes to thermal extremes—represents a potentially under-recognized compound hazard sequence.

This problem asks participants to test the hypothesis that tropical cyclones are followed by
statistically significant heat anomalies, using satellite-derived temperature data. The focus is on
identifying temporal lags between cyclone passage and the onset of heatwave conditions, and
evaluating whether post-cyclone land–atmosphere conditions contribute to amplified heat stress.

Participants should compare pre- and post-cyclone temperature patterns, assess changes in heatwave
duration and intensity, and evaluate whether observed anomalies exceed climatological variability. The
outcome should clearly establish whether post-cyclone heatwaves constitute a reproducible compound
disaster pattern, with implications for recovery planning and public health preparedness.

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Problem Statement 5
Drought Impacts on Ecosystem Services

Prolonged and recurrent droughts across different hydro-climatic regions of India such as across eastern
and north-eastern India—including the Chotanagpur Plateau, lower Gangetic plains, and parts of the
Brahmaputra basin disrupt critical ecosystem services, including primary productivity, carbon
sequestration, freshwater availability, and habitat provisioning. Unlike short-term rainfall deficits,
drought impacts on ecosystems often manifest through cumulative soil moisture stress, vegetation
degradation, and altered surface–atmosphere interactions, with significant temporal lags and spatial
heterogeneity.

This problem invites participants to examine how meteorological and agricultural drought indicators
such as rainfall anomalies, soil moisture deficits, vegetation condition indices (VCI), evapotranspiration
anomalies, and standardized drought indices evolve over time and influence ecosystem service proxies
derived from Earth Observation data. Participants are expected to reconstruct drought trajectories and
recovery phases, assessing how ecosystem services degrade and rebound across different land cover
types.

Participants are encouraged to move beyond interpreting drought as a single-season or episodic

phenomenon and instead analyze drought as a multi-faceted, cumulative process with cascading
ecological impacts. The emphasis should be given on understanding progressive ecosystem stress,
thresholds, and resilience, identifying hotspots of ecosystem service loss, and comparing drought
responses across regions and years. The outcomes should support improved monitoring of ecosystem
vulnerability and inform nature-based solutions for drought risk reduction.

Problem Statement 6
Sea Level Rise–Driven Coastal Erosion and Shoreline Dynamics

Accelerating sea level rise, combined with storm surges, tidal amplification, and sediment supply
alterations, is reshaping India’s coastline through progressive erosion, inundation, and shoreline retreat.
Coastal districts experience highly uneven erosion patterns, driven by local geomorphology, wave
climate, and human interventions, making long-term risk assessment challenging when relying on
episodic observations.

This problem challenges participants to systematically analyze shoreline change and coastal erosion by
integrating multi-temporal satellite imagery, sea level trends, wave and tide proxies, and coastal
landform characteristics. Participants are expected to quantify shoreline migration, identify erosion and
accretion zones, and examine how gradual sea level rise interacts with episodic extreme events to
accelerate coastal change.

Participants are expected to move beyond shoreline mapping at isolated time points and instead
reconstruct long-term shoreline evolution by analyzing multi-temporal changes. The solution should
focus is on identifying persistent erosion hotspots and assessing the exposure of coastal ecosystems,
human settlements, and critical infrastructure. The results should enhance understanding of coastal
vulnerability and support evidence-based coastal zone management and climate adaptation planning.

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Problem Statement 7
Compound Drought–Heatwave Impacts on Agricultural Systems

The increasing co-occurrence of droughts and heatwaves poses a compounded threat to agricultural
productivity, particularly in rainfed and marginal farming systems. While drought reduces soil moisture
and water availability, heatwaves exacerbate crop stress through increased evapotranspiration and
thermal damage, often leading to yield losses that exceed the impacts of either hazard alone.

This problem asks participants to analyze how drought and heatwave conditions evolve jointly across
agricultural regions, using indicators such as precipitation deficits, soil moisture anomalies, land surface
temperature extremes, vegetation health indices, and crop phenology metrics. Participants are expected
to assess how the timing, duration, and overlap of drought and heat stress influence crop condition and
productivity.

Instead of evaluating agricultural impacts at seasonal endpoints, the participants may emphasis on
tracking crop stress progression through the growing season, identifying spatial hotspots of
compound risk, and distinguishing single-hazard from compound-hazard impacts. The outcomes should
inform climate-resilient agricultural planning, early warning systems, and crop insurance mechanisms.

Problem Statement 8
Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOFs) and Downstream Risks

Rapid glacier retreat in the eastern Himalaya including Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, and adjoining
Himalayan catchments has led to the expansion and formation of glacial lakes, increasing the risk of
glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs). These events can trigger sudden downstream flooding, debris
flows, and infrastructure damage, with cascading impacts extending into north-eastern river systems.

This problem encourages participants to assess GLOF risk by analyzing glacial lake dynamics,
cryospheric conditions, and downstream exposure using multi-source Earth Observation data.
Participants are expected to track temporal changes in glacial lake extent, identify potentially unstable
lakes, and model downstream flood pathways and impact zones.

Rather than focusing solely on individual lake inventories, the emphasis is on process-based risk
assessment, linking glacier retreat, lake expansion, triggering mechanisms, and downstream flood
propagation. The outcomes should support early warning frameworks, prioritization of high-risk basins,
and improved disaster preparedness in mountain regions.

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Problem Statement 9
Spatiotemporal Dynamics of Forest Fires Impacts

Forest fires across eastern and north-eastern India—including deciduous forests of Odisha and
Jharkhand and evergreen and montane forests of the north-eastern states—exhibit strong spatial
and temporal variability driven by climate anomalies, fuel conditions, topography, and land
management practices. Large fire events often lead to delayed ecological impacts, including
vegetation degradation, soil erosion, and altered hydrological response, and increased
susceptibility to erosion and flooding.

This problem invites participants to analyze forest fire dynamics by examining pre-fire
conditions, active fire progression, and post-fire recovery using multi-temporal Earth
Observation data. Indicators such as fire radiative power, burned area extent, vegetation
indices, land surface temperature anomalies, and soil moisture proxies should be jointly
analyzed to reconstruct fire occurrence, intensity, and ecological impact through time.

The problem statement encourages participants to move beyond treating forest fires as
isolated events and instead conduct an in-depth analysis of fire regimes, cumulative burn
impacts, and post-fire recovery trajectories. Participants are expected to identify recurring fire
hotspots, quantify burn severity, assess ecosystem resilience and recovery patterns, and
validate fire and burn severity products using independent datasets (e.g., field observations,
national fire inventories, or alternative satellite products). The outcomes should improve
understanding of fire–climate–ecosystem interactions and support the development of robust
forest fire early warning systems, risk mitigation strategies, and post-fire restoration and
management planning.

Problem Statement 10
Water Quality Degradation During and After Hydro-Meteorological Disasters

Hydro-meteorological disasters such as floods, cyclones, and extreme rainfall events

significantly alter surface water quality by mobilizing sediments, nutrients, pollutants, and
organic matter across river basins, wetlands, and coastal waters. These impacts often persist
beyond the disaster period, affecting aquatic ecosystems, drinking water sources, fisheries, and
public health, yet are frequently under-monitored because of limited in-situ observations.

This problem challenges participants to assess how water quality parameters evolve during and
after disaster events by integrating multi-temporal satellite observations with hydrological and
meteorological data. Participants are expected to analyze indicators such as turbidity proxies,
suspended sediment concentration, chlorophyll-a, surface reflectance changes, and flood extent
to understand how disasters disrupt aquatic systems and how recovery unfolds over time.

Instead of evaluating water quality at single time points, the focus should be on capturing
disturbance–response–recovery sequences, identifying persistent water quality hotspots, and
validating satellite-derived indicators using available ground measurements or secondary data
sources. The outcomes should support disaster-informed water resource management,
ecosystem protection, and post-event response planning.