Publications

Latest Publications

Rathore, J., Kumari, S., Tripathy, P., Mahto, S. S., & Lal, P. (2025). 2024 Brazil Floods: Mapping the extent and impacts in Eastern Rio Grande do Sul using geospatial techniques. Natural Hazards Research. [Link]

Abstract: The May 2024 flood event in Porto Alegre, Brazil, marked one of the most severe hydrological disasters in the region’s history. This study provides a high-resolution flood inundation assessment by integrating Sentinel-1 SAR, Sentinel-2 multispectral imagery, and Copernicus DEM-derived contours, overcoming the limitations of individual datasets. A key challenge in urban flood detection is SAR’s insensitivity due to the double bounce effect and the limited spatial resolution of Sentinel-derived flood maps. To address this, we integrated high-resolution PlanetScope imagery for manual validation and used DEM-based contours to refine the flood extent in urban areas. Further daily precipitation from the Global Precipitation Measurement Integrated Multi-satellitE Retrievals for the(GPM-IMERG) is considered for assessing the impact of precipitation on flooding. The analysis from precipitation revealed multi-day extreme rainfall from April 27 to May 4, with three consecutive days (April 30 – May 2) exceeding the 99.9th percentile as the primary driver of the flooding. The flood extent map shows that 1,481 km2 of cropland and 76.2 km2 of urban areas were inundated, significantly impacting critical infrastructures, including the Salgado Filho International Airport. These findings highlight the vulnerability of densely populated and agriculturally vital regions to extreme weather events exacerbated by climate change. The findings emphasize the urgent need for resilient infrastructure, adaptive urban planning, and robust mitigation strategies to manage the increasing risks of extreme weather events driven by climate change..

Tripathi, I. M., Mahto, S. S., Bhagat, C., Modi, A., Jain, V., & Mohapatra, P. K. (2025). A Review of River Sand Mining: Methods, Impacts, and Implications. Next Research, 100149. [Link]

Abstract: River sand mining (RSM) has emerged as a critical environmental issue, triggering concern over its detrimental effects on river health, ecosystems, water resources, and communities around the globe. This review delves into the profound ecological consequences of RSM, including the destruction of aquatic habitats, river morphology alterations, water quality deterioration and groundwater depletion. It also addresses the far-reaching socioeconomic implications, such as community displacement and disruption of local economies dependent on river resources. The review explores diverse research approaches utilized to comprehend the impacts of RSM, including environmental assessments such as field surveys, remote sensing, and geographic information systems (GIS) analysis. Additionally, it emphasizes the importance of sand budgeting and the potential for accidents due to sand mining. Furthermore, this study highlights various strategies employed to manage and mitigate the impacts of river sand mining, encompassing regulatory measures, protected areas, and sustainable sand extraction practices. Community engagement and awareness campaigns are also emphasized to foster responsible practices. The review underscores the urgency of interdisciplinary research to holistically understand the wide-ranging negative consequences of RSM on a global scale.

Journal Articles

2025

[22]. Mahto, S. S., Fatichi, S., & Galelli, S. (2024). A 1985–2023 time series dataset of absolute reservoir storage in Mainland Southeast Asia (MSEA-Res). Earth System Science Data Discussions, 2024, 1-29. [Link]

[21]. Tripathi, I. M., Mahto, S. S., Sahu, B. K., Mohapatra, P. K., & Jain, V. (2025). Influence of pit geometry and flow conditions on sand pit migration in fluvial systems: insights from flume experiments. ISH Journal of Hydraulic Engineering, 1-16. [Link]

[20]. Rathore, J., Kumari, S., Tripathy, P., Mahto, S. S., & Lal, P. (2025). 2024 Brazil Floods: Mapping the extent and impacts in Eastern Rio Grande do Sul using geospatial techniques. Natural Hazards Research. [Link]

[19]. Tripathi, I. M., Mahto, S. S., Bhagat, C., Modi, A., Jain, V., & Mohapatra, P. K. (2025). A Review of River Sand Mining: Methods, Impacts, and Implications. Next Research, 100149. [Link]

2024

[18]. Kushwaha, A. P., Solanki, H., Vegad, U., Mahto, S. S., & Mishra, V. (2024). Land and atmospheric drivers of the 2023 flood in India. Earth and Space Science, 11(10), e2024EA003750. [Link]

[17]. Maiti, A., Hasan, M. K., Sannigrahi, S., Bar, S., Chakraborti, S., Mahto, S. S., ... & Zhang, Q. (2024). Optimal rainfall threshold for monsoon rice production in India varies across space and time. Communications Earth & Environment, 5(1), 302. [Link]

[16]. Mahto, S. S., & Mishra, V. (2024). Global evidence of rapid flash drought recovery by extreme precipitation. Environmental Research Letters, 19(4), 044031. [Link]

[15]. Tripathi, I. M., Mahto, S. S., Kushwaha, A. P., Kumar, R., Tiwari, A. D., Sahu, B. K., ... & Mohapatra, P. K. (2024). Dominance of soil moisture over aridity in explaining vegetation greenness across global drylands. Science of The Total Environment, 917, 170482. [Link]

2023

[14]. Mahto S.S. and Mishra V. (2023). Increasing risk of simultaneous occurrence of flash drought in major global croplands. Environ. Res. Lett. 18, 044044 (2023). [Link]

[13]. Mahto, S. S., Nayak, M. A., Lettenmaier, D. P., & Mishra, V. (2023). Atmospheric rivers that make landfall in India are associated with flooding. Communications Earth & Environment, 4(1), 120. [Link]

[12]. Mahto S.S. and Mishra V. (2023). Flash drought intensification due to enhanced land-atmospheric coupling in India. J. Clim. 1–31 (2023). [Link]

[11]. Nanditha J.S., Kushwaha A.P., Singh R, Malik I., Solanki H., Chuphal D.S., Vegad U., Dangar S., Mahto, S. S., & Mishra, V. (2023). The Pakistan flood of August 2022: causes and implications. Earth's Future, 11(3), p.e2022EF003230. [Link]

Until 2022

[10]. Rajeev, A., Mahto, S. S., & Mishra, V. (2022). Climate warming and summer monsoon breaks drive compound dry and hot extremes in India. iScience, 105377. [Link]

[9]. Mishra, V., Mujumdar, M., & Mahto, S. S., (2022). Benchmark worst droughts during the summer monsoon in India. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsta.2021-0291. [Link]

[8]. Kushwaha, A. P., Tiwari, A. D., Dangar, S., Shah, H., Mahto, S. S., & Mishra, V. (2021). Multimodel assessment of water budget in Indian sub-continental river basins. Journal of Hydrology, 603, 126977. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2021.126977. [Link]

[7]. Mishra, V., Aadhar, S., & Mahto, S. S. (2021). Anthropogenic warming and intraseasonal summer monsoon variability amplify the risk of future flash droughts in India. npj Climate and Atmospheric Science, 4(1), 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41612-020-00158-3. [Link]

[6]. Mahto S.S. and Mishra V. (2020). Dominance of summer monsoon flash droughts in India Environmental Research Letters. https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/abaf1d. [Link]

[5]. Mahto S.S. and Mishra V. (2019). Does ERA-5 outperform other reanalysis products for hydrologic applications in India? Journal of Geophysical Research : Atmospheres. https://doi.org/10.1029/2019JD031155. [Link]

[4]. Nandargi S.S., Mahto S.S. (2019). Frequency and intensity of tropical disturbances over the Indian region and its neighboring seas with associated rainfall during the monsoon season: A perspective. Engineering Reports. 1:e12069. https://doi.org/10.1002/eng2.12069. [Link]

[3]. Kushwaha A.P., Pandey, A.C. and Mahto S.S. (2018). Assessment of Runoff Pattern and Relationship to Sediment Yield of Bhagirathi–Alaknanda River Basin Using Geospatial Techniques. J geovis spat anal. 2: 9. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41651-018-0016-8. [Link]

[2]. Mahto, S. S., & Pandey, A. C. (2018). Satellite Based Temporal Analysis of Local Weather Elements along N–S Transect across Jharkhand, Bihar and Eastern Nepal. In Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute Proceedings (Vol. 2, No. 7, p. 343). https://doi.org/10.3390/ecrs-2-05156. [Link]

[1]. Mahto, S. S., & Kushwaha, A. P. (2018). An assessment of interseasonal surface water level fluctuation of Lonar Crater lake, Maharashtra, India Using multi-temporal Satellite dataset. American Journal of Remote Sensing, 6(1), 6-14. [Link]

Conferences

[9]. Mahto S.S. and Vu Dung., Galelli S., and, Fatichi S. (2023). Inferring reservoir filling strategies and rule curves in Mainland Southeast Asia. H42H-04. AGU Fall Meeting 2023, San Francisco, CA, USA.

[8]. Mahto S.S. and Mishra V. (2022). Flash drought recovery by cascading extreme precipitation in India: role of the atmospheric rivers. NH42B-0423. AGU Fall Meeting 2022, Chicago, IL, USA.

[7]. Mallik I., Mahto S.S. and Mishra V. (2022). Causes of increasing hot and dry compound extremes in India. NH42B-0421. AGU Fall Meeting 2022, Chicago, IL, USA.

[6]. Mahto, S. S., & Mishra, V. (2022). Land-atmospheric coupling amplify the flash drought intensity in India. ID-EGU22-3365. EGU General Assembly, 2022, Vienna, Austria.

[5]. Nanditha JS, Kushwaha AP, Singh, R, Malik I, and Vegad U and Dangar, S, Mahto, S.S. and Solanki H., Chuphal D, and Mishra, V. The Pakistan flood of August 2022: causes and implications. AGU Fall Meeting 2022, Chicago, IL, USA.

[4]. Tripathi I.M., and Mahto S.S., and Mohapatra P. Drought analysis using bivariate copulas in the Indian secondary cities. AGU Fall Meeting 2022, Chicago, IL, USA.

[3]. Mahto S.S. and Mishra V. (2021). Global teleconnections of monsoon season flash drought and its prediction capability in India. ID-GC55H-0503. AGU Fall Meeting 2021, New Orleans, LA, USA.

[2]. Kushwaha, A., Mahto, S. S., & Mishra, V. (2021). Occurrence of contrasting dry and wet extremes in a course of sub-monthly time scale. ID-GC55D-0466. AGU Fall Meeting 2021. New Orleans, LA, USA.

[1]. Mahto S.S. and Mishra V. (2020). Mechanism and Characteristics of Flash Droughts in India and their Evaluation Using Evaporative Soil Moisture Index (ESMI). ID-EGU2020-12616. EGU General Assembly, 2020, Vienna, Austria.

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