Hydrology and Remote Sensing

My research primarily focuses on improving the fundamental understanding of terrestrial hydrologic cycle using remote sensing techniques. Research activities in my group include analysis of hydrologic states and fluxes over a range of space and time scales, drought monitoring and investigations on the quality and stores of groundwater. Current research activities also involve remote sensing of glaciers and coal mine fire.

• National Geoscience Award (2018), administered by the Ministry of Mines, Govt. of India
• Professor Nirmal Nath Chatterjee Medal (2008), administered by The Asiatic Society of India.
• NASA Earth and Space Science (NESSF) Fellowship (2005), administered by National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), U.S.A..
• Prof. N. N. Chatterjee Memorial Award (2001), administered by the Geological, Mining and Metallurgical Society of India.

[* CORRESPONDING AUTHOR] [ ‡ GRADUATE STUDENT]

1. ^‡Deshpande, R. S.,  H. Syed^*, M. Durand, S. Coss and T. M. Pavelsky (2026): Identifying regional drivers of variability in SWOT-derived water surface elevation accuracy, Remote Sensing of Environment, (SCI Impact Factor: 12.3), 346, doi:10.1016/j.rse.2026.115627
2. ^‡Vidushi,  H. Syed^*, A. K. Mishra (2026): Flash drought dynamics and vegetation responses to soil moisture and vapor pressure deficit in India, Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, (SCI Impact Factor: 3.8), 131(8), doi:10.1029/2025JD045487 
3. ^‡Kumar, H., H. Syed^*, A. S. Rajawat, R. Jain, A. Mohanan, P. Jayaprasad, S. Mukhopadhyay and R. Upadhyay (2025): Tracing fluid pathways related to hydrothermal gold mineralization in Hutti-Maski schist belt using imaging spectroscopy, Journal of the Indian Society of Remote Sensing, (SCI Impact Factor: 2.2), doi:10.1007/s12524-025-02165-4
4. ^‡Kumar, H., H. Syed^*, F. Amelung, S. Mirzaee, A. S. Venkatesh and R. Agrawal (2025): InSAR reveals recovery of stressed aquifer systems in Delhi, India: Evidence for improved groundwater management, Water Resources Research (SCI Impact Factor: 6.3), 61, e2024WR037704, doi:10.1029/2024WR037704
5. ^‡Remya, S. N., H. Syed^*, A. V. Kulkarni, H. C. Nainwal, A. Mishra and Babu G. Raj (2024): Observing changes in the present and paleo-glacier extents of major glaciers in the Alaknanda Basin of Central Himalaya, Geomorphology (SCI Impact Factor: 3.2), 461, doi: 10.1016/j.geomorph.2024.109287.
6. ^‡Chakraborty, T., H. Syed^*, E. Heggy, D. Putrevu, and U. Dutta (2024): On the reachability and genesis of water ice on the Moon, ISPRS Journal of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (SCI Impact Factor: 12.9), 211 (392-405), doi: 10.1016/j.isprsjprs.2024.03.020
7. Putrevu, D., ^‡ Chakraborty, J. Mukhopadhyay, T. H. Syed, S. S. Bhiravarasu, A. Das, D. K. Pandey and A. Misra (2023): Lunar impact craters: New perspectives from polarimetric analysis of Chandrayaan-2 Dual-Frequency SAR data, Journal of Geophysical Research-Planets (SCI Impact Factor: 3.7), 128(12), doi: 10.1029/2023JE007745.
8. Agarwal, V., O. Akyilmaz, C. K. Shum, W. Feng, T-Y. Yang, E. Forootan, H. Syed, U. K. Haritashya and M. Uz (2023): Machine learning based downscaling of GRACE-estimated groundwater in Central Valley, California, Science of The Total Environment (SCI Impact Factor: 9.8), 865, 161138, doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.161138.
9. ^‡Ghosh, S., G. Phillip, A. K Prasad, H. Syed and S. P. Mohanty (2023): Towards quantifying the relative tectonic activity in the Trans-Himalayan segment of NW Himalaya, Geocarto International (SCI Impact Factor: 3.9), 38:1,doi: 10.1080/10106049.2022.2155712
10. ^‡Sethy, S. N., H. Syed^*, R. Singh, R. K. Ray and B. Behera (2022): Stable isotope and geochemical evidence on sources and mechanisms of groundwater recharge in the Nalanda-Rajgir region of Eastern India, Arabian Journal of Geosciences (SCI Impact Factor: 1.827), 15:284, doi:10.1007/s12517-022-09550-0
11. ^‡Kumar, H., H. Syed^*, F. Amelung, R. Agrawal and A. S. Venkatesh (2022): Space-time evolution of land subsidence in the National Capital Region of India using ALOS-1 and Sentinel-1 SAR data: Evidence for groundwater overexploitation, Journal of Hydrology (SCI Impact Factor: 7.3), 605, doi: 10.1016/j.jhydrol.2021.127329.
12. ^‡Remya, S. N., H. Syed^*, A. V. Kulkarni, and R. Anand (2022): Manifestation of topography and climate variations on long-term glacier changes in the Alaknanda Basin of Central Himalaya, India, Geocarto International (SCI Impact Factor: 3.9), doi:10.1080/10106049.2022.204439.
13. ^‡Remya, S. N., A. V. Kulkarni, H. Syed and H. Nainwal (2022): Glacier mass loss in the Alaknanda Basin, Garhwal Himalaya on a decadal scale, Geocarto International (SCI Impact Factor: 3.9), 37:10, 3014-3032, doi:10.1080/10106049.2020.1844309.
14. ^‡Riyas, M. J., H. Syed^*, H. Kumar and C. Kuenzer (2021): Detecting and analyzing the evolution of subsidence due to coal fires in Jharia coalfield, India using Sentinel-1 SAR data, Remote Sensing (SCI Impact Factor: 4.3), 13(8), 1521, doi:10.3390/rs13081521
15. Chandanpurkar, H. A., J. T. Reager, J. S. Famiglietti, R. S. Nerem, D. P. Chambers, M-H. Lo, B. D. Hamlington and H. Syed (2021): The seasonality of global land and ocean mass and the changing water cycle, Geophysical Research Letters (SCI Impact Factor: 5.0), 48, e2020GL091248, doi:10.1029/2020GL091248
16. ^‡Soni, A. and H. Syed^* (2021): Analysis of variations and controls of evapotranspiration over major Indian river basins (1982-2014), Science of the Total Environment (SCI Impact Factor: 10.753), 754, doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.141892
17. ^‡Ray, R. K., H. Syed^*, D. Saha and B. C. Sarkar (2020): Modeling the impact of rainfall variations and management interventions on the groundwater regime of a hard-rock terrain in central India, Hydrogeology Journal (SCI Impact Factor: 2.8), 28:1209-1227, doi:10.1007/s10040-020-02132-y
18. ^‡Sinha, D., H. Syed^* and J. T. Reager (2019): Utilizing combined deviations of precipitation and GRACE-based terrestrial water storage as a metric for drought characterization: A case study over major Indian river basins, Journal of Hydrology (SCI Impact Factor: 7.3), 572, 294-307, doi: 10.1016/j.jhydrol.2019.02.053
19. Syed, T. H.^*, M. J. Riyas and C. Kuenzer (2018): Remote sensing of coal fires in India: A review, Earth-Science Reviews (SCI Impact Factor: 11.3), 187, 338-355, doi:10.1016/j.earscirev.2018.10.009
20. ^‡Singh, R., A. S. Venkatesh, H. Syed, L. Surinaidu, S. Pasupuleti, S. P. Rai and M. Kumar (2018): Stable isotope systematics and geochemical signatures constraining groundwater hydraulics in the mining environment of the Korba Coalfield, Central India, Environmental Earth Sciences (SCI Impact Factor: 3.3), 77:548, doi:10.1007/s12665-018-7725-7
21. ^‡Bhushan, S., H. Syed^*, A. Arendt, A. V. Kulkarni, and D. Sinha (2018): Assessing controls on mass budget and surface velocity variations of glaciers in Western Himalaya, Nature Scientific Reports (SCI Impact Factor: 4.9), 8(1), 8885, doi:10.1038/s41598-018-27014-y
22. ^‡Bhushan, S., H. Syed^*, A. V. Kulkarni, P. Gantayat and V. Agarwal (2017): Quantifying changes in the Gangotri Glacier of Central Himalaya: Evidence for increasing mass loss and decreasing velocity, IEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Applied Earth Observations and Remote Sensing (SCI Impact Factor: 6.3), 10(12), 5296-5307, doi:10.1109/JSTARS.2017.2771215
23. ^‡Singh, R., A. S. Venkatesh, H. Syed, A. G. S. Reddy, M. Kumar, R. M. Kurakalva (2017): Assessment of potentially toxic trace elements contamination in groundwater resources of the coal mining area of the Korba Coalfield, Central India, Environmental Earth Sciences (SCI Impact Factor: 3.3), 76(16):566, doi:10.1007/s12665-017-6899-8
24. Chandanpurkar, H. A., J. T. Reager, James S. Famiglietti and H. Syed (2017): Satellite- and reanalysis-based mass balance estimates of global continental discharge (1993-2015), Journal of Climate (SCI Impact Factor: 4.3), 30(21), 8481-8495, doi:10.1175/JCLI-D-16-0708.1
25. ^‡Singh, R., H. Syed^*, S. Kumar, M. Kumar and A. S. Venkatesh (2017): Hydrogeochemical assessment of surface and groundwater resources of Korba coalfield, Central India: environmental implications, Arabian Journal of Geosciences (SCI Impact Factor: 1.827), 10:318, doi:10.1007/s12517-017-3098-6
26. ^‡Ray, R. K., H. Syed^*, D. Saha, B. C. Sarkar and A. K. Patre (2017): Assessment of village-wise groundwater draft for irrigation: a field-based study in hard-rock aquifers of central India, Hydrogeology Journal (SCI Impact Factor: 2.8), 25:2513-2525, doi:10.1007/s10040-017-1625-x
27. ^‡Ray, R. K., H. Syed^*, D. Saha, B. C. Sarkar and D. V. Reddy (2017): Recharge mechanism and processes controlling groundwater chemistry in a Precambrian sedimentary terrain: A case study from Central India, Environmental Earth Sciences (SCI Impact Factor: 3.3), 76:136, doi:10.1007/s12665-017-6435-x
28. ^‡Sethy, S. N., H. Syed^*, A. Kumar (2017): Evaluation of groundwater quality in parts of the Southern Gangetic plain using water quality indices, Environmental Earth Sciences (SCI Impact Factor: 3.3), 76:116, doi:10.1007/s12665-017-6434-y
29. ^‡Sinha, D., H. Syed^*, J. S. Famiglietti, J. T. Reager and A. Thomas (2017): Characterizing hydrological droughts in India using GRACE-based observations of terrestrial water storage deficit, Journal of Hydrometeorology (SCI Impact Factor: 3.3), 18, 381-396, doi: 10.1175/JHM-D-16-0047.1
30. ^‡Agarwal, V., T. Bolch, H. Syed^*, T. Pieczonka, T. Strozzi and R. Nagaich (2017): Area and mass changes of Siachen Glacier (East Karakoram), Journal of Glaciology (SCI Impact Factor: 3.2), 63(237), 148-163, doi:10.1017/jog.2016.127
31. ^‡Sethy, S. N., H. Syed^*, A. Kumar and D. Sinha (2016): Hydrogeochemical characterization of groundwater in parts of Southern Gangetic plain, Environmental Earth Sciences (SCI Impact Factor: 3.3), 75:232, doi:10.1007/s12665-015-5049-4
32. ^‡Soni, A. and H. Syed^* (2015): Diagnosing land water storage variations in major Indian river basins using GRACE observations, Global and Planetary Change (SCI Impact Factor: 4.7), 113, 263-271, doi:10.1016/j.gloplacha.2015.09.007
33. ^‡Satapathy, I. and H. Syed^* (2015): Characterization of groundwater potential and artificial recharge sites in Bokaro District, Jharkhand (India), using remote sensing and GIS-Based techniques, Environmental Earth Sciences (SCI Impact Factor: 3.3), 74(5), 4215-4232, doi:10.1007/s12665-015-4474-8
34. Syed, H.^*, P. J. Webster and J. S. Famiglietti (2014): Assessing variability of evapotranspiration over the ganga river basin using water balance computations, Water Resources Research, (SCI Impact Factor: 6.3), 50(3), 2551-2565, doi:10.1002/2013WR013518
35. ^‡Saraswat, P., H. Syed^*, J. S. Famiglietti, E. J. Fielding, R. Cripen and N. Gupta (2013): Recent changes in the snout position and surface velocity of Gangotri glacier observed from space, International Journal of Remote Sensing (SCI Impact Factor: 2.6), 34(24), 8653-8668, doi:10.1080/01431161.2013.845923
36. ^‡Gupta, N., H. Syed^* and A. Athiphro (2013): Monitoring subsurface coal fires in Jharia coalfield using observations of land subsidence from differential interferometric synthetic aperture radar (DInSAR), Journal of Earth System Science (SCI Impact Factor: 2.1), 122(5), 1249-1258, doi:10.1007/s12040-013-0355-2
37. ^‡Sophiya, M. S. and H. Syed^* (2013): Assessment of vulnerability to seawater intrusion and potential remedial measures for coastal aquifers: A case study from eastern India, Environmental Earth Sciences (SCI Impact Factor: 3.3), 70(3), 1197-1209, doi:10.1007/s12665-012-2206-x
38. Famiglietti, J. S., M. Lo, J. Bethune, K. J. Anderson, H. Syed, S. C. Swenson, C. R. de Linage and M. Rodell (2011): Satellite measure recent rates of groundwater depletion in California’s Central Valley, Geophysical Research Letters (SCI Impact Factor: 5.0), 38, L03403, doi:10.1029/2010GL046442
39. Syed, T. H., J. S. Famiglietti, D. P. Chambers, J. K. Willis and K. Hilburn (2010): Satellite-based global-ocean mass balance estimates of interannual variability and emerging trends in continental freshwater discharge, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the U.S.A. (PNAS) (SCI Impact Factor: 9.5), 107(42), 17916-17921, doi:10.1073/pnas.1003292107
40. Lo, M-H, J. S. Famiglietti, P, J-F, Yeh and H. Syed (2010): Improving parameter estimation and water depth simulation in a land surface model using GRACE water storage and estimated baseflow data, Water Resources Research (SCI Impact Factor: 6.3), 46(5), W05517, doi:10.1029/2009WR007855
41. Seo, K.-W, D. Waliser, B. Tian, J. S. Famiglietti and H. Syed (2009): Evaluation of global land-to-ocean freshwater discharge and evapotranspiration using space-based observations, Journal of Hydrology (SCI Impact Factor: 7.3), 373, 508-515, doi:10.1016/j.jhydrol.2009.05.014
42. Syed, H., J. S. Famiglietti, and D. P. Chambers (2009): GRACE-based estimates of terrestrial freshwater discharge from basin to continental scales, Journal of Hydrometeorology (SCI Impact Factor: 3.3), 10(1), 22-40, doi: 10.1175/2008JHM993.1
43. Syed, T. H., J. S. Famiglietti, J. Chen, M. Rodell and C. R. Wilson (2008): Analysis of terrestrial water storage changes from GRACE and GLDAS, Water Resources Research (SCI Impact Factor: 6.3), 44, W02433, doi:10.1029/2006WR005779
44. Syed, T. H., J. S. Famiglietti, V. Zlotnicki and M. Rodell (2007): Contemporary estimates of Pan-Arctic freshwater discharge from GRACE and reanalysis, Geophysical Research Letters (SCI Impact Factor: 5.0), 34, L19404, doi:10.1029/2007GL031254
45. Syed, T. H., J. S. Famiglietti, J. Chen, M. Rodell, S. I. Seneviratne, P. Viterbo, and C. R. Wilson (2005): Total basin discharge for the Amazon and Mississippi river basins from GRACE and a land-atmosphere water balance, Geophysical Research Letters (SCI Impact Factor: 5.0), 32, L24404, doi: 10.1029/2005GL024851
46. Syed, T. H., V. Lakshmi, E. Paleologos, D. Lohmann, K. Mitchell, and J. S. Famiglietti (2004): Analysis of process controls in land surface hydrological cycle over the continental United States, Journal of Geophysical Research-Atmospheres (SCI Impact Factor: 3.8), 109, D22105, doi:10.1029/2004JD004640