Dear Dr. Cheng,

Thank you for submitting your manuscript to PLOS ONE. After careful consideration, we feel that it has merit but does not fully meet PLOS ONE’s publication criteria as it currently stands. Therefore, we invite you to submit a revised version of the manuscript that addresses the points raised during the review process.

The manuscript must be corrected in all points indicated by the reviewers, such as:

1. The abstract should include a reflection of the specific indicators and numerical values of the experimental results;

2. It would be very useful if this algorithm is applied to a large area, for example an area of 30 km by 30 km;

3. Before introducing the contribution of this article, provide a more clear transition;

4. Restructure Key Contributions: It may be worth condensing these points into clear contributions and then elaborate on them further in the document;

5. The clarity of the experimental results figures in the article is poor. Improve the figures quality appropriately;

6. It is necessary to discuss the unpredictable results or patterns encountered in this study, as well as the limitations of this research and draw some future directions.

Please submit your revised manuscript by Apr 06 2025 11:59PM. If you will need more time than this to complete your revisions, please reply to this message or contact the journal office at plosone@plos.org . When you're ready to submit your revision, log on to https://www.editorialmanager.com/pone/ and select the 'Submissions Needing Revision' folder to locate your manuscript file.

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We look forward to receiving your revised manuscript.

Kind regards,

Claudionor Ribeiro da Silva

Academic Editor

PLOS ONE

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Please ensure that your manuscript meets PLOS ONE's style requirements, including those for file naming. The PLOS ONE style templates can be found at -->-->https://journals.plos.org/plosone/s/file?id=wjVg/PLOSOne_formatting_sample_main_body.pdf and -->-->https://journals.plos.org/plosone/s/file?id=ba62/PLOSOne_formatting_sample_title_authors_affiliations.pdf-->--> -->-->2. Please note that PLOS ONE has specific guidelines on code sharing for submissions in which author-generated code underpins the findings in the manuscript. In these cases, we expect all author-generated code to be made available without restrictions upon publication of the work. Please review our guidelines at https://journals.plos.org/plosone/s/materials-and-software-sharing#loc-sharing-code and ensure that your code is shared in a way that follows best practice and facilitates reproducibility and reuse.-->--> -->-->3. 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We note that Figures 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 and 16 in your submission contain copyrighted images. All PLOS content is published under the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0), which means that the manuscript, images, and Supporting Information files will be freely available online, and any third party is permitted to access, download, copy, distribute, and use these materials in any way, even commercially, with proper attribution. For more information, see our copyright guidelines: http://journals.plos.org/plosone/s/licenses-and-copyright.-->--> -->-->We require you to either present written permission from the copyright holder to publish these figures specifically under the CC BY 4.0 license, or remove the figures from your submission:-->--> -->-->a. You may seek permission from the original copyright holder of Figures 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 and 16 to publish the content specifically under the CC BY 4.0 license. -->--> -->-->We recommend that you contact the original copyright holder with the Content Permission Form (http://journals.plos.org/plosone/s/file?id=7c09/content-permission-form.pdf) and the following text:-->-->“I request permission for the open-access journal PLOS ONE to publish XXX under the Creative Commons Attribution License (CCAL) CC BY 4.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Please be aware that this license allows unrestricted use and distribution, even commercially, by third parties. Please reply and provide explicit written permission to publish XXX under a CC BY license and complete the attached form.”-->--> -->-->Please upload the completed Content Permission Form or other proof of granted permissions as an "Other" file with your submission. -->--> -->-->In the figure caption of the copyrighted figure, please include the following text: “Reprinted from [ref] under a CC BY license, with permission from [name of publisher], original copyright [original copyright year].”-->--> -->-->b. If you are unable to obtain permission from the original copyright holder to publish these figures under the CC BY 4.0 license or if the copyright holder’s requirements are incompatible with the CC BY 4.0 license, please either i) remove the figure or ii) supply a replacement figure that complies with the CC BY 4.0 license. Please check copyright information on all replacement figures and update the figure caption with source information. If applicable, please specify in the figure caption text when a figure is similar but not identical to the original image and is therefore for illustrative purposes only.-->?>

7. Please review your reference list to ensure that it is complete and correct. If you have cited papers that have been retracted, please include the rationale for doing so in the manuscript text, or remove these references and replace them with relevant current references. Any changes to the reference list should be mentioned in the rebuttal letter that accompanies your revised manuscript. If you need to cite a retracted article, indicate the article’s retracted status in the References list and also include a citation and full reference for the retraction notice.

[Note: HTML markup is below. Please do not edit.]

Reviewers' comments:

Reviewer's Responses to Questions

Comments to the Author

1. Is the manuscript technically sound, and do the data support the conclusions?

Reviewer #1: Yes

Reviewer #2: Yes

**********

2. Has the statistical analysis been performed appropriately and rigorously? -->?>

Reviewer #1: Yes

Reviewer #2: Yes

**********

3. Have the authors made all data underlying the findings in their manuscript fully available??>

The PLOS Data policy

Reviewer #1: Yes

Reviewer #2: No

**********

4. Is the manuscript presented in an intelligible fashion and written in standard English??>

Reviewer #1: Yes

Reviewer #2: Yes

**********

Reviewer #1:  The manuscript entitled "A novel cloud removal method by fusing features from SAR and neighboring optical remote sensing images" aimed to propose an innovative cloud removal technique that integrates characteristics from Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) and adjacent optical remote sensing images in a small part of Dabie Mountains, China.

The manuscript is interesting and well structured. I believe it is suitable to be published in "PLOS" after addressing the following points.

1) Page 22, Datasets. It would be very useful if this algorithm is applied to a large area, for example an area of 30 km by 30 km. Can you do this experiment?

2) Page 32, Discussion. Discuss the limitations of your method and draw some future directions.

Reviewer #2:  This paper proposes a novel cloud cleaning method based on deep CGAN network that integrates SAR and neighboring optical remote sensing image features. The content of the article is complete, the experiments are sufficient, and the conclusions are well proven. However, there are some issues that the author needs to address in order to further improve the quality of the article:

1. The abstract should include a reflection of the specific indicators and numerical values of the experimental results;

2. At the end of the abstract, a sentence should be provided stating the significance of this study for the field;

3. The sentence 'It can be confidently stated that' in line 97 of the introduction is not suitable for use in the paper. Please cite appropriate references as support;

4. Before introducing the contribution of this article, provide a more clear transition;

5. Restructure Key Contributions: It may be worth condensing these points into clear contributions and then elaborate on them further in the document.

6. It is necessary to improve the resolution of Figure 6. In addition, the clarity of the experimental results figures in the article is poor. Please improve the figures quality appropriately�you can convert the image into a vector image in SVG format;

7. It is necessary to discuss the unpredictable results or patterns encountered in this study, as well as the limitations of this research.

**********

what does this mean? ). If published, this will include your full peer review and any attached files.

If you choose “no”, your identity will remain anonymous but your review may still be made public.

Do you want your identity to be public for this peer review? For information about this choice, including consent withdrawal, please see our Privacy Policy

Reviewer #1: No

Reviewer #2: No

**********

[NOTE: If reviewer comments were submitted as an attachment file, they will be attached to this email and accessible via the submission site. Please log into your account, locate the manuscript record, and check for the action link "View Attachments". If this link does not appear, there are no attachment files.]

While revising your submission, please upload your figure files to the Preflight Analysis and Conversion Engine (PACE) digital diagnostic tool, https://pacev2.apexcovantage.com/ . PACE helps ensure that figures meet PLOS requirements. To use PACE, you must first register as a user. Registration is free. Then, login and navigate to the UPLOAD tab, where you will find detailed instructions on how to use the tool. If you encounter any issues or have any questions when using PACE, please email PLOS at figures@plos.org

Dear Dr. Cheng,

The manuscript must be corrected in all points indicated by the reviewers, such as:

1) L53 to L55: It is proven that… here you need a reference containing this proof

2) L54: Can you elaborate a bit (here or in any suitable part) about the types of cloud the proposed methodology addresses? Cloud thickness, altitude etc?

3) L56: Give an example of what kind of auxiliary data are needed

4) L64: One general comment, remote sensing appears many times. Use abbreviation RS instead

5) L69: Some researchers propose… this is not a sentence appropriate for a research article. Be specific on who proposes what with citations.

6) L123: The text inside the figure can not be read. Make it larger (same font size as the text or at least same as the caption)

7) L166: Figure 2 is way down the road. Move it closer to the cross-reference

8) [L139–156] : a - Clarify whether patches are from the same date or synthesized (e.g., “cloudy patches from t1 and cloud-free from t0 or t2”). b - Add more information on cloud types in GF1-WHU dataset (e.g., vertical extent, stratification), not just "various conditions". c - Lacks detail on how image pairs are selected or validated. Describe what augmentations were used: flipping? rotation? brightness?

9) [L160]: Add a sentence comparing ViT and CNNs specifically for SAR

10) [L224–226]: Be explicit about how reconstructed and non-reconstructed regions are defined in practice. Add a figure or schematic if possible.

11) [L228–229]: Clarify how spectral mapping is learned: supervised training? Patch loss metrics?

12) [L233–261]: The CGAN structure is described clearly, well done but needs justification of design choices (e.g., why no batch norm?).

13) [L310–337]: a - Incomplete description of preprocessing steps. b -  Lacks justification for scene selection (e.g., why Area A vs B?). c - No mention of data licensing, public access, or reproducibility.

plosone@plos.org . When you're ready to submit your revision, log on to https://www.editorialmanager.com/pone/ and select the 'Submissions Needing Revision' folder to locate your manuscript file.

• A rebuttal letter that responds to each point raised by the academic editor and reviewer(s). You should upload this letter as a separate file labeled 'Response to Reviewers'.
• A marked-up copy of your manuscript that highlights changes made to the original version. You should upload this as a separate file labeled 'Revised Manuscript with Track Changes'.
• An unmarked version of your revised paper without tracked changes. You should upload this as a separate file labeled 'Manuscript'.

If applicable, we recommend that you deposit your laboratory protocols in protocols.io to enhance the reproducibility of your results. Protocols.io assigns your protocol its own identifier (DOI) so that it can be cited independently in the future. For instructions see: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/s/submission-guidelines#loc-laboratory-protocols . Additionally, PLOS ONE offers an option for publishing peer-reviewed Lab Protocol articles, which describe protocols hosted on protocols.io. Read more information on sharing protocols at https://plos.org/protocols?utm_medium=editorial-email&utm_source=authorletters&utm_campaign=protocols .

We look forward to receiving your revised manuscript.

Kind regards,

Claudionor Ribeiro da Silva

Academic Editor

PLOS ONE

Journal Requirements:

Please review your reference list to ensure that it is complete and correct. If you have cited papers that have been retracted, please include the rationale for doing so in the manuscript text, or remove these references and replace them with relevant current references. Any changes to the reference list should be mentioned in the rebuttal letter that accompanies your revised manuscript. If you need to cite a retracted article, indicate the article’s retracted status in the References list and also include a citation and full reference for the retraction notice.

[Note: HTML markup is below. Please do not edit.]

Reviewers' comments:

Reviewer's Responses to Questions

Comments to the Author

Reviewer #2: All comments have been addressed

Reviewer #3: All comments have been addressed

**********

2. Is the manuscript technically sound, and do the data support the conclusions??>

Reviewer #2: Yes

Reviewer #3: Yes

**********

3. Has the statistical analysis been performed appropriately and rigorously? -->?>

Reviewer #2: Yes

Reviewer #3: Yes

**********

4. Have the authors made all data underlying the findings in their manuscript fully available??>

The PLOS Data policy

Reviewer #2: Yes

Reviewer #3: Yes

**********

5. Is the manuscript presented in an intelligible fashion and written in standard English??>

Reviewer #2: Yes

Reviewer #3: Yes

**********

Reviewer #2: (No Response)

Reviewer #3: Dear authors,

I carefully read your work and here you can find some suggestions that to my opinion could enhance your manuscript.

L53 to L55: It is proven that… here you need a reference containing this proof

L54: Can you elaborate a bit (here or in any suitable part) about the types of cloud the proposed methodology addresses? Cloud thickness, altitude etc?

L56: Give an example of what kind of auxiliary data are needed

L64: One general comment, remote sensing appears many times. Use abbreviation RS instead

L69: Some researchers propose… this is not a sentence appropriate for a research article. Be specific on who proposes what with citations.

L71 to L96 nice review

L123: The text inside the figure can not be read. Make it larger (same font size as the text or at least same as the caption)

L162 Vit is already defined

L166: Figure 2 is way down the road. Move it closer to the cross-reference

[L139–156] :

• Clarify whether patches are from the same date or synthesized (e.g., “cloudy patches from t1 and cloud-free from t0 or t2”).

• Add more information on cloud types in GF1-WHU dataset (e.g., vertical extent, stratification), not just "various conditions".

• Lacks detail on how image pairs are selected or validated. Describe what augmentations were used: flipping? rotation? brightness?

[L160]: Add a sentence comparing ViT and CNNs specifically for SAR

[L224–226]: Be explicit about how reconstructed and non-reconstructed regions are defined in practice. Add a figure or schematic if possible.

[L228–229]: Clarify how spectral mapping is learned: supervised training? Patch loss metrics?

[L233–261]: The CGAN structure is described clearly, well done but needs justification of design choices (e.g., why no batch norm?).

[L310–337]:

• Incomplete description of preprocessing steps.

• Lacks justification for scene selection (e.g., why Area A vs B?).

• No mention of data licensing, public access, or reproducibility.

In general I believe that it is a well structured methodology and well written manuscript that with some easy to address changes it would be suitable for publication.

Thank you for providing me the chance to revise your work and good luck.

Best,

Kostas

**********

what does this mean? ). If published, this will include your full peer review and any attached files.

If you choose “no”, your identity will remain anonymous but your review may still be made public.

Do you want your identity to be public for this peer review? For information about this choice, including consent withdrawal, please see our Privacy Policy

Reviewer #2: No

Reviewer #3: Yes:  Konstantinos Vasileios Karyotis

**********

[NOTE: If reviewer comments were submitted as an attachment file, they will be attached to this email and accessible via the submission site. Please log into your account, locate the manuscript record, and check for the action link "View Attachments". If this link does not appear, there are no attachment files.]

While revising your submission, please upload your figure files to the Preflight Analysis and Conversion Engine (PACE) digital diagnostic tool, https://pacev2.apexcovantage.com/ . PACE helps ensure that figures meet PLOS requirements. To use PACE, you must first register as a user. Registration is free. Then, login and navigate to the UPLOAD tab, where you will find detailed instructions on how to use the tool. If you encounter any issues or have any questions when using PACE, please email PLOS at figures@plos.org

A novel cloud removal method by fusing features from SAR and neighboring optical remote sensing images

PONE-D-24-59137R2

Dear Dr. Cheng,

We’re pleased to inform you that your manuscript has been judged scientifically suitable for publication and will be formally accepted for publication once it meets all outstanding technical requirements.

Within one week, you’ll receive an e-mail detailing the required amendments. When these have been addressed, you’ll receive a formal acceptance letter and your manuscript will be scheduled for publication.

An invoice will be generated when your article is formally accepted. Please note, if your institution has a publishing partnership with PLOS and your article meets the relevant criteria, all or part of your publication costs will be covered. Please make sure your user information is up-to-date by logging into Editorial Manager at Editorial Manager®  and clicking the ‘Update My Information' link at the top of the page. For questions related to billing, please contact billing support .

If your institution or institutions have a press office, please notify them about your upcoming paper to help maximize its impact. If they’ll be preparing press materials, please inform our press team as soon as possible -- no later than 48 hours after receiving the formal acceptance. Your manuscript will remain under strict press embargo until 2 pm Eastern Time on the date of publication. For more information, please contact onepress@plos.org.

Kind regards,

Claudionor Ribeiro da Silva

Academic Editor

PLOS ONE

Additional Editor Comments (optional):

Reviewer #2:

Reviewer #4:

Reviewers' comments:

Reviewer's Responses to Questions

Comments to the Author

Reviewer #2: All comments have been addressed

Reviewer #4: All comments have been addressed

**********

2. Is the manuscript technically sound, and do the data support the conclusions??>

Reviewer #2: Yes

Reviewer #4: Yes

**********

3. Has the statistical analysis been performed appropriately and rigorously? -->?>

Reviewer #2: Yes

Reviewer #4: Yes

**********

4. Have the authors made all data underlying the findings in their manuscript fully available??>

The PLOS Data policy

Reviewer #2: Yes

Reviewer #4: Yes

**********

5. Is the manuscript presented in an intelligible fashion and written in standard English??>

Reviewer #2: Yes

Reviewer #4: Yes

**********

Reviewer #2: (No Response)

Reviewer #4: The previous suggestions have been modified. The manuscript is presented in an intelligible fashion and written in standard English.

It should be accepted in present form.

**********

what does this mean? ). If published, this will include your full peer review and any attached files.

If you choose “no”, your identity will remain anonymous but your review may still be made public.

Do you want your identity to be public for this peer review? For information about this choice, including consent withdrawal, please see our Privacy Policy

Reviewer #2: No

Reviewer #4: Yes:  Zhao Chen

**********