Zhongbo(Bob) SuProfessor

Professor Dr. Zhongbo (Bob) Su is holder of the Chair of Spatial Hydrology and Water Resources Management, and Chairman of Department of Water Resources in Faculty of Geo-Information and Earth Observation (ITC) of University of Twente, Enschede, The Netherlands.

Professor Bob Su is a recognized international expert in land-atmosphere processes and interactions and earth observation of water cycle. His research focuses on remote sensing and numerical modeling of land surface processes and interactions with the atmosphere, earth observation of water cycle and applications in climate, ecosystem and water resources studies, as well as monitoring food security and water-related disasters. The key challenge is to understand and quantify the water cycle at different scales in space and time. This is because the water cycle is controlled by dynamical processes that operate over a variety of space and time scales and climate change may lead to significant impacts on hydrological, chemical and biological processes from local, regional to global scales. Water quantity and quality are consequently affected by changes in these processes. These changes, in turn, exert strong influences on the occurrence of natural disasters (floods and droughts), structure and functioning of the eco-environment and human society. Earth observation (EO) of water cycle components, in conjunction with physical modeling and strategic in-situ observations plays a crucial role in determining the current status of water quantity and quality and help anticipate, mitigate and adapt future water catastrophes. We undertake to improve the fidelity and prediction capabilities of hydrometeorological models and EO products by intensive data acquisitions on the ground and from space and by development of EO based hydrometeorological modeling and ensemble-algorithms. We aim at advancing our knowledge in the water and energy cycle and their interactions with climate, ecosystem and humans through the following scientific endeavours and achievements.