"All things grow with the sun." The energy provided by the sun, namely light, drives and maintains the entire Earth system. Therefore, the composition of substances in the ocean and the movement of seawater are closely related to light. Conversely, this makes the light spectrum a messenger. By analyzing the spectrum, the transmission of light in the water can be calculated, and a more realistic evaluation of heating of the ocean by the sun can be obtained. Further, estimations of phytoplankton pigments, functional types, and primary productivity can be achieved, which subsequently help the quantification and understanding of carbon cycle in the ocean. This is the remote sensing of ocean (water) color established based on the theory of ocean optics. Since the 1970s, with the rapid development of satellite technology, it has significantly advanced ocean sciences.
Dr. Zhongping Lee has been immersed in this field for over 30 years, “dancing” with and chasing the light endlessly. His major academic achievements include:
(1) Traditional ocean color remote sensing is centered on the concentration of phytoplankton chlorophyll, and statistical regression is the common approach. Dr. Lee pointed out the limitations of this remote sensing system in time and space, as well as the inconsistency between/among parameters. Based on radiative transfer theory, he established an ocean color remote sensing system centered on inherent optical properties.
(2) He has developed a series of ocean color inversion algorithms, which have been included in the standard satellite data processing systems of NASA and ESA. Among them, the QAA published in Applied Optics was selected as one of the most influential articles in her 50-year history.
(3) The transparency of seawater has a history of observation of about 160 years, where its theoretical interpretation was initiated in the 1950s and a classical theory was established. However, fewer researchers have paid attention to and considered why this theory cannot explain the relationships obtained based on measurements on a global scale. It was not until 2014 that Dr. Lee pointed out the error in the derivation of this classical theory and proposed a new theory which perfectly interpreted field measurements, thus overturned the classical theory.
Dr. Lee has made great efforts to promote the development of China's ocean color remote sensing discipline. He led the development and launch of the world's first wide-swath, high-resolution, and high signal-to-noise ratio multi-band smallsat "HiSea II". He also helped the launch and operation of the first international remote sensing journal from China, the "Journal of Remote Sensing". He initiated and organized the summer school of ocean color remote sensing, creating a "Huangpu Military Academy" to cultivate new forces in ocean color remote sensing research. He also initiated and organized the compilation of the introductory textbook "Overview of Ocean Color Science", to promote ocean color remote sensing and guide young scholars to engage in ocean color scientific research.
Dr. Lee’s current activities mainly focuses on two aspects:
Firstly, developing a new remote sensing model for primary productivity. By constructing a remote sensing model for primary productivity centered on optical characteristics and based on the first principle of photosynthesis, he aims to improve the characterization and understanding of primary productivity at global scale under the background of climate change, which will greatly help scientific researches on carbon cycling, and provide data to support the country's dual-carbon strategy.
Secondly, the construction of a "Maritime Silk Road Constellation". Seizing the opportunity of the booming development of micro-nano satellite technology, this initiative aims to build a multi-satellite constellation, targeting the nearshore waters and inland lakes that are directly affected by human activities and that the capabilities of traditional ocean color satellites are limited. The constellation will provide rich, high-resolution, and high-precision observation data to enhance scientific research in the nearshore-water and inland-lake ecosystems, and support the development of maritime economy and regional development along the Belt and Road regions.
Biography: Dr. Zhongping Lee received his Bachelor's degree in Optics from the Physics Department of Sichuan University in 1984 and his Ph.D. in Optical Remote Sensing from the University of South Florida in 1994. He has worked as an oceanographer at the U.S. Naval Laboratory and as a professor at the University of Massachusetts Boston. He is a regular lecturer at the summer school on ocean optics organized by the International Ocean Color Coordinating Group (IOCCG). He was elected as a Fellow of the Optical Society of America (OSA) in 2018 and appointed as the Tang Shifeng Chair Professor of Oceanography at Xiamen University in 2022. He has published over 170 papers in international journals, with more than 20,000 citations by Google Scholar and an H-index of 67. He was awarded one project under the Foreign Senior Scholars category and one project under the Key Project in Fundamental Research supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China. Additionally, he has completed one project from the National Natural Science Foundation of China, and one project under the Key Research and Development Program of the Ministry of Science and Technology.
