Introduction to Radiative Transfer: An Optical Remote Sensing Perspective

Wouter Verhoef · Feng Zhao

Feb 2026 · Elsevier

About this ebook

Introduction to Radiative Transfer: An Optical Remote Sensing Perspective focuses on the principles and applications of radiative transfer theory in geophysical media, equipping readers with the necessary knowledge to convert observed satellite data into real-world quantities.The mathematical background presented allows understanding of electromagnetic radiation propagation, interaction with various media, and observation by satellites. It provides an introduction to radiative transfer theories and methods with background information, with detailed mathematical principles and equations. It approaches the mathematical theory from a foundational level, building upon knowledge across an introductory section and more advanced modelling section.Introduction to Radiative Transfer: An Optical Remote Sensing Perspective benefits students, academics and early career researchers in Earth and environmental sciences who seek to deepen their understanding in preparation for more quantitative techniques in remote sensing. - Provides end-to-end understanding of radiative transfer theory as it applies to quantitative remote sensing in a one-stop resource - Includes detailed mathematical background to ensure the mathematical steps are appropriate for readers' knowledge level - Builds upon understanding of radiative theory with specific applications and advanced radiative modelling

About the author

Wouter Verhoef started working in remote sensing in 1973 at NIWARS, Delft, Netherlands, in a 4-year field reflectance spectroscopy measurement programme and moved to the National Aerospace Laboratory NLR in 1977, where he worked on image processing and optical remote sensing of vegetation canopies. He developed the well-known and widely used SAIL canopy reflectance model, as well as several other methodologies and algorithms for the processing of remotely sensed data, including data compression and time series analysis software. He participated in several ESA contracts dedicated to future satellite missions like SPECTRA (cancelled) and FLEX. He initiated and co-developed the now widely-used model SCOPE, integrating canopy radiative transfer with photosynthesis and the energy balance. He was a member of ESA's FLEX Mission Advisory Groups from 2006 until 2015. From 2006 until 2016 he was a professor at the University of Twente. Until 2023 he was a regular reviewer for high-impact scientific journals like "Remote Sensing of Environment, and several IEEE journals.Feng Zhao is currently an Associate Professor with Beihang University, Beijing. His research interests include 3D radiative transfer in vegetation and atmosphere, solar-induced chlorophyll fluorescence (SIF), and quantitative remote sensing modelling and applications. Based on the Monte Carlo ray-tracing method, he developed the Weighted Photon Spread (WPS) model to simulate the non-fluorescent and SIF radiance received by sensors at levels from top-of canopy (TOC) to top-of-atmosphere (TOA) in a coherent manner. He proposed series fluorescence spectrum reconstruction methods to retrieve the SIF spectrum for hyper-spectral radiation measurements at levels from TOC to TOA. He is on the Editorial Board of "Remote Sensing of Environment.