BS, Computer, Zhejiang University,1988
MS, Remote sensing, Zhejiang University,1996
PhD, Physical electronics, Shanghai Institute of Technical Physics, 1999
Visiting scholar, Free University, Germany, 1993
Visiting scholar, Bedford Institute of Oceanography, Canada, 2005

1988.7-until now, Second Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources
2010.12- until now, the State Key Laboratory of Satellite Ocean Environment Dynamics, deputy director.
2018.10- until now, Shanghai Jiao Tong University.

I focus on the ocean color remote sensing and applications. I try to develop the algorithms and software to process the satellite data such as SeaWiFS, MODIS, HY-1,FY-1 and hyperspectral data to study the distributions of the chlorophyll, suspended sediment, CDOM, SST, etc., also try to develop the operational applications systems in fishery and water quality. I hope to study the global change on remote sensing data and bio-optical and primary production.

I am in charge of some research projects, such as:
1. Ocean color remote sensing, the National Key Research and Development Program of China (2016YFC1400901).
2. The Major project of High Resolution Earth Observation Systems of National Science and Technology (05-Y30B01-9001-19/20-2).
3. The National Science Foundation of China (41621064, 41476156).

Zhihua Mao, Bangyi Tao, Peng Chen, Jianyu Chen, Zengzhou Hao, Qiankun Zhu and Haiqing Huang, Atmospheric Correction of Satellite Ocean Color Remote Sensing in the Presence of High Aerosol Loads, Remote Sensing, 2020, 12, 31; doi:10.3390/rs12010031.
Peng Chen*, Delu Pan, Zhihua Mao and Hang Liu, “A Feasible Calibration Method for Type 1 Open OceanWater LiDAR Data Based on Bio-Optical Models,” Remote Sensing, 2019,11,172; doi:10.3390/rs11020172.
Dong Liu , Peituo Xu, Yudi Zhou, Weibiao Chen, Bing Han, Xiaolei Zhu, Yan He, Zhihua Mao, Chengfeng Le, Peng Chen, Haochi Che, Zhipeng Liu, Qun Liu, Qingjun Song, and Sijie Chen,” Lidar Remote Sensing of Seawater Optical Properties: Experiment and Monte Carlo Simulation”, IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON GEOSCIENCE AND REMOTE SENSING, 2019, 57(11).
Yingcheng Lu, Jing Shi, Yansha Wena, Chuanmin Hu, Yang Zhou, Shaojie Sun, Minwei Zhang, Zhihua Mao, Yongxue Liu,” Optical interpretation of oil emulsions in the ocean – Part I: Laboratory measurements and proof-of-concept with AVIRIS observations”, Remote Sensing of Environment, 2019, 230; doi: 10.1016/j.rse.2019.05.002
Yong Du, Xiaoyu Zhang, Zhihua Mao, Jianyu Chen, “Performances of conventional fusion methods evaluated for inland water body observation using GF-1 image”, Acta Oceanologica Sinica, 2019, 38(1); doi: 10.1007/s13131-019-1382-x
Deyong Sun*, Xiaoping Su, Zhongfeng Qiu, Shengqiang Wang, Zhihua Mao and Yijun He,” Remote Sensing Estimation of Sea Surface Salinity from GOCI Measurements in the Southern Yellow Sea”, Remote Sensing, 2019, 11, 775; doi:10.3390/rs11070775.
Deyong Sun, Yu Huan, Shengqiang Wang, Zhongfeng Qiu, Zunbin Ling, Zhihua Mao, Yijun He,” Remote sensing of spatial and temporal patterns of phytoplankton assemblages in the Bohai Sea, Yellow Sea, and east China sea,” Water Research, 2019, 157; doi: 10.1016/j.watres.2019.03.081.
DEYONG SUN, XIAOPING SU, SHENGQIANG WANG, ZHONGFENGQIU, ZUNBIN LING, ZHIHUA MAO, AND YIJUN HE,” Variability of particulate backscattering ratio and its relations to particle intrinsic features in the Bohai Sea, Yellow Sea, and East China Sea”, Optics Express,2019,27(3); doi: 10.1364/OE.27.003074
P. Chen, D. Pan, Z. Mao, and H. Liu, Semi-analytic Monte Carlo radiative transfer model of laser propagation in inhomogeneous sea water within subsurface plankton layer, Optics & Laser Technology，2019, 111, 1-5.
Chen, P.; Pan, D.; Mao, Z.*; Liu, H. Semi-Analytic Monte Carlo Model for Oceanographic Lidar Systems: Lookup Table Method Used for Randomly Choosing Scattering Angles. Appl. Sci. 2019, 9, 48. doi: 10.3390/app9010048.
Deyong Sun, Zunbin Ling, Shengqiang Wang, Zhongfeng Qiu, Yu Huan, Zhihua Mao and Yijun He, A remote-sensing method to estimate bulk refractive index of suspended particles from GOCI satellite measurements over Bohai Sea and Yellow Sea [J]. Applied Sciences, 2020, 10, 23; doi:10.3390/app10010023.
Yiwei Zhang, Zhihua Mao*, Bangyi Tao, Kaixu Bai, Peng Chen, Liangliang Shi, Haiqing Huang, Zheng Wang, "Evaluation of the performance of Suomi-NPP OMPS nadir mapper products using station measurements and OMI data," J. Appl. Remote Sens. 12(4), 042602 (2018), doi: 10.1117/1.JRS.12.042602.
Zheng WANG, Zhihua Mao*, Junshi XIA, Peijun DU, Liangliang SHI, Haiqing HUANG,Tianyu WANG, Fang GONG, Qiankun ZHU, Data fusion in data scarce areas using a back-propagation artificial neural network model: a case study of the South China Sea, Front. Earth Sci.DOI 10.1007/s11707-017-0652-1
Zheng Wang, Junshi Xia, Lihui Wang, Zhihua Mao*, Qun Zeng,Liqiao Tian, Liangliang Shi, Atmospheric Correction Methods for GF-1 WFV1 Data in Hazy Weather, J Indian Soc Remote Sens.46(3),355-366,2017, DOI 10.1007/s12524-017-0679-5
Liangliang Shi, Zhihua Mao*, Jiaping Wu, Mingliang Liu, Yiwei Zhang,Zheng Wang, Variations in Spectral Absorption Properties of Phytoplankton, Non-Algal Particles and Chromophoric Dissolved Organic Matter in Lake Qiandaohu, Water 2017, 9, 352; doi:10.3390/w9050352.
Lu Y, Zhou Y, Liu Y, Zhihua Mao*, et al. Using remote sensing to detect the polarized sunglint reflected from oil slicks beyond the critical angle[J]. Journal of Geophysical Research Oceans, 2017, 122(8), 6342-6354..
Zhou, Y., Jiang. L., Lu*, Y., Zhan, W., Mao, Z.*, Qian, W., & Liu, Y. (2017). Thermal infrared contrast between different types of oil slicks on top of water bodies. IEEE Geoscience and Remote Sensing Letters, 14(7): 1042-1045.
Cheng Chen, Zhihua Mao, Fuping Tang, Declining riverine sediment input impact on spring phytoplankton bloom off the Yangtze River Estuary from 17-year satellite observation, Continental Shelf Research 135 (2017) 86–91.
Chen, C., Zhihua Mao, G. Han, T. Li, Z. Wang, B. Tao, T. Wang and F. Gong. Optimal PAR intensity for spring bloom in the Northwest Pacific marginal seas. Ecological Indicators, 2017, 72: 428-435.
Jianyu Chen, Delu Pan, Mingliang Liu, Zhihua Mao, Qiankun Zhu, Relationships Between Long-Term Trend of Satellite-Derived Chlorophyll-a and Hypoxia Off the Changjiang Estuary, Estuaries and Coasts, DOI 10.1007/s12237-016-0203-0, 2017.
Chen, P., D. Pan, T. Wang, Zhihua Mao and Y. Zhang. Coastal and inland water monitoring using a portable hyperspectral laser fluorometer. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 119(2017)153-161.
Tao Bangyi, Zhihua Mao, Lei H, et al. A semianalytical MERIS green-red band algorithm for identifying phytoplankton bloom types in the East China Sea[J]. Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, 2017,122(3):1772-1788.
Zhou Y, Jiang L, Lu Y, Zhan W, Zhihua Mao, et al. Thermal Infrared Contrast Between Different Types of Oil Slicks on Top of Water Bodies[J]. IEEE Geoscience & Remote Sensing Letters, 2017, 14(7):1042-1045.
Xuefei Yang, Zhihua Mao* , Haiqing Huang, and Qiankun Zhu ,Using GOCI Retrieval Data to Initialize and Validate a Sediment Transport Model for Monitoring Diurnal Variation of SSC in Hangzhou Bay, China, Water , 8(3), 108; doi:10.3390/w8030108,2016.
CHEN Cheng, Zhihua Mao*, HAN Guoqi, ZHU Qiankun, GONG Fang, WANG Tianyu, Latitudinal and interannual variations of the spring phytoplankton bloom peak in the East Asian marginal seas, Acta Oceanologica Sinica, 2016 doi: 10.1007/s13131-016-0867-0 Zhihua Mao, Delu Pan, Xianqiang He, Jianyu Chen，A Unified Algorithm for the Atmospheric Correction of Satellite Remote Sensing Data over Land and Ocean，Remote Sens. 2016, 8, 536; doi:10.3390/rs8070536.
Zhihua Mao, Delu Pan, C. L. Tang, et al., A dynamic sediment model based on satellite-measured concentration of the surface suspended matter in the East China Sea，Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans,121,doi:10.1002/2015JC011466,2016.
Zhihua Mao, Pan D, Hao Z, Chen J, Tao B, Zhu Q，A potentially universal algorithm for estimating aerosol scattering reflectance from satellite remote sensing data[J]. Remote Sensing of Environment, 142:131-140, 2014.
Zhihua Mao, Chen J, Pan D, Tao B, Zhu Q. A new approach to estimate the aerosol scattering ratios for the atmospheric correction of satellite remote sensing data in coastal regions. Remote Sensing of Environment, 132:186-194, 2013 .
Zhihua Mao, Chen J, Pan D, et al. A regional remote sensing algorithm for total suspended matter in the East China Sea. Remote Sensing of Environment, 124:819-831, 2012.
Zhihua Mao, Chen J, He X. Evaluation of CMODIS-measured radiance by a hyperspectral model. International Journal of Remote Sensing, 31(19):5179-5198, 2010.
Zhihua Mao, Stuart V, Pan D, et al. Effects of phytoplankton species composition on absorption spectra and modeled hyperspectral reflectance[J]. Ecological Informatics, 5(5):359-366, 2010.
Zhihua Mao, Chen J, Huang H Q, et al. Establishment of a hyperspectral evaluation model of ocean color satellite-measured reflectance. Science in China, Series F: Information Sciences, 53(9):1891-1902, 2010.