Dr Yan Zhao
Research Fellow
Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation
+61 7 336 56529
Researcher biography
Dr Yan Zhao is a dedicated researcher in the field of agricultural systems, utilizing remote sensing observations to unveil spatial and temporal patterns and advance earth observation techniques and modelling. He is an integral member of a multi-disciplinary predictive agriculture research group based at QAAFI.
Currently, Dr Zhao's focus lies in the intricate integration of spatial technologies, crop modelling, and climate forecasting systems at various scales. His primary objective is to leverage remote sensing and crop simulation techniques for a comprehensive understanding of Australia's dryland cropping system. In pursuit of this goal, he has successfully developed pipelines for handling volumetric spatial datasets and delivering crucial information on crop types, production, and phenology, spanning from local to national scales.
Engaging actively with agri-business companies, government departments, and local growers, Dr Zhao collaborates closely with stakeholders to validate and implement his research findings in practical applications.
Dr Zhao earned his Doctoral Degree in Natural Science, with a specialized focus on Cartography and Geographic Information Systems. He completed his doctoral research at the Institute of Remote Sensing and Digital Earth, Chinese Academy of Sciences, in 2013.
Journal Articles
Xie, Zunyi, Zhao, Yan, Jiang, Ruizhu, Zhang, Miao, Hammer, Graeme, Chapman, Scott, Brider, Jason and Potgieter, Andries B. (2024). Seasonal dynamics of fallow and cropping lands in the broadacre cropping region of Australia. Remote Sensing of Environment, 305 114070, 1-14. doi: 10.1016/j.rse.2024.114070
Li, Yuanchao, Zeng, Hongwei, Zhang, Miao, Wu, Bingfang, Zhao, Yan, Yao, Xia, Cheng, Tao, Qin, Xingli and Wu, Fangming (2023). A county-level soybean yield prediction framework coupled with XGBoost and multidimensional feature engineering. International Journal of Applied Earth Observation and Geoinformation, 118 103269, 1-21. doi: 10.1016/j.jag.2023.103269
Myint Swe, Than, Williams, Wendy J., Schmidt, Susanne, Potgieter, Andries, Cowley, Robyn, Mellor, Vincent, Driscoll, Colin and Zhao, Yan (2023). Using digital photography to monitor changes in biocrusts and ground cover in a savanna rangeland. The Rangeland Journal, 44 (6), 263-278. doi: 10.1071/rj22019
Wu, Bingfang, Zhang, Miao, Zeng, Hongwei, Tian, Fuyou, Potgieter, Andries B., Qin, Xingli, Yan, Nana, Chang, Sheng, Zhao, Yan, Dong, Qinghan, Boken, Vijendra, Plotnikov, Dmitry, Guo, Huadong, Wu, Fangming, Zhao, Hang, Deronde, Bart, Tits, Laurent and Loupian, Evgeny (2022). Challenges and opportunities in remote sensing-based crop monitoring: a review. National Science Review, 10 (4) nwac290, 1-34. doi: 10.1093/nsr/nwac290
Lu, Zhixiang, Feng, Qi, Wei, Yongping, Zhao, Yan, Deo, Ravinesh C., Xie, Jiali, Zhou, Sha, Zhu, Meng and Xu, Min (2022). Basin management inspiration from impacts of alternating dry and wet conditions on water production and carbon uptake in Murray-Darling Basin. Science of the Total Environment, 851 (Pt 2) 158359, 158359. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.158359
Zhi, Xiaoyu, Massey-Reed, Sean Reynolds, Wu, Alex, Potgieter, Andries, Borrell, Andrew, Hunt, Colleen, Jordan, David, Zhao, Yan, Chapman, Scott, Hammer, Graeme and George-Jaeggli, Barbara (2022). Estimating photosynthetic attributes from high-throughput canopy hyperspectral sensing in sorghum. Plant Phenomics, 2022 9768502, 1-18. doi: 10.34133/2022/9768502
Zhao, Yan, Zheng, Bangyou, Chapman, Scott C., Laws, Kenneth, George-Jaeggli, Barbara, Hammer, Graeme L., Jordan, David R. and Potgieter, Andries B. (2021). Detecting sorghum plant and head features from multispectral UAV imagery. Plant Phenomics, 2021 9874650, 9874650-14. doi: 10.34133/2021/9874650
Potgieter, A. B., Zhao, Yan, Zarco-Tejada, Pablo J, Chenu, Karine, Zhang, Yifan, Porker, Kenton, Biddulph, Ben, Dang, Yash P., Neale, Tim, Roosta, Fred and Chapman, Scott (2021). Evolution and application of digital technologies to predict crop type and crop phenology in agriculture. In Silico Plants, 3 (1) diab017, 1-23. doi: 10.1093/insilicoplants/diab017
Wu, Shuanglei, Wei, Yongping, Head, Brian, Zhao, Yan and Hanna, Scott (2020). Using a process-based model to understand dynamics of Chinese agricultural and water technology development from 8000 bc to 1911 ad. Ambio, 50 (5), 1101-1116. doi: 10.1007/s13280-020-01424-7
Wu, Xutong, Wei, Yongping, Fu, Bojie, Wang, Shuai, Zhao, Yan and Moran, Emilio F. (2020). Evolution and effects of the social-ecological system over a millennium in China's Loess Plateau. Science Advances, 6 (41) eabc0276. doi: 10.1126/sciadv.abc0276
Chen, L. J., Li, C. S., Feng, Q., Wei, Y. P., Zhao, Y., Zhu, M. and Deo, R. C. (2020). An integrative influence of saline water irrigation and fertilization on the structure of soil bacterial communities. Journal of Agricultural Science, 157 (9-10), 693-700. doi: 10.1017/S002185962000012X
Zhao, Yan, Potgieter, Andries B., Zhang, Miao, Wu, Bingfang and Hammer, Graeme L. (2020). Predicting wheat yield at the field scale by combining high-resolution sentinel-2 satellite imagery and crop modelling. Remote Sensing, 12 (6) 1024, 1024. doi: 10.3390/rs12061024
Zhang, Rui, Chen, Lijuan, Niu, Zuirong, Song, Shuzhen and Zhao, Yan (2019). Water stress affects the frequency of Firmicutes, Clostridiales and Lysobacter in rhizosphere soils of greenhouse grape. Agricultural Water Management, 226 105776, 105776. doi: 10.1016/j.agwat.2019.105776
Wu, Shuanglei, Wei, Yongping, Head, Brian, Zhao, Yan and Hanna, Scott (2019). The development of ancient Chinese agricultural and water technology from 8000 BC to 1911 AD. Palgrave Communications, 5 (1) 77. doi: 10.1057/s41599-019-0282-1
Guo, Xiaoyan, Feng, Qi, Si, Jianhua, Xi, Haiyang, Zhao, Yan and Deo, Ravinesh C. (2019). Partitioning groundwater recharge sources in multiple aquifers system within a desert oasis environment: implications for water resources management in endorheic basins. Journal of Hydrology, 579 124212. doi: 10.1016/j.jhydrol.2019.124212
Wu, Xutong, Wang, Shuai, Fu, Bojie, Zhao, Yan and Wei, Yongping (2019). Pathways from payments for ecosystem services program to socioeconomic outcomes. Ecosystem Services, 39 101005, 101005. doi: 10.1016/j.ecoser.2019.101005
Ran, YouHua and Zhao, Yan (2019). A landscape management analysis framework and its preliminary application in Ejina Oasis, Northwest China. Sciences in Cold and Arid Regions, 11 (3), 239-247. doi: 10.3724/SP.J.1226.2019.00239
Zhao, Yan, Lu, Zhixiang and Wei, Yongping (2019). An assessment of global precipitation and evapotranspiration products for regional applications. Remote Sensing, 11 (9) 1077, 1077. doi: 10.3390/rs11091077
Lu, Zhixiang, Zhao, Yan, Wei, Yongping, Feng, Qi and Xie, Jiali (2019). Differences among evapotranspiration products affect water resources and ecosystem management in an Australian catchment. Remote Sensing, 11 (8) 958, 925. doi: 10.3390/rs11080958
Zhao, Haili, Wei, Yongping, Ding, Meng, Zhao, Yan and Zhang, Zhiqiang (2019). Farmers’ perceptions of water use for social equality, economic development and environmental protection in a water-stressed region. International Journal of River Basin Management, 18 (4), 1-8. doi: 10.1080/15715124.2019.1566237
Chen, Lijuan, Li, Changsheng, Feng, Qi, Wei, Yongping, Zhao, Yan, Zhu, Meng and Deo, Ravinesh C. (2019). Direct and indirect impacts of ionic components of saline water on irrigated soil chemical and microbial processes. Catena, 172, 581-589. doi: 10.1016/j.catena.2018.09.030
Tang, Xia, Zhao, Yan, Zhang, Zhiqiang, Feng, Qi and Wei, Yongping (2018). Cultivated oasis evolution in the Heihe River Basin over the past 2,000 years. Land Degradation and Development, 29 (8), 2254-2263. doi: 10.1002/ldr.2991
Deng, Qucheng, Wei, Yongping, Zhao, Yan, Han, Xuerong and Yin, Juan (2018). Understanding the natural and socioeconomic factors behind regional longevity in Guangxi, China: is the centenarian ratio a good enough indicator for assessing the longevity phenomenon?. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 15 (5) 938, 938. doi: 10.3390/ijerph15050938
Zhao, Yan, Wei, Yongping, Wu, Bingfang, Lu, Zhixiang and Fu, Li (2018). A connectivity-based assessment framework for river basin ecosystem service management. Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability, 33, 34-41. doi: 10.1016/j.cosust.2018.03.010
Wu, Shuanglei, Wei, Yongping, Zhao, Yan, Huang, Sarina, Duffield, Colin, Tang, Wenzhe and Zheng, Hang (2018). A longitudinal analysis on the perspectives of major world newspapers on the Three Gorges Dam project during 1982-2015. Water Science and Technology: Water Supply, 18 (1), 94-107. doi: 10.2166/ws.2017.088
Chen, Lijuan, Li, Changsheng, Feng, Qi, Wei, Yongping, Zheng, Hang, Zhao, Yan, Feng, Yongjiu and Li, Huiya (2017). Shifts in soil microbial metabolic activities and community structures along a salinity gradient of irrigation water in a typical arid region of China. Science of the Total Environment, 598, 64-70. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.04.105
Chen, Lijuan, Feng, Qi, Li, Changsheng, Wei, Yongping, Zhao, Yan, Feng, Yongjiu, Zheng, Hang, Li, Fengrui and Li, Huiya (2017). Impacts of aquaculture wastewater irrigation on soil microbial functional diversity and community structure in arid regions. Scientific Reports, 7 (1) 11193, 11193. doi: 10.1038/s41598-017-11678-z
Li, Shoubo, Zhao, Yan, Wei, Yongping and Zheng, Hang (2017). Evolution of the vegetation system in the Heihe River basin in the last 2000 years. Hydrology and Earth System Sciences, 21 (8), 4233-4244. doi: 10.5194/hess-21-4233-2017
Wang, Chen, Zhao, Yan, Wei, Yong-ping and Shi, Guo-qing (2017). Systems dynamics approach to understanding the impacts of aquaculture closure policies on environmental pressures and fishermen households' incomes in Danjiangkou Reservoir, China. Aquaculture International, 25 (6), 2227-2257. doi: 10.1007/s10499-017-0185-3
Wang, Chen, Shi, Guoqing, Wei, Yongping, Western, Andrew William, Zheng, Hang and Zhao, Yan (2017). Balancing rural household livelihood and regional ecological footprint in water source areas of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project. Sustainability, 9 (8) 1393, 1393. doi: 10.3390/su9081393
Zhao, Yan, Wei, Yongping, Li, Shoubo and Wu, Bingfang (2016). Downstream ecosystem responses to middle reach regulation of river discharge in the Heihe River Basin, China. Hydrology and Earth System Sciences, 20 (11), 4469-4481. doi: 10.5194/hess-20-4469-2016
Chen, Li -Juan, Feng, Qi, Wei, Yong-Ping, Li, Chang-Sheng, Zhao, Yan, Li, Hui-Ya and Zhang, Bao-Gui (2016). Effects of saline water irrigation and fertilization regimes on soil microbial metabolic activity. Journal of Soils and Sediments, 17 (2), 1-8. doi: 10.1007/s11368-016-1551-x
Fu, Bojie, Zhang, Liwei, Xu, Zhihong, Zhao, Yan, Wei, Yongping and Skinner, Dominic (2015). Ecosystem services in changing land use. Journal of Soils and Sediments, 15 (4), 833-843. doi: 10.1007/s11368-015-1082-x
Fu, Li, Zhao, Yan, Xu, Zhihong and Wu, Bingfang (2015). Spatial and temporal dynamics of forest aboveground carbon stocks in response to climate and environmental changes. Journal of Soils and Sediments, 15 (2), 249-259. doi: 10.1007/s11368-014-1050-x
Zhao, Yan, Sherman, Bradford, Ford, Phillip, Demarty, Maud, DelSontro, Tonya, Harby, Atle, Tremblay, Alain, Overjordet, Ida Beathe, Zhao, Xinfeng, Hansen, Bjorn Henrik and Wu, Bingfang (2015). A comparison of methods for the measurement of CO2 and CH4 emissions from surface water reservoirs: results from an international workshop held at Three Gorges Dam, June 2012. Limnology and Oceanography: Methods, 13 (1), 15-29. doi: 10.1002/lom3.10003
Zhao, Y., Wu, B. F. and Zeng, Y. (2013). Spatial and temporal patterns of greenhouse gas emissions from Three Gorges Reservoir of China. Biogeosciences, 10 (2), 1219-1230. doi: 10.5194/bg-10-1219-2013
Zhao, Yan, Zeng, Yuan, Wu, Bing-Fang, Chen, Yong-Bo, Wang, Qiang and Yuan, Chao (2011). Review of methods for measuring greenhouse gas flux from the air-water interface of reservoirs. Shuikexue Jinzhan/Advances in Water Science, 22 (1), 135-146.
Zhao, Yan, Zeng, Yuan, Wu, Bing-Fang, Wang, Qiang, Yuan, Chao and Xu, Zhi-Rong (2011). Observation on greenhouse gas emissions from Xiangxi River in Three Gorges Region. Shuikexue Jinzhan/Advances in Water Science, 22 (4), 546-553.
Conference Papers
Potgieter, A. B., Camino, C., Poblete, T., Zhi, X., Reynolds-Massey-Reed, S., Zhao, Y., Belwalkar, A., Ruizhu, J., George-Jaeggli, B., Chapman, S., Jordan, D., Wu, A., Hammer, G. L. and J, Zarco-Tejada P. (2023). Advances in the study of biochemical, morphological and physiological traits of wheat and sorghum crops in australia using hyperspectral data and machine learning. 2023 IEEE International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium, Pasadena, CA USA, 16-21 July 2023. Piscataway, NJ USA: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. doi: 10.1109/igarss52108.2023.10282230
Nguyen, Dung, Zhao, Yan, Zhang, Yifan, Huynh, Anh Ngoc-Lan, Roosta, Fred, Hammer, Graeme, Chapman, Scott and Potgieter, Andries (2022). Crop type prediction utilising a long short-term memory with a self-attention for winter crops in Australia. IGARSS 2022 - 2022 IEEE International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 17-22 July 2022. Piscataway, NJ, United States: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. doi: 10.1109/IGARSS46834.2022.9883737
Das, Sumanta, Massey-Reed, Sean Reynolds, Mahuika, Jenny, Watson, James, Cordova, Celso, Otto, Loren, Zhao, Yan, Chapman, Scott, George-Jaeggli, Barbara, Jordan, David, Hammer, Graeme L. and Potgieter, Andries B. (2022). A high-throughput phenotyping pipeline for rapid evaluation of morphological and physiological crop traits across large fields. IGARSS 2022 - 2022 IEEE International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 17-22 July 2022. Piscataway, NJ, United States: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers . doi: 10.1109/IGARSS46834.2022.9884530