Langezijds

dr.ir. C. van der Tol (Christiaan)

Associate Professor
ITC-WRS
Langezijds 1102
c.vandertol@utwente.nl
+31534874282
Business card

Christiaan van der Tol (1978) is an associate professor in 'Ecohydrology and Earth Observation' at the Water Resources department. His interest is in the relations between water, energy and other resources on Earth.

He obtained his MSc in Hydrology at Wageningen University (2001), and PhD in Earth Sciences at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (2007) with the thesis ‘Climatic Constaints on Cabon Assimilation and Transpiration of sub-Mediterranean forests’. He developed the ‘Soil-Canopy Observation of Photosynthesis and Energy fluxes’ (SCOPE) model, and worked on the interpretation of Solar Induced Chlorophyll fluorescence: https://github.com/christiaanvandertol

Expertise

  • Earth and Planetary Sciences

    • Model
    • Canopy
    • Fluorescence
    • Observation
    • Vegetation
    • Soil
    • Photosynthesis
    • Radiative Transfer

Organisations

  • ‘Soil-Canopy Observation of Photosynthesis and Energy fluxes’ (SCOPE) model
  • Radiative transfer and energy budgets of vegetation
  • Solar Induced Chlorophyll fluorescence
  • Vegetation structure and functioning
  • Energy dissipation pathways at the Earth surface
  • Rainfall interception, evaporation and transpiration
  • Photosynthesis and heat, water, and nutrient stress
  • FLEX satellite mission

Publications

Jump to: 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022

2025

From fluorescence to biomass: A comprehensive analysis via crop modeling and sensing techniques (2025)Smart Agricultural Technology, 10. Article 100807. Ntakos, G., Prikaziuk, E., Vilfan, N., van der Wal, T. & van der Tol, C.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atech.2025.100807

2024

Coupled WOFOST and SCOPE model for remote sensing-based crop growth simulations (2024)Computers and electronics in agriculture, 225. Article 109238. Ntakos, G., Prikaziuk, E., ten Den, T., Reidsma, P., Vilfan, N., van der Wal, T. & van der Tol, C.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compag.2024.109238Investigating the role of groundwater in mitigating vegetation water stress (2024)[Contribution to conference › Abstract] World Groundwater Congress 2024, IAH 2024. Daoud, M. G. M., Alidoost, S. F., Schilperoort, B., Zeng, Y., van der Tol, C., Salama, M. S., Lubczynski, M. W., Yu, L. & Su, Z.Assessing evapotranspiration models for regional implementation in the Mediterranean: A comparative analysis of STEPS, TSEB, and SCOPE with global datasets (2024)Applied Sciences, 14(17). Article 7685. Unnisa, Z., Govind, A., Prikaziuk, E., Van der Tol, C., Lasserre, B., Burchard-Levine, V. & Marchetti, M.https://doi.org/10.3390/app14177685Remote sensing evapotranspiration in ensemble-based framework to enhance cascade routing and re-infiltration concept in integrated hydrological model applied to support decision making (2024)Journal of hydrology, 637, 1-18. Article 131411. Daoud, M. G. M., White, J. T., Morway, E. D., van der Tol, C. & Lubczynski, M. W.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2024.131411Understanding the effects of revegetated shrubs on fluxes of energy, water, and gross primary productivity in a desert steppe ecosystem using the STEMMUS-SCOPE model (2024)Biogeosciences, 21(4), 893-909. Tang, E., Zeng, Y., Wang, Y., Song, Z., Yu, D., Wu, H., Qiao, C., van der Tol, C., Du, L. & Su, Z.https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-893-2024

2023

The roles of radiative, structural and physiological information of sun-induced chlorophyll fluorescence in predicting gross primary production of a corn crop at various temporal scales (2023)Agricultural and forest meteorology, 342. Article 109720. Yang, P., Liu, X., Liu, Z., van der Tol, C. & Liu, L.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agrformet.2023.109720Understanding the Effects of Revegetated Shrubs on Fluxes of Energy, Water and Gross Primary Productivity in a Desert Steppe Ecosystem Using STEMMUS-SCOPE Model (2023)[Dataset Types › Dataset]. Zenodo. Tang, E., Zeng, Y., Wang, Y., Song, Z., Yu, D., Wu, H., Qiao, C., van der Tol, C., Du, L. & Su, Z.https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7986565Land Cover Control on the Drivers of Evaporation and Sensible Heat Fluxes: An Observation-Based Synthesis for the Netherlands (2023)Water resources research, 59(11), 1-24. Article e2022WR034361. Jansen, F. A., Jongen, H. J., Jacobs, C. M. J., Bosveld, F. C., Buzacott, A. J. V., Heusinkveld, B. G., Kruijt, B., van der Molen, M., Moors, E., Steeneveld, G. J., van der Tol, C., van der Velde, Y., Voortman, B., Uijlenhoet, R. & Teuling, A. J.https://doi.org/10.1029/2022WR034361Biogeographic limits of C4 engineered rice (2023)[Working paper › Preprint]. Research Square Publications. Marshall, M., Haridasan, D., Florencio, C. V., van der Tol, C., Vrieling, A., Tu, K., Zhang, L. & Nelson, A.https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-3333949/v1From remotely sensed solar-induced chlorophyll fluorescence to ecosystem structure, function, and service: Part I—Harnessing theory (2023)Global change biology, 29(11), 2926-2952. Sun, Y., Gu, L., Wen, J., van der Tol, C., Porcar-Castell, A., Joiner, J., Chang, C. Y., Magney, T., Wang, L., Hu, L., Rascher, U., Zarco-Tejada, P., Barrett, C. B., Lai, J., Han, J. & Luo, Z.https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.16634From remotely-sensed solar-induced chlorophyll fluorescence to ecosystem structure, function, and service: Part II—Harnessing data (2023)Global change biology, 29(11), 2893-2925. Sun, Y., Wen, J., Gu, L., Joiner, J., Chang, C. Y., van der Tol, C., Porcar-Castell, A., Magney, T., Wang, L., Hu, L., Rascher, U., Zarco-Tejada, P., Barrett, C. B., Lai, J., Han, J. & Luo, Z.https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.16646Spatial-temporal dynamics of land surface phenology over Africa for the period of 1982–2015 (2023)Heliyon, 9(6). Article e16413. Shi, S., Yang, P. & van der Tol, C.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e16413Understanding the Effect of Revegetated Shrubs on Energy, Water and Carbon Fluxes in a Desert Steppe Ecosystem Using STEMMUS-SCOPE Model (2023)[Dataset Types › Dataset]. Zenodo. Tang, E., Zeng, Y., Wang, Y., Song, Z., Yu, D., Wu, H., Qiao, C., van der Tol, C., Du, L. & Su, Z.https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7986566Using the radiative-transfer SCOPE model to predict the vulnerability of tropical forests to changing climate (2023)[Contribution to conference › Poster] NASA Carbon Cycle and Ecosystem Joint Science Workshop 2023. Acebron, K. T., McMahon, S. M., Garcia, M. N., Southwick, C. D., Braun, E. J., Detto, M., Vasquez, V., Prikaziuk, E., van der Tol, C. & Albert, L.https://cce-datasharing.gsfc.nasa.gov/conferences/absbyid/145/35/h/1/Observing Zambezi Basin from space: Satellite rainfall bias error correction and propagation analysis for hydrological modelling (2023)[Thesis › PhD Thesis - Research UT, graduation UT]. University of Twente, Faculty of Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation (ITC). Gumindoga, W.https://doi.org/10.3990/1.9789036556286STEMMUS-SCOPE for PLUMBER2: A Physically Consistent Dataset Across the Soil-Plant-Atmosphere Continuum (2023)[Dataset Types › Dataset]. Zenodo. Wang, Y., Zeng, Y., Alidoost, F., Schilperoort, B., Retsios, B., Girgin, S., van der Tol, C. & Su, Z.https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7737321STEMMUS-SCOPE for PLUMBER2: Understanding water-energy-carbon fluxes with a physically consistent dataset across thesSoil-plant-atmosphere (SPAC) continuum (2023)[Contribution to conference › Abstract] EGU General Assembly 2023. Wang, Y., Zeng, Y., Alidoost, F., Song, Z., Yu, D., Tang, E., Han, Q., Retsios, V., Girgin, S., van der Tol, C. & Su, Z.https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu23-16633Towards an open digital twin of soil-plant system following Open Science  (2023)[Contribution to conference › Abstract] EGU General Assembly 2023. Zeng, Y., Alidoost, F., Schilperoort, B., Liu, Y., Grootes, M. W., Wang, Y., Song, Z., Yu, D., Tang, E., Han, Q., van der Tol, C., Zurita-Milla, R., Yang, M. Y., Girgin, S., Dzigan, Y. & Su, Z.https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu23-9786Understanding the effects of revegetated shrubs on energy, water and carbon fluxes in a semiarid steppe ecosystem using STEMMUS-SCOPE Model (2023)[Contribution to conference › Abstract] EGU General Assembly 2023. Tang, E., Zeng, Y., Wang, Y., Song, Z., Yu, D., Wu, H., Qiao, C., van der Tol, C., Du, L. & Su, Z.https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu23-2749Retrieval of chlorophyll fluorescence from a large distance using oxygen absorption bands (2023)Remote sensing of environment, 284. Article 113304. van der Tol, C., Julitta, T., Yang, P., Sabater, N., Reiter, I., Tudoroiu, M., Schuettemeyer, D. & Drusch, M.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2022.113304Simulation of ecosystem fluxes with the SCOPE model: Sensitivity to parametrization and evaluation with flux tower observations (2023)Remote sensing of environment, 284. Article 113324. Prikaziuk, E., Migliavacca, M., Su, Z. (. & van der Tol, C.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2022.113324

2022

Using the SCOPE model for potato growth, productivity and yield monitoring under different levels of nitrogen fertilization (2022)International Journal of Applied Earth Observation and Geoinformation (JAG), 114. Article 102997. Prikaziuk, E., Ntakos, G., ten Den, T., Reidsma, P., van der Wal, T. & van der Tol, C.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jag.2022.102997Multi-sensor spectral synergies for crop stress detection and monitoring in the optical domain: A review (2022)Remote sensing of environment, 280. Article 113198. Berger, K., Machwitz, M., Kycko, M., Kefauver, S. C., Van Wittenberghe, S., Gerhards, M., Verrelst, J., Atzberger, C., van der Tol, C., Damm, A., Rascher, U., Herrmann, I., Sobejano Paz, V., Fahrner, S., Pieruschka, R., Prikaziuk, E., Buchaillot, M. L., Halabuk, A., Celesti, M., … Schlerf, M.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2022.113198Exploring the potential of SCOPE model for detection of leaf area index and sun-induced fluorescence of peatland canopy (2022)Remote sensing, 14(16). Article 4010. Rastogi, A., Antala, M., Prikaziuk, E., Yang, P., van der Tol, C. & Juszczak, R.https://doi.org/10.3390/rs14164010

Research profiles

Christiaan van der Tol has supervised nearly 50 Msc research thesis projects on topics of remote sensing of water fluxes and vegetation processes. He coordinates the curriculum of the Water Resources specialization of the MSc course of Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation. He also trains young researchers in (among others) the PhD training network TRuStEE.

Courses academic year 2024/2025

Courses in the current academic year are added at the moment they are finalised in the Osiris system. Therefore it is possible that the list is not yet complete for the whole academic year.

Courses academic year 2023/2024

My research projects funded by NWO and the EU focus on understanding the interactions between plants, hydrology and climate.

Current projects

TRuStEE

emote sensing (RS) data at a range of scales from proximal observations to global extent sampling can detect essential changes in plant traits (PTs), biodiversity and ecosystem functioning, providing a method for scaling-up. However there are still methodological and technical constraints that hamper a systematic incorporation of RS in ecosystem models, including scalability and multi-source data integration issues. TRuStEE will train a new generation of scientists with complementary and interdisciplinary skills in ecosystem modelling, plant physiology, RS technologies and big data analysis, addressing the specific objectives: 1) to identify essential biodiversity variables (EBVs) and the link with PTs and ecosystem functional properties (EFPs), inferable from RS, 2) to investigate a completely new avenue for assessing vegetation photosynthetic efficiency from RS measurements of canopy fluorescence, 3) to assimilate diverse RS data streams with varying spatial and temporal resolution in dynamic ecosystem models and 4) to exploit new satellite missions (e.g. ESA-FLEX, ESA-Sentinels, NASA-GEDI) and EO products for the upscaling of PTs, EBVs and EFPs. The early stage researchers (ESRs) involved will strongly benefit from the network of internationally recognized scientists and private companies with relevant expertise in these topics. The cooperation program proposed will link academic and non-academic participants to allow the circulation of ESRs giving them the opportunity to become new research and innovation leaders in the most cutting edge sophisticated technologies in the field, increasing their employability in both academic and private sectors.

Exploring vegetation strategies to utilize light and water for primary productivity through remote sensing of reflectance and fluorescence.

Plants have played a crucial role in the history of Earth. They have turned the planet into a habitable place, while developing new ways to colonize the planet and adapting to climate change. The recent launch of a large number of satellites observing Earth makes it possible to better understand the role of vegetation in climate by investigating plant functional traits. We propose to use data of OLCI and SLSTR on Sentinel-3 satellites together with GOME-2 data of solar induced fluorescence (SIF), to analyse strategies of plants to utilize light and water and avoid stress. We use a dedicated computer simulation model for remote sensing of vegetation, SCOPE, coupled to an atmospheric radiative transfer model, MODTRAN. We will first exploit the dual-view mode of the SLSTR sensor (near- to thermal infrared) and the bands of OLCI (visible to shortwave infrared) on Sentinel 3 to retrieve vegetation structure and temperature. Second, we will use SIF detected with GOME-2 on Metop to retrieve the fluorescence quantum emission efficiency (FQE), a variable that determines the light saturation of photosynthesis. We will finally evaluate the light and water use strategy of the vegetation across a precipitation and illumination gradient in tropical Africa.

Address

University of Twente

Langezijds (building no. 19), room 1102
Hallenweg 8
7522 NH Enschede
Netherlands

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