In 2004, scientists from the US and China met in Beijing to discuss how the two countries could combine their limited resources to better understand climate change impacts on the carbon and water cycles. Initial support was provided by the U.S. Forest Service, Chinese Academy of Sciences, University of Toledo, Beijing Forestry University, Chinese Academy of Forestry, and Fudan University.
Since then, the USCCC has grown into a multi-institutional research group with a primary focus on measuring and modeling carbon and water resources. Today, USCCC members maintain over 100 eddy flux sites that represent natural and managed ecosystems ranging from coastal wetlands to steppes, and from tropical mangroves to boreal conifer forests. Scientists use specially equipped towers located across China and the eastern U.S. to study these ecosystem changes.
Executive Committee Members (alphabetical list by family names)
Chen, Jiquan, Chief Scientist (2003 – present), Michigan State University; jqchen@msu.edu
Chen, Tiexi, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, txchen@nuist.edu.cn;
Chen, Shiping, Institute of Botany, CAS, spchen@ibcas.ac.cn
Dong, Gang, Shanxi University, dongg@sxu.edu.cn
Hao, Lu, Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology, haolu@nuist.edu.cn
Jiang, Sicheng, Northeast Normal University, Jiangsc943@nenu.edu.cn
Li, Fei, Grassland Research Institute, CAAS, lifei01@caas.cn
Li, Xianglan, Beijing Normal University, xlli@bnu.edu.cn
Li, Xin, Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, CAS, lixin@lzb.ac.cn
Liang, Naishen, National Institute for Environmental Studies, liang@nies.go.jp
Lin, Guanghui Co-Chair (2012-2014), Tsinghua University, lingh@mail.tsinghua.edu.cn
Liu, Heping, Washington State University, heping.liu@wsu.edu
Liu, Huizhi, Institute of Atmospheric Physics, CAS, huizhil@mail.iap.ac.cn
Liu, Yuanbo, Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, CAS, ybliu@niglas.ac.cn
Lu, Weizhi, Central South University of Forestry and Technology, weizhiliu@csuft.edu.cn
Ma, Mingguo (deceased), Co-Chair (2014-2016), Southwest University, mmg@swu.edu.cn
McNulty, Steve, Co-Chair (2004 -2009), USDA Forest Service, Steven.Mcnulty@usda.gov
Noormets, Asko, Co-Chair (2019-2021), Texas A&M University, noormets@tamu.edu
Qi, Jiaguo, MSU and Nanjing Agricultural University, qi@msu.edu
Shao, Changliang, Co-Chair (2021-2025), Institute of Agricultural Res & Reg Planning, CAAS, shaochangliang@caas.cn
Sun, Ge, Co-Chair (2010-2012, 2021-2025), USDA Forest Service, ge.sun@usda.gov
Tang, Jim (deceased). Co-Chair (2012-2014), Marine Biological Lab (MBL), jtang@mbl.edu
Tang, Xuguang, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, 20230087@hznu.edu.cn
Wang, Dan (deceased), Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology, wangdan.nuist@outlook.com
Wang, Shaoqiang, Wuhan University, sqwang@igsnnr.ac.cn
Xiao, Jingfeng, Co-Chair (2014-2016), University of New Hampshire, j.xiao@unh.edu<
Xiao, Wei, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, wei.xiao@nuist.edu.cn
Zha, Tianshan, Beijing Forestry University, tianshanzha@bjfu.edu.cn
Zhang, Fangmin, Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology, fmin.zhang@nuist.edu.cn
Zhang, Xudong, Co-Chair (2010-2012), Chinese Academy of Forest Science, zhxdcaf@163.com
Zhang, Yinsheng, Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, CAS, yszhang@itpcas.ac.cn
Zhang, Zhiqiang, Co-Chair (2007-2009), Beijing Forestry University, zhqzhang@bjfu.edu.cn
Zhao, Bin, Co-Chair (2019-2021), Fudan University, zhaobin@fudan.edu.cn
Zhou, Guangsheng, China Meteorological Administration, zhougs@cma.gov.cn
Zhu, Xudong, Xiamen University, xdzhu@xmu.edu.cn
Dr. Zhiqiang Zhang is the lead PI of BFU-Zhang team, and is a professor in Forest Hydrology and Urban Forestry Planning and a Committee Member of USCCC. The team's original study site was primarily located in a managed poplar plantation at the Daxing Forest Farm in the southern suburbs of Beijing, China (39° 31' 50'' N, 116°15' 07'' E), where the research period lasted from 2005 to 2012. In 2013, the study site shifted to a managed poplar plantation at Gongqing Forest Farm located in the Shunyi District, in the northeast suburbs of Beijing (40° 06' 27.540'' N, 116° 42' 40.770'' E).
Prof. Liu Shaomin is the team leader of the Hydrometeorology and Remote Sensing group and is also a professor of Beijing Normal University. The observation and research team includes one professor, one associate professor, one assistant professor, one senior engineer, and several PH. D and M.S. students. The interests of our team mainly focus on developing measuring methods for surface evapotranspiration at satellite pixel scale, remote sensing estimation and validation, soil moisture observation, and simulation, etc.
The Heihe Plan, launched by the National Science Foundation of China (NSFC), supported the stations located in the Heihe River Basin. Beijing Normal University and the Cold and Arid Regions Environmental and Engineering Research Institute, of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, jointly constructed all these sites.
PI: Dr. Xudong Zhang 张旭东
Main Contact: Shenghua Gao, Research Associate Professor
Dr. Xudong Zhang is the lead PI of the Chinese Academy of Forestry Team, Research Institute of Forestry, and is also a sponsor and the 2nd Chinese Chief Scientist of the USCCC. Dr. Shenghua Gao, a Research Associate Professor, is a newly staffed member on this team. Two riparian poplar plantation sites were established in 2005 on the floodplain of Yangtze River, and a riparian reed ecosystem was established in 2014, aiming to discover the ecological effects of forestry ecology projects in this region.
Dr. Bin Zhao is the lead PI of Fudan University's team, Global Change and Eco-System, Geo-Information System & Remote Sensing (GC3S) Lab, and is a professor in ecology and one of the founders of USCCC. Dr. Haiqiang Guo, a research assistant, joins him as a USCCC fellow. The team's sites are located on the east shore of Chongming Island, known as Dongtan, Shanghai. Current research topics include: 1) Coastal wetland carbon cycle (methane included) and regulating factors; 2) Effect of urbanization on ecosystem carbon budget and modeling; 3) Response of desert vegetation to climate change; 4) Ecological big data and data mining.
The LEES Lab is interested in scientific investigations and education on fundamental ecosystem and landscape processes for understanding ecosystem functions and management. The lab's research projects, spreading mostly across North American and Asian landscapes, include sites in Oak Openings, OH, USA, a 130 square mile landscape scale oak savanna/prairie, and in the Kellogg Biological Research Station, MI, USA.
The lab's current studies are focused on the carbon and water cycles of different ecosystems (grassland, desert, forest, cropland, wetlands, freshwater) at multiple spatial and temporal scales, bioenergy systems and resource uses, coupled interactions, and feedback between climatic change and human activities, and sustainable management and conservation.
The team of Quantitative Remote Sensing for Hydroclimatology (QRSH) is affiliated with Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences. It is now composed of five faculty members and four graduate students, under the leadership of Professor Yuanbo LIU.
The current focus of the team work is quantitative use of remote sensing to study the hydrological cycle in the Poyang Lake Basin, China. An eddy-covariance system was installed in a tower with a height of 38m on Sheshan Island in central Poyang Lake in July 2013. The system measures energy, water, and CO2 fluxes between the lake surface and the atmosphere. It serves as a field basis for several ongoing research projects including a key NSFC program and a 973 project.
The Shanghai Normal University (SHNU) station is located in the campus of SHUN (Fenxian district, Shanghai) and was set up in 2009. The major objectives focus on human activity and the urban carbon cycle. The primary study is on land use and land cover change and urban carbon flux.
Our urban waterfront ecosystem flux observation station has been located in the Fenhe River of Taiyuan City (112°32'00.37'N, 37°53'54.91'E, 791m a.s.l) since 2013. Our research interest focuses on the urban carbon and water cycling, urban planning, flux source area, and remote sensing.
PI: Dr. Che Tao | Email Dr. Tao
Dr. Che Tao is the Director of the Heihe Remote Sensing Experimental Research Station, Chinese Academy of Sciences. He is a professor of the Cold and Arid Regions Environmental and Engineering Research Institute. The observation and research team of the Heihe Remote Sensing Experimental Research Station includes 3 professors, 3 associate professors, 6 assistant professors, and 4 engineers. We also have 10 PH. D. candidate students and Master degree candidate students. Our research interest focuses on cryosphere remote sensing, land surface process remote sensing, ecological remote sensing and land surface data assimilation.
PI: Dr. Dafeng Hui, Associate Professor 惠大丰
Main Contact: Dr. Dafeng Hui
Dr. Dafeng Hui is the lead PI of Tennessee State University’s team, the TSU Ecology lab, and is an associate professor in ecology. The team’s site is located in the croplands of Nashville, Tennessee. This site combines an N2O analyzer to monitor N2O, CO2, and H2O fluxes.
The GCE group at Tsinghua University is dedicated to providing new insights into the key biogeochemical cycles of global coastal ecosystems under the influences of climate change and human activities.
The team has been operating two eddy flux tower systems for typical mangrove wetlands in southern China, one in the Gaoqiao mangrove forest of the Zhanjiang National Mangrove Nature Reserve and another in the Yunxiao mangrove forests of the Zhangjiangkou National Mangrove Nature Reserve. The Gaoqiao mangrove with a forest area of 2000 hm2 is located in the estuary of Yingluo Bay, Guangdong Province. The area of the Yunxiao mangrove forest is much smaller, only 118 hm2, and is located in the gulf of Gulei, Fujian Province.
Since 2009, the team has investigated spatial-temporal variations in the mangrove ecosystem's CO2 exchanges and their responses to climate factors such as precipitation, typhoons, and temperature, as well as human-induced disturbances such aquaculture, insect outbreaks, and biological invasions.
