Although most scientists believe that the 'missing carbon sink' was absorbed by land surface processes, exactly how much and where remained a mystery until recently. On the continents, two major processes act as sinks for atmospheric carbon: the uptake of CO2 during photosynthesis and transformation to biomass organic matter in ecosystem, and the uptake of CO2 during rock weathering and transformation to dissolved inorganic carbon in continental waters. Based on long-term observation, the applicant achieved the following findings (1) put forward a new view point of carbon uptake by land surface processes in China and its sensibility to global change; (2) provided a novel method to estimate belowground NPP using soil respiration data; (3) clarified the uncertainty in soil respiration estimation driven by co-varied water and heat parameters in monsoon climate region; (4) assessed the contributions of carbon uptake by carbonate rocks in China; (5) proposed the mechanism of carbon uptake by karst water in Southwest China based on the observations of hydrological processes and hydrochemical exports. The applicant won the 10th Ding Ying-Award for science & technology of Guangdong Province, the first and second prizes of the Natural Science Award of Guangdong Province and the second prize of National Natural Science Award. The applicant has written one book (collaborated with Zhou Guoyi) in the field of forest services and published 66 papers on key academic journals, of which 28 were collected by SCI. The published papers were cited more than 1000 times.

Ecosystem Ecology

Land Surface Processes and Atmospheric Carbon Sink 

1. Yan JH, Li JM, Ye Q, Li K. 2012.Concentrations and exports of solutes from surface runoff in Houzhai Karst Basin, southwest China.Chemical Geology,doi:10.1016/j.chemgeo.2012.02.003
2. Li YL, Zhou GY, Zhang DQ, Wenigmann KO, Otieno D, Tenhunen J, Zhang QM, Yan JH (通讯作者). 2012. Quantification of ecosystem carbon exchange characteristics in a dominantsubtropical evergreen forest ecosystem. Asia-Pacific J. Atmos. Sci.,DOI:10.1007/s13143-012-0001-y
3. Chen QQ, Xu WQ, Li SG, Fu SL, Yan JH(通讯作者). 2012. Aboveground biomass and corresponding carbon sequestration ability of four major forest types in south China. Chin Sci Bull, 57, doi: 10.1007/s11434-012-5100-8
4. Yan JH, Wang YP, Zhou GY, Li SG, Yu GR, Li K. 2011. Carbon uptake by karsts in the Houzhai Basin, Southwest China.Journal of Geophysical Research, doi:10.1029/2011JG001686
5. Yan JH, Zhang DQ, Zhou GY, Liu JX. 2009. Soil respiration associated with forest succession in subtropical forests in Dinghushan Biosphere Reserve. Soil Biology & Biochemistry 41: 991-999
6. Yan JH, Zhou GY, Li YL, Zhang DQ, Otieno D, Tenhunen J. 2009. A comparison of CO2 fluxes via eddy covariance measurements with model predictions in a dominant subtropical forest ecosystem. Biogeosciences Discussions 6: 2913-2937
7. Yan JH, Zhou GY, Zhang DQ,Chu GW. 2007. Changes of soil water, organic matter, and exchangeable cations along a forest successional gradient in southern China. Pedosphere17 (3): 397-405
8. Yan JH, Wang YP, Zhou GY, Zhang DQ. 2006. Estimates of soil respiration and net primary production of three forests at different succession stages in South China. Global Change Biology 12 (5): 810-821
9. Yan JH, Zhou GY, Zhang DQ, Tang XL, Wang X. 2006. Different patterns of changes in the dry season diameter at breast height of dominant and evergreen tree species in a mature subtropical forest in South China. Journal of Integrative Plant Biology 48 (8): 906-913
10. Yan JH, ZhangDQ, Zhou GY, Zhou CY, Liu SZ, Chu GW. 2005. Greenhouse gases exchange at the forest floor of a dominant forest in South China. Eurasian Journal of Forest Research, 8(2): 75-84