Liu, Jialin

2023
Jialin Liu, Fangyan Cheng, Róisín Commane, Yi Zhu, Weiwen Ji, Xiuling Man, Chenghe Guan, and J. William Munger. 2023. “Quantifying an overlooked deciduous-needleleaf carbon sink at the southern margin of the Central-Siberian Permafrost Zone.” Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences. Publisher's VersionAbstract

With over 700 million km2 Siberia is the largest expanse of the northern boreal forest—deciduous-needleleaf larch. Temperatures are increasing across this region, but the consequences to carbon balances are not well understood for larch forests. We present flux measurements from a larch forest near the southern edge of Central-Siberia where permafrost degradation and ecosystem shifts are already observed. Results indicate net carbon exchanges are influenced by the seasonality of permafrost active layers, temperature and humidity, and soil water availability. During periods when surface soils are fully thawed, larch forest is a significant carbon sink. During the spring-thaw and fall-freeze transition, there is a weak signal of carbon uptake at mid-day. Net carbon exchanges are near-zero when the soil is fully frozen from the surface down to the permafrost. We fit an empirical ecosystem functional model to quantify the dependence of larch-forest carbon balance on climatic drivers. The model provides a basis for ecosystem carbon budgets over time and space. Larch differs from boreal evergreens by having higher maximum productivity and lower respiration, leading to an increased carbon sink. Comparison to previous measurements from another northern larch site suggests climate change will result in an increased forest carbon sink if the southern larch subtype replaces the northern subtype. Observations of carbon fluxes in Siberian larch are still too sparse to adequately determine age dependence, inter-annual variability, and spatial heterogeneity though they suggest that boreal larch accounts for a larger fraction of global carbon uptake than has been previously recognized.

Plain Language Summary

Cold, wet soils in boreal forests contain a large amount of carbon. However, warmer temperatures coupled with changes in hydrology could release stored carbon and accelerate its decomposition. The boreal spruce and pine forests in North America and Fennoscandia have been studied extensively, but observations in the Siberian larch forests are limited. Because larch shed their needles in winter their response to changing temperature and moisture may differ from expectations based on evergreen conifers. Our work focuses on a larch forest in northern China that is at the southern edge of the Central-Siberian biome where eco-environmental changes are starting to occur. By studying how the annual growth and carbon balance in this forest respond to variations in weather we will be better able to predict significant changes in the structure and function of the larch ecosystem that could undermine regional ecosystem stability. Larch forest functions differently from evergreen needle-leaf forests and provides the larger carbon sink than had been previously recognized.

Key Points

  • Seasonality in permafrost active layer and environmental temperature-humidity dynamics closely regulate boreal larch’ carbon cycle

  • Ecosystem functional traits in deciduous larch are distinct from other boreal needleleaf evergreens

  • By inadequately accounting for boreal larch's carbon sink, the estimates of global forest carbon budgets will be biased low

2020
Chenghe Guan, Sumeeta Srinivasan, Bo Zhang, Liangjun Da, Chris P. Nielsen, and Jialin Liu. 2020. “The influence of neighborhood types on active transport in China’s growing cities.” Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment, 80, 102273. Publisher's VersionAbstract
Rapid urban expansion in China has created both opportunities and challenges for promoting active transport in urban residential communities. Previous studies have shown that the urban form at the city scale has affected active transport in Chinese cities. However, there is less agreement about how the physical and social variations of neighborhood types should be addressed. This research investigates the four most representative neighborhood types found in Chinese cities: traditional mixed-use, slab block work-unit, gated community, and resettlement housing. Household travel diaries conducted in Chengdu in 2016 were analyzed using binary logistic regressions, supplemented by informal onsite interviews. The findings indicate significant variations in the use and accessibility of active transport in each neighborhood type for non-work trips. This suggests that each neighborhood type may need different strategies for promoting active transport: (1) the traditional mixed-use neighborhoods are in need of intensified urban retrofitting projects to reclaim public open space; (2) the work-unit could benefit from comprehensive plans rather than a patchwork of projects; (3) while opening up gated communities can improve porosity across neighborhoods and promote active transport, the more pressing issue may be their inability to keep up with the transportation needs of the residents; and (4) residents of resettlement housing should have better access to employment using transit and non-motorized modes.
Jialin Liu, Fangyan Cheng, J. William Munger, Timothy G. Whitby, Peng Jiang, Siyue Chen, Weiwen Ji, and Xiuling Man. 2020. “Precipitation extremes influence patterns and partitioning of evapotranspiration and transpiration in a deciduous boreal larch forest.” Agricultural and Forest Meteorology, 287, 15 June, Pp. 107936. Publisher's VersionAbstract
Ecosystems at the margins of their zone could be amongst the first to experience significant shifts in structure and function. At this site there have already been signs of permafrost degradation and more frequent temperature and precipitation anomalies. The canopy-dominant larch accounted for half the total T fluxes. The remaining 50% was distributed evenly among intermediate and suppressed trees. T is the dominant subcomponent in ET, where overall T/ET varies of 66%–84% depending on precipitation patterns. In dormant and early growing seasons, T still constitutes a majority of ET even though the canopy foliage is not fully developed because cold soil creates a negative soil to air vapor pressure gradient that impedes evaporation. However, in the peak growing season, excess precipitation reduces T while providing sufficient wetness for surface evaporation. ET from standard data product based on MODIS satellite reflectance underestimates tower ET by 17%–29%. Solar-induced chlorophyll fluorescence measured by satellite is well correlated with tower ET (r2 = 0.69–0.73) and could provide a better basis for regional ET extrapolations. Sites along boreal ecotones are critical to observe for signs of shifts in their structure, function, and response to climate anomalies.