Yang Chen
Associate Researcher
Education
2000-2006
PhD of Atmospheric Science, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
Dissertation: Aerosol indirect effects on clouds and global climate
1997-2000
Master of Environmental Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
Thesis: A study on urban photochemical smog in Beijing
1992-1997
Bachelor of Environmental Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
Professional
2017-current
Researcher, University of California, Irvine, CA
2013-2017
Project Scientist, University of California, Irvine, CA
2006-2013
Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Jet Propulsion Lab, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA
2006
Postdoctoral Research Fellow, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
2000-2006
Graduate Student Research Assistant, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
1997-2000
Graduate Student Research Assistant, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
1998
Teaching Assistant, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
Research subjects
UC Irvine
Relationship between wildfire and climate
Seasonal fire forecast
Satellite-based fire emissions estimation
Wildfire and human health
Fire and terrestrial ecosystem
JPL
Atmospheric transport of fire emissions
Aerosol direct radiative effect
Fire smoke injection height
University of Michigan
Aerosol interaction with cloud and aerosol indirect radiative effect
Tsinghua University
Characterization of photochemical smog in urban China
Publications
2024
54. Burton, C., S. Lampe, D. I. Kelley, ..., Y. Chen, ... & et al. (2024), Global burned area increasingly explained by climate change. Nature Climate Change, 14, 1186–1192.
53. Scholten, R. C., S. Veraverbeke, Y. Chen, & et al. (2024), Spatial variability in Arctic–boreal fire regimes influenced by environmental and human factors. Nature Geoscience, 17, 866–873.
52. Chen, Y., D. C. Morton, & J. T. Randerson (2024), Remote sensing for wildfire monitoring: Insights into burned area, emissions, and fire dynamics. One Earth, 7(6), 1022-1028.
51. Liu, T., J. T. Randerson, Y. Chen, D. C. Morton, E. B. Wiggins, P. Smyth, E. Foufoula-Georgiou, R. Nadler, & O. Nevo (2024), Systematically tracking the hourly progression of large wildfires using GOES satellite observations. Earth System Science Data, 16, 1395–1424.
50. Hall, J. V., F. Argueta, M. Zubkova, Y. Chen, J. T. Randerson, & L. Giglio (2024), GloCAB: global cropland burned area from mid-2002 to 2020. Earth System Science Data, 16(2), 867-885.
2023
49. Chen, Y., J. Hall, D. van Wees, N. Andela, S. Hantson, L. Giglio, G. R. van der Werf, D. C. Morton, & J. T. Randerson (2023), Multi-decadal trends and variability in burned area from the fifth version of the Global Fire Emissions Database (GFED5). Earth System Science Data, 15, 5227–5259.
48. Odwuor, A., C. C. Yañez, Y. Chen, F. M. Hopkins, A. Moreno, X. Xu, ... & J. T. Randerson (2023), Evidence for multi-decadal fuel buildup in a large California wildfire from smoke radiocarbon measurements. Environmental Research Letters, 18(9), 094030.
47. Zou, Y., M. Sadeghi, Y. Liu, A. Puchko, S. Le, Y. Chen, ... & P. Gentine (2023), Attention-based wildland fire spread modeling using fire-tracking satellite observations. Fire, 6(8), 289.
46. Liu, Y., S. Le, Y. Zou, M. Sadgedhi, Y. Chen, N. Andela, & P. Gentine (2023), A simplified machine learning based wildfire ignition model from insurance perspective. In ICLR 2023 Workshop on Tackling Climate Change with Machine Learning.
45. Zheng, B., P. Ciais, F. Chevallier, H. Yang, J. G. Canadell, Y. Chen, ... & Q. Zhang (2023), Record-high CO2 emissions from boreal fires in 2021. Science, 379(6635), 912-917.
2022
44. van Wees, D., G. R. van der Werf, J. T. Randerson, B. M. Rogers, Y. Chen, S. Veraverbeke, ... & D. C. Morton (2022), Global biomass burning fuel consumption and emissions at 500 m spatial resolution based on the Global Fire Emissions Database (GFED). Geoscientific Model Development, 15(22), 8411-8437.
43. Andela, N., D. C. Morton, W. Schroeder, Y. Chen, P. M. Brando, & J. T. Randerson (2022), Tracking and classifying Amazon fire events in near real time. Science Advances, 8(30), eabd2713.
42. Chen, Y., S. Hantson, N. Andela, S. R. Coffield, C. A. Graff, D. C. Morton, L. E. Ott, E. Foufoula-Georgiou, P. Smyth, M. L. Goulden, J. T. Randerson (2022), California wildfire spread derived using VIIRS satellite observations and an object-based tracking system. Scientific Data, 9(249), doi:10.1038/s41597-022-01343-0.
41. Hessilt, T. D., J. R. Abatzoglou, Y. Chen, J. T. Randerson, R. C. Scholten, G. van der Werf, & S. Veraverbeke, (2022), Future increases in lightning ignition efficiency and wildfire occurrence expected from drier fuels in boreal forest ecosystems of western North America. Environmental Research Letters, 17(054008), doi:10.1088/1748-9326/ac6311.
2021
40. Zheng,B., P. Ciais, F. Chevallier, E. Chuvieco, Y. Chen, and H. Yang, (2021), Increasing forest fire emissions despite the decline in global burned area. Science Advances 7, eabh2646, doi:10.1126/sciadv.abh2646.
39. Xu, L., Q. Zhu, W. J. Riley, Y. Chen, H. Wang, P.-L. Ma, and J. T. Randerson (2021), The influence of fire aerosols on surface climate and gross primary production in the Energy Exascale Earth System Model (E3SM), Journal of Climate, 34, 7219-7238, doi:10.1175/jcli-d-21-0193.1.
38. Dong, X., F. Li, Z. Lin, S. P. Harrison, Y. Chen, and J.-S. Kug (2021), Climate influence on the 2019 fires in Amazonia, Science of The Total Environment, 794, 148718, doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.148718.
37. van Wees, D., G. R. van der Werf, J. T. Randerson, N. Andela, Y. Chen, and D. C. Morton (2021), The role of fire in global forest loss dynamics, Glob Chang Biol, 27(11), 2377-2391, doi:10.1111/gcb.15591.
36. Chen Y., D. M. Romps, J. T. Seeley, S. Veraverbeke, W. J. Riley, Z. A. Mekonnen, and J. T. Randerson (2021), Future increases in Arctic lightning and fire risk for permafrost carbon, Nat Clim Change, doi:10.1038/s41558-021-01011-y.
2020
35. Chen Y., J.T. Randerson, S.R. Coffield, E. Foufoula-Georgiou, P. Smyth, C.A. Graff, D.C. Morton, N. Andela, G. R. van der Werf, L. Giglio, and L.E. Ott. (2020), Forecasting global fire emissions on sub-seasonal-to-seasonal (S2S) timescales. J Adv Model Earth Syst, 12(9), doi:10.1029/2019MS001955.
34. Graff C. A., S. R. Coffield SR, Y. Chen, E. Foufoula-Georgiou, J. T. Randerson, P. Smyth (2020), Forecasting Daily Wildfire Activity Using Poisson Regression. IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing, 258(7), 4837-4851.
2019
33. Coffield, S. R., C. A. Graff, Y. Chen,P. Smyth, E. Foufoula-Georgiou, and J. T. Randerson (2019), Machine learning to predict final fire size at the time of ignition, International Journal of Wildland Fire, 28, 861-873.
32. Shi, H., Z. Jiang, B. Zhao, Z. Li, Y. Chen, Y. Gu et al. (2019). Modeling study of the air quality impact of record‐breaking Southern California wildfires in December 2017. Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, 124, 6554– 6570.
31. Andela, N., D. C. Morton, L. Giglio, R. Paugam, Y. Chen, S. Hantson, et al. (2019), The Global Fire Atlas of individual fire size, duration, speed and direction, Earth System Science Data, 11(2), 529-552.
30. Levine, P. A., J. T. Randerson, Y. Chen, M. S. Pritchard, M. Xu, and F. M. Hoffman, Soil Moisture Variability Intensifies and Prolongs Eastern Amazon Temperature and Carbon Cycle Response to El Niño–Southern Oscillation, Journal of Climate, 32(4), 1273-1292.
2018
29. Wiggins,E.B., C. I. Czimczik, G. M. Santos, Y. Chen, X. Xu, S. R. Holden, J. T. Randerson, C. F. Harvey, F. M. Kai, and L. E. Yu, Smoke radiocarbon measurements from Indonesian fires provide evidence for burning of millennia-aged peat. PNAS, 2018, 115(49), 12419-12424.
28. Chen Y., Langenbrunner, B., and Randerson, J. T., Future drying in Central America and northern South America linked with Atlantic meridional overturning circulation. Geophysical Research Letters, 2018, 45(17): 9226-9235.
27. Kooperman, G.J., Y. Chen, F. M. Hoffman, C. D. Koven, K. Lindsay, M. S. Pritchard, A. L. S. Swann and J. T. Randerson, Forest response to rising CO2 drives zonally asymmetric rainfall change over tropical land. Nature Climate Change, 2018, 8(5): 434-440.
2017
26. Andela N, D. C. Morton, L. Giglio, Y. Chen, G. R. van der Werf, P. S. Kasibhatla, et al. A human-driven decline in global burned area. Science, 2017, 356(6345): 1356-1362.
25. Chen Y., D. C. Morton, N. Andela, G. R. van der Werf, L. Giglio, and J. T. Randerson, A pan-tropical cascade of fire driven by El Niño/Southern Oscillation. Nature Climate Change, 2017, 7(12): 906-711.
24. van der Werf, G.R., J. T. Randerson, L. Giglio, T. T. van Leeuwen, Y. Chen, B. M. Rogers, M. Mu, et al., Global fire emissions estimates during 1997–2016. Earth System Science Data, 9(2), 697-720.
23. Butler, Z., Y. Chen, J. Randerson, & P. Smyth, 2017, Fire event prediction for improved regional smoke forecasting. NCAR Technical Notes NCAR/TN536+ PROC.
2016
22. Chen Y., D. C. Morton, N. Andela, L. Giglio, and J. T. Randerson (2016), How much global burned area can be forecast on seasonal time scales using sea surface temperatures?, Environmental Research Letters, 11(4), 045001.
2015
21. Chen Y., J. T. Randerson, and Douglas C. Morton, Tropical North Atlantic ocean-atmosphere interactions synchronize forest carbon losses from hurricanes and Amazon fires, Geophys. Res. Lett., 42(15), 6462-6470, 2015, doi:10.1002/2015GL064505.
2013
20. Chen Y., D. Morton, Y. Jin, G. J. Collatz, P.S. Kasibhatla, G.R. van der Werf, R.S. DeFries, and J. T. Randerson, Long-term trends and interannual variability of forest, savanna and agricultural fires in South America, Carbon Management, 4(6), 617-638, 2013, doi:10.4155/cmt.13.61.
19. Chen Y., I. Velicogna, J. S. Famiglietti, and J. T. Randerson, Satellite observations of terrestrial water storage provide early warning information about drought and fire season severity in the Amazon, J. Geophys. Res. - Biogeosciences, 118, 1-10, 2013, doi:10.1002/jgrg.20046.
18. Marlier E. M., R. S. DeFries, A. Voulgarakis, P. L. Kinney, J. T. Randerson, D. T. Shindell, Y. Chen, G. Faluvegi, El Niño and health risks from landscape fire emissions in southeast Asia, Nature Climate Change, 3, 131-136, 2013, doi:10.1038/nclimate1658.
17. Morton, D. C., G. J. Collatz, D. Wang, J. T. Randerson, L. Giglio, Y. Chen, Satellite-based assessment of climate controls on US burned area, Biogeosciences, 10, 247-260, 2013, doi:10.5194/bg-10-247-2013.
2012
16. Randerson, J. T., Y. Chen, G. R. van der Werf, B. M. Rogers, and D. C. Morton, Global burned area and biomass burning emissions from small fires, J. Geophys. Res., 117, G04012, 2012, doi:10.1029/2012JG002128.
15. Johnston, F. H., S. B. Henderson, Y. Chen, J. R. Randerson, M. Marlier, R. S. DeFries, P. Kinney, D. M. Bowman, M. Brauer, Estimated global mortality attributable to smoke from landscape fires, Environmental Health Perspectives, 120, 695-701, 2012, doi: 10.1289/ehp.1104422.
2011
14. Chen Y., J. T. Randerson, D. C. Morton, R. S. DeFries, G. J. Collatz, P. S. Kasibhatla, L. Giglio, Y. Jin, M. E. Marlier, Forecasting fire season severity in South America using sea surface temperature anomalies, Science, 334, 787-791, 2011, 10.1126/science.1209472.
13. Mao, Y., Q. Li, L. Zhang, Y. Chen, J. T. Randerson, D. Chen, K.-N. Liou, Biomass burning contribution to black carbon in the western United States mountain ranges, Atmos. Chem. Phys. , 11, 11253-11266, 2011, doi:10.5194/acp-11-11253-2011.
12. Zhang, L., Q. Li, J. Jin, H. Liu, N. Livesey, J.H. Jiang, Y. Mao, D. Chen, M. Luo, Y. Chen, Impacts of 2006 Indonesian fires on tropical upper tropospheric carbon monoxide and ozone, Atmos. Chem. Phys. , 11, 10929-10946, 2011, doi:10.5194/acp-11-10929-2011.
2010
11. Chen Y., J. T. Randerson, G. van der Werf, D. Morton, M. Mu, P. Kasibhatla, Nitrogen deposition in tropical forests from savanna and deforestation fires, Global Change Biology, 16, 2024-2038, 2010, doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2486.2009.02156.x.
2009
10. Chen Y., Q. Li, J. T. Randerson, E. A. Lyons, R. A. Kahn, D. L. Nelson, and D. J. Diner, The sensitivity of CO and aerosol transport to the temporal and vertical distribution of North American boreal fire emissions, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 9, 6559-6580, 2009, doi:10.5194/acp-9-6559-2009.
9. Penner, J. E., Y. Chen, M. Wang, and X. Liu, Possible influence of anthropogenic aerosols on cirrus clouds and anthropogenic forcing, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 9, 879-896, 2009, doi:10.5194/acp-9-879-2009.
8. Chen Y., Q. Li, R. A. Kahn, J. T. Randerson, and D. J. Diner, Quantifying aerosol direct radiative effect with Multiangle Imaging Spectroradiometer observations: Top-of-atmosphere albedo change by aerosols based on land surface types, J. Geophys. Res., 114, D02109, 2009, doi:10.1029/2008JD010754.
2008
7. Nelson D. L., Y. Chen, R. A. Kahn, D. J. Diner, and D. Mazzoni, Example applications of the MISR INteractive eXplorer (MINX) software tool to wildfire smoke plume analyses, Proc. of SPIE, Vol. 7089, 708909, 2008, doi:10.1117/12.795087.
6. Diner, D. J., D. L. Nelson, Y. Chen, R. A. Kahn, J. Logan, F. T. Leung, and M. Val Martin, Quantitative studies of wildfire smoke injection heights with the Terra Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer, Proc. of SPIE, Vol. 7089, 708908, 2008, doi:10.1117/12.795215.
5. Kahn, R. A., Y. Chen, D. L. Nelson, F. T. Leung, Q. Li, D. J. Diner, and J. A. Logan, Wildfire smoke injection heights – two perspectives from space, Geophys. Res. Lett., 35, L04809, 2008, doi:10.1029/2007GL032165.
2006
4. Chen Y., Aerosol indirect effects on clouds and global climate, PhD dissertation, University of Michigan, 2006.
2005
3. Chen Y. and J. E. Penner, Uncertainty analysis for estimates of the first indirect aerosol effect, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 5, 2935-2948, 2005, doi:10.5194/acp-5-2935-2005.
2004
2. Penner, J. E., X. Dong, and Y. Chen, Observational evidence of a change in radiative forcing due to the indirect aerosol effect, Nature, 427, 231-234, 2004, doi:10.1038/nature02234.
2000
1. Chen Y., L. Fu, and J. Hao, Review on the mechanism and law of urban photochemical air pollution, Shanghai Environmental Sciences, 19, 167-170, 2000.
Activities and honors
2013-2015
Chinese American Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (COAA) Southern California Chapter executive committe member
2005
University of Michigan travel grant for American Geophysical Union 2005 Fall Meeting
2004
University of Michigan Chinese Student and Scholar Association, executive committee member
1992-1997
Excellent Student Scholarship for 5 consecutive years at Tsinghua University
Computer modeling skills
Scientific Modeling
Chemical transport model, Cloud nucleation parcel model, Energy Balance Model, GCM, SCM, Radiative transfer model, Mesoscale model
Computer Languages
Fortran, Python, IDL, Matlab, Parallel computer language (MPI), HTML, CSS, Javascript, KML, shell script, perl script
Visualization
IDL, GRADS, EXCEL, PowerPoint, Origin, PhotoShop, Dreamweaver, FrontPage, Matlab, Google Earth, NCL