Ming Chen of the Biometeorology Group

Ph.D. Candidate

My current research interests include:

1. Application of stable isotopes to study biogeochemical processes at the land-atmosphere interface
2. Land surface model development
3. Using remote sensing data in terrestrial ecossytem studies
4. Flux footprint models

Stable carbon and oxygen isotopes are important tracers of physical and biophysical processes between land surface and the atmosphere. The photosynthetic discrimination against heavier isotopes in both C3 and C4 species can be simulated in land surface models. By comparing the modeled isotope results to the isotope data measured using tunable diode laser spectroscopy and mass spectrometers, we can better understand the mechanisms of carbon and water cycling between the land and the atmosphere.

My research is based on three models: 1) the latest version of NCAR's land surface model CLM-CN; 2) the multilayer carbon isotope model developed specifically for C4 ecosystems (PhD Dissertation of Jianmin Zhang), and 3) the Simple Isotope Land Surface Model (SiLSM) developed by Wei and Lee at Yale University. My research goal is to improve the simulation of stable carbon isotopes and to use it to analyze the ecosystem response to the climate change and land cover change.