Dr. Xiyan Xu is a full professor at Institute of Atmospheric Physics of Chinese Academy of Sciences. Xiyan received her Ph.D from  the City University of New York Graduate Center in December of 2013.  She then worked as a postdoctoral fellow at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory during 2014-2016. Her primary research is the global change and land-climate interactions. She leads projects from National Natural Science Foundation of China, Ministry of Science and Technology of China and Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Xiyan is active in multiple international climate and environment programs for promoting international cooperation to combat environmental issues and bridge the gap between science and policy.  She serves as the coordinating lead author of UNEP seventh edition of the Global Environment Outlook, lead author of the IPBES Thematic Assessment of the Interlinkages Among Biodiversity, Water, Food and Health, and chapter scientist of  IPCC Special Report on Climate Change and Land.

2017-present, Institute of Atmospheric Physics

2014-2016, Lawrence-Berkeley National Laboratory

2008-2013, City University of New York

2025

 Bao, T., X. Xu*, G. Jia, X. Zhu, W. Riley, Y. Yang, 2025: Climate-carbon feedback tradeoff between Arctic and alpine permafrost under warming. Science Advances, 11(38), adt8366.

Ren, S., X. Xu*, G. Jia, P. Artaxo, L. Machado, J. Montes, C. Nobre, L. Rizzo, X. Xiao, 2025: Excessive Wetness Suppresses Carbon Sink of Amazon Forest Under Seasonal Water Surplus. Global Change Biology, 31(8), e70422. 

Huang, A., X. Xu*, G. Jia, 2025: Urbanization pressures on climate adaptation capacity of forest habitats. Global Change Biology, 31(4), e70166.

Zhang, X., X. Xu*, G. Jia, Y. Liang, 2025: Displacement of intertropical convergence zone induced by interannual variability in biomass burning aerosol emissions. Environmental Research Letters, 20(6), 064012.

Zhang, R., J. Guo, C. Bradshaw, X. Xu, T. Shen, S. Li, J. Nie, C. Zhang, X. Li, Z. Liu, J. Zhang, D. Jiang, Y. Hu, J. Sun, 2025: Vegetation feedbacks accelerated the late Miocene climate transition. Science Advances, 11(18), eads4268.

Franco, M., L. Rizzo, M. Teixeira, P. Artaxo, T. Azevedo, J. Lelieveld, C. Nobre, C. Pöhlker, U. Pöschl, J. Shimbo, X. Xu, L. Machado, 2025: How climate change and deforestation interact in the transformation of the Amazon rainforest, Nature Communications, 16, 7944.

Smith, P.  P. Singh,  V. Ballal,  F. Cherubini,  J. Díaz-José,  H. Duchková,  H. Gupta,  M. Hori,  A. Ito,  S. Khan,  M. Llope,  M. Tirado,  L. Tourinho,  M. Vale,  X. Xu,  H. Chudasama,  S. Eriksen,  D. Mason-D'Croz,  S. Phang,  Y. Srivastava,  T. van Huysen,  T. Ricketts,  M. Herrero,  P. Harrison,  P. McElwee, 2025: Impacts of Climate Change Interventions on Biodiversity, Water, the Food System and Human Health and Well-Being. Global Change Biology, 31(9), e70444.

Yang, T., B. Chen, S. Wang, X. Xu, P. Artaxo, T. Li, H. Peng, X. Yu, 2025: Soil moisture dominates the severe decline in gross primary productivity during a 2023-2024 compound heatwave-drought event over the Amazon. Environmental Research Letters, 20(3), 034024.

2024

Zhu, X., G. Jia, X. Xu*, 2024: Accelerated rise in wildfire carbon emissions from Arctic continuous permafrost. Science Bulletin, 69(15), 2430-2438.  

Zhu, X., G. Jia, X. Xu*, 2024: Wildfire emissions offset more permafrost ecosystem carbon sink in the 21st century. Earth's Future, 12(10), e2024EF005098.

Zhu, X., X. Xu*, G. Jia, 2024: Contribution of high-latitude permafrost regions in the Northern Hemisphere to global wildfire carbon emissions. Science China Earth Sciences, 67(10), 3239-3251.

Ren, S., X. Xu, G. Jia, 2024: Coherence of recurring fires and land use change in South America. Remote Sensing in Ecology and Conservation, 10(5), 628-641.

Luo, B., Luo, D., A. Dai, C. Xiao, I. Simmonds, E. Hanna, J. Overland, J. Shi, Y. Yao, W. Duan, Y. Liu, Q. Zhang, X. Xu, Y. Diao, Z. Jiang, T. Gong, 2024: Rapid summer Russian Arctic sea-ice loss enhances the risk of recent Eastern Siberian wildfires. Nature Communications, 15, 5399.

Chen, B., X. Xu, S. Wang, T. Yang, Z. Liu, S. Falk, 2024: Carbon dioxide fertilization enhanced carbon sink offset by climate change and land use in AMazonia on a centennial scale. Science of the Total Environment, 955, 176903.

Hua, W., L. Zhou,Y. Jiang, L. Zhou, X. Xu, H. Chen, 2024: Changes in fire-season burned area in northerneastern China regulated by tropical North Atlantic variability. Environmental Research Letters, 19(12), 124086.

Wu, W., H. Epstain, X. Xu, X. Li, H. Guo, J. Li, 2024: Radiative trigger thresholds of foliar photoprotective pigment regulation for global vegetation. The Innovation, 5, 100649.

Zhang, X., H. Chen, X. Xu, X. Hu, L. Gao, G. Jia, 2024: Legacy of aerosol radiative effect predominates daytime dust loading evolution. Atmospheric Research, 312(10), 107735.

朱星儒，徐希燕*，贾根锁，2024: 北半球高纬度多年冻土区对全球野火燃烧碳排放的贡献. 中国科学-地球科学，54(10)，3292-3304.

2023

Bao, T., G. Jia, X. Xu*, 2023: Weakening greenhouse gas sink of pristine wetlands under warming. Nature Climate Change, 13(5): 462-469.

Zhu, X., X. Xu, G. Jia, 2023: Recent massive expansion of wildfire and its impact on active layer over pan-Arctic permafrost. Environmental Research Letters, 18, 084010.

Mtewele, Z.F., G. Jia, X. Xu*,  2023: Serengeti-Masai Mara ecosystem dynamics inferred from rainfall extremes. Environmental Research Letters, 18, 114026.

Igun, E., X. Xu, Z. Shi, G. Jia, 2023: Enhanced nighttime heatwaves over African urban clusters. Environmental Research Letters,18, 014001.

Randriatsara, H., Z. Hu, X. Xu*, B. Ayugi, K. Sian, R. Mumo, V. Ongoma, E. Holtanova, 2023: Performance evaluation of CMIP6 HighResMIP models in simulating precipitation over Madagascar. International Journal of Climatology, 43(12), 5401-5421.

Zhao, H., G. Jia, X. Xu, A. Zhang, H. Wang, 2023: Divergent effects of intensified precipitation on primary production in global drylands. Science of the Total Environment. 892, 164736.

Zhao, H., G. Jia, X. Xu, A. Zhang, 2023: Earlier precipitation enhances dryland annual primary production. Journal of Geophysical Research-Biogeosciences, 128(1), e2022JG007127.

Xu, T., A. Zhang, X. Xu, G. Jia, 2023: Synchronized slowdown of climate warming and carbon sink enhancement over deciduous broadleaf forests based on FLUXNET analysis. Ecological Indicators, 155, 111042.

2022

Xu*, X., A. Huang, E. Belle, P. De Frenne, G. Jia, 2022: Protected aras provide thermal buffer against climate change. Science Advances, 8(44), abo0119.

Xu, X., X. Zhang, W.J. Riley, Y. Xue, C.A. Nobre, T.E. Lovejoy, G. Jia, 2022: Deforestation triggering irreversible transition in Amazon hydrological cycle. Environmental Research Letters, 17, 034037.

Liang, Y., X. Xu*, G. Jia, 2022: Deforestation drives desiccation in gloal monsoon region. Earth's Future, 10(10), e2022EF002863.

Bao, T., G. Jia, X. Xu*, 2022: Warming enhances dominance of vascular plants over cryptogams across northern wetlands. Global Change Biology, 28(13), 4097-4109.

Huang, A., X. Xu*, G. Jia, R. Huang, 2022: Asymmetrical cooling effects of Amazonian protected areas across spatiotemporal scales. Environmental Research Letters, 17, 054038.

Huang, A., R. Shen, G. Jia, X. Xu*, 2022: Reforestation enhanced landscape connectivity for thermal buffering in China. Environmental Research Letters, 17, 014056.

Zheng, J., G. Jia, X. Xu*, 2022: Earlier snowmelt predominates advanced spring vegetation greenup in Alaska. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology, 315, 108828.

Zheng, J., X. Xu, G. Jia, 2022: Effects of shifting spring phenology on growing season carbon uptake in high latitudes. Journal of Geophysical Research-Biogeosciences, 127(12), e2022JG006900.

Randriatsara, H., Z. Hu, X. Xu*, B. Ayugi, K. Sian, R. Mumo, V. Ongoma, 2022: Evaluation of gridded precipitation datasets over Madagascar. International Journal of Climatology, 42(13), 7028-7046.

Shen, M., S. Wang, N. Jiang, J. Sun, R. Cao, X. Ling, B. Fang, L. Zhang, L. Zhang, X. Xu, W. Lv, B. Li, W. Sun, F. Meng, Y. Jiang, T. Dorji, Y. Fu, A. Iler, Y. Vitasse, H. Steltzer, Z. Ji, W. Zhao, S. Piao, B. Fu, 2022: Plant phenology changes and drivers on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. Nature Reviews Earth & Environment, 3, 633-651.

Zhao, H., G. Jia, X. Xu, A. Zhang, 2022: Contrasting responses of vegetation production to rainfall anomalies across the northeast China transect. Journal of Geophysical Research-Biogeosciences, 127(6), e2022JG006842.

Zhao, H., X. Xu, G. Jia, A. Zhang, H. Wang, 2022: Antecedent water condition determines carbon exchange response to extreme precipitation events across global drylands. Theoretical and Applied Climatology, 149, 1705-1715.

Zhang, X., X. Xu, C. Chen, X. Hu, L. Gao, 2022: Dust-planetary boundary layer interactions amplified by entainment and advections. Atmospheric Research, 278, 106359.

Igun, E., X. Xu, Y. Hu, G. Jia, 2022: Strong heatwaves with widespread urban-related hotspots over Africa in 2019. Atmospheric and Oceanic Science Letters, 15(5), 100195.

Zhang, X., C. Cai, X. Hu, L. Gao, X. Xu, J. Hu, H. Chen, 2022: Aerosols consistently suppress the convective boundary layer development. Atmospheric Research, 269, 106032.

Zhou, L., W. Zhou, J. Chen, X. Xu, Y. Wang, J. Zhuang, Y. Chi, 2022: Land surface phenology detections from multi-source remote sensing indices capturing canopy photosynthesis phenology across major land cover types in the Northern Hemisphere, Ecological Indicators, 135, 108579.

2021

Xu*, X., G. Jia, X. Zhang, W. Riley, Y. Xue, 2021: Scale matters in understanding the complexity of Amazon fires: A response to the Editor. Global Change Biology, 27, e2-e4.

Bao, T., G. Jia, X. Xu*, 2021: Wetland heteorogeneity determines methane emissions: a pan Arctic synthesis. Environmental Science and Technology, 55(14)10152-10163.

Bao, T., X. Xu*, G. Jia, David P. Billesbach, Ryan C. Sullivan, 2021: Much stronger tundra methane emissions during autumn-freeze than spring-thaw. Global Change Biology, 27, 376-387.

Zhu, X., X. Xu, G. Jia, 2021: Asymmetrical trends in wildfires in the eastern and western Siberia regulated by atmospheric oscillation. Geophysical Research Letters, 48(24), e2021GL096095.

Mtewele, Z.F., X. Xu, G. Jia, 2021: Heterogeneous trends of precipitation extremes in recent two decades over East Africa. Journal of Meteorological Research, 35(6), 1057:1073

Shi, Z., X. Xu, G. Jia, 2021: Urbanization magnified nighttime heat waves in China. Geophysical Research Letters, 48, e2021GL093603.

Shi, Z., G. Jia, Y. Zhou, X. Xu, Y. Jiang, 2021: Amplified intensity and duration of heatwaves by concurrent droughts in China. Atmospheric Research, 261(24): 10574.

Sun, X., W. Wu, X. Li, X. Xu, J. Li, 2021: Vegetation abundance and health mapping over southwestern Antarctic based on WorldView-2 data and a modified spectral mixture analysis. Remote Sensing, 13(2), 166.

张扬建，孔维栋，徐希燕，计慕侃，郑江珊，吴文瑾，陈宁，郑周涛，2021：三极生态变化. 李新 等主编，地球三极：全球变化的前哨，科学出版社，北京. (Book)

2020

Xu, X., W. J. Riley, C. D. Koven, G. Jia, X. Zhang, 2020: Earlier leaf-out warms air in the north, Nature Climate Change. 10, 370-375.

Xu*, X., G. Jia, X. Zhang, W. Riley, Y. Xue, 2020: Climate regime shift and forest loss amplify wildfire in Amazonia. Global Change Biology, 26, 5874-5885.

Zhang, X., X. Xu*, G. Jia, B. Poulter, Z. Zhang, 2020: Hiatus of wetland methane emissions associated with recent La Niña episodes in Asian Monsoon region. Climate Dynamics, 54, 4095-4107.

Zheng, J., X. Xu, G. Jia, W. Wu, 2020: Understanding the spring phenology of Arctic tundra using multiple satellite data products and ground observations, Science China Earth Sciences, 63, 1599-1612. 

Wu, W., X. Sun, H. Epstein, X. Xu, X. Li, 2020: Spatial Heterogeneity of Climate Variation and Vegetation Response for Arctic and High-Elevation Regions from 2001-2018. Envonmental Research Communications, 2, 011007.

郑江珊，徐希燕，贾根锁，吴文瑾，2020: 基于多遥感产品和地面观测的北极苔原春季返青期特征研究. 中国科学-地球科学，50，1618-1632.

薛颖，徐希燕*，胡政华，贾根锁，张潇艳，马薇，2020: 亚洲热带森林减少的增温效应及其影响机制. 中国农业气象，41(4)，191-200.

赵卉忱，贾根锁，王鹤松，张安治，徐希燕，2020: 中国半干旱区草甸草原和典型草原碳通量日变化特征. 气候与环境研究，25(2)，172-184.

2019

Xu, X., W. Riley, C. Koven, G. Jia, 2019: Heterogeneous spring phenology shifts affected by climate: supportive evidence from two remotely sensed vegetation indices. Envonmental Research Communications, 1, 091004.

Ilyas, S., X. Xu, G. Jia, A. Zhang, 2019: Interannual variability of global wetlands in response to El Niño Southern Oscillations (ENSO) and land-use. Frontiers in Earth Science, 7, 289.

Jia, G., L. Zhang, L. Zhu, R. Xu, D. Liang, X. Xu, T. Bao, 2019: Digital Earth for climate change research. In H. Guo et al. (eds.), Manuel of digital Earth, Springer, Berlin. pp 473-494. (Book)

Zhao, H., G. Jia, H. Wang, A. Zhang, X. Xu, 2019: Seasonal and interannual variations in carbon fluxes in East Asia semi-arid grasslands. Science of Total Environment, 668, 1128-1138.

Chen, J., S. Wang, F. Kraxner, J. Balkovic, X. Xu, L. Sun, 2019: Spatial analysis of the soil carbon sequestration potential of crop-residue return in China based on model simulation. Journal Resources and Ecology, 2019, 10, 184-195.

2018

Xu, X., W. J. Riley, C. D. Koven, G. Jia, 2018: Observed and simulated sensitivities of spring greenup to preseason climate in northern temperate and boreal regions. Journal of Geophysical Research-Biogeosciences, 123, 60-78.

Xu, X., C. Yi, L. Montagnani, E. Kutter, 2018: Numerical Study of the interplay between thermo-topographic slope flow and synoptic flow on canopy transport processes, Agricultural and Forest Meteorology, 255, 3-16.

江滢，徐希燕，刘汉武，王文本，董旭光，2018: CMIP5和CMIP3对未来中国近地层风速变化的预估. 气象与环境学报，34，58-65.

2017

Jiang, Y., X. Xu*, H. Liu, X. Dong, W. Wang, G. Jia, 2017: The underestimated magnitude and decline trend in near-surface wind over China. Atmospheric Science Letters, 18, 475-483.

Pandey, S., S. Houweling, M. Krol, I. Aben, G. Monteil, N. Nechita-Banda, E. J. Dlugokencky, R. Detmers, O. Hasekamp, X. Xu, W. J. Riley, B. Poulter, Z. Zhang, K. C. McDonald, J. W. C. White, P. Bousquet, T. Röckmann, 2017: Enhanced methane emissions from tropical wetlands during the 2011 La Niña, Scientific Report, 2017, 7:45759.

Poulter, B., P. Bousquet, J. G. Canadell, P. Ciais; A. Peregon, M. Saunois, V. Arora, D. J. Beerling, V. Brovkin, C. D. Jones, F. Joos et al., W. J Riley, M. Saito, R. Spahni, H. Tian, L. Taylor, N. Viovy, D. Wilton, A. Wiltshire, X. Xu, B. Zhang, Z. Zhang, Q. Zhu, 2017: Global wetland contribution to 2000-2012 atmospheric methane growth rate dynamics, Environmental Research Letters, 12(9): 094013.

Saunois, M., P. Bousquet, B. Poulter, A. Peregon, P. Ciais, J. G. Canadell, E. J. Dlugokencky, G. Etiope, D. Bastviken, S. Houweling et al., D. J. Wilton, A. Wiltshire, D. Worthy, D. Wunch, X. Xu, Y. Yoshida, B. Zhang, Z. Zhang, Q. Zhu, 2017: Variability and quasi-decadal changes in the methane budget over the period 2000-2012, Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, 2017, 17, 11135-11161.

2016 and earlier

Xu*, X., W. J. Riley, C. D. Koven, D. P. Billesbach, R. Y.-W. Chang, R. Commane, E. S.  Euskirchen, S. Hartery, Y. Harazono, H. Iwata, K. C. McDonald, C. E. Miller, W. C. Oechel, B. Poulter, N. Raz-Yaseef, C. Sweeney, M. Torn, S. C. Wofsy, Z. Zhang, D. Zona, 2016: A multi-scale comparison of modeled and observed seasonal methane emissions in northern wetlands. Biogeosciences, 13, 5043-5056.

Saunois, M., P. Bousquet, B. Poulter, A. Peregon, P. Ciais, J. G. Canadell, E. J. Dlugokencky, G. Etiope, D. Bastviken, S. Houweling, et al., D. J. Wilton, A. Wiltshire, D. Worthy, D. Wunch, X. Xu, Y. Yoshida, B. Zhang, Z. Zhang, Q. Zhu, 2016: The Global methane budget 2000-2012, Earth System Science Data, 8, 697-751.

Xu, X., C. Yi, E. Kutter, 2015: Stably stratified canopy flow in complex terrain. Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, 15, 7457-7470.

Xu, X. and C. Yi, 2013: The Influence of Geometry on Recirculation and CO₂ Transport over Forested Hills. Meteorology and Atmospheric Physics, 119, 187-196.

Yi, C., G. Rustic, X. Xu, J. Wang, A. Dookie, S. Wei, G. Hendrey, D. Ricciuto, T. Meyers, Z. Nagy, K. Pinter, 2012: Climate extremes and grassland potential productivity. Envronmental Research Letters, 035703.

Yi, C., D. Ricciuto, R. Li, J. Wolbeck, X. Xu, et al., 2010: Climate control of terrestrial carbon exchange across biomes and continents. Envronmental Research Letters, 5, 034007.

包云轩，谢杰，向勇，徐希燕，刘宇，2009: 低空急流对中国褐飞虱重大北迁过程的影响. 生态学报，2009，29(11)，5773-5782.

包云轩，徐希燕，王建强，王翠花，缪启龙，翟保平，2007: 白背飞虱重大迁入过程的大气动力背景.生态学报，27(11)，4527-4535.

    -National Natural Science Foundation of China, Investigator

Funds for International Cooperation and Exchange

Key project FAPESP: Synergistic effects of climate change and land use on carbon source and sink in Amazon forest ecosystems

    -Ministry of Science and Technology of China, Investigator

National Key Research & Development Program of “Global change and mitigation”

Trends of carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus cycles in permafrost ecosystems and their climate feedbacks

    -Chinese Academy of Sciences, Investigator

Strategic priority research program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences

Vegetation changes in polar regions

    -National Natural Science Foundation of China, Investigator

Responses and feedbacks of spring vegetation greening to climate system

    -National Natural Science Foundation of China, Co-investigator

Joint US-China Cooperative Project

INFEWS: U.S.-China: Water Sustainability at the Food-Energy-Water Nexus under Urbanization and Climate Change Symposium

    -Chinese Academy of Sciences

Fellowship Recipient

-Delegate of Academies, G20 Science meeting (S20) on Climate Change and Well-being, 2025

-Coordinating Lead Author, UNEP Global Environment Outlook 7, 2023-

-Lead Author, IPBES Thematic Assessment of the Interlinkages Among Biodiversity, Water, Food and Health, 2022-

-Lead Author, Fourth National Climate Assessment of China, 2018-2022

-Chapter Scientist, IPCC Special Report on Climate Change and Land, 2017-2019

-The Norbert Gerbier-MUMM International Award, World Meteorological Organization, 2012

-Commendable Oral Presentation Award, American Meteorological Society, 2012

-Science Fellowship, City University of New York, 2008