Research Focus:
Global Change and Ecosystem Carbon/Nitrogen Cycling
Research Interests:
Ecological Impact Assessment of Land-Use Change
Greenhouse Gas Budget Accounting
Vegetation Dynamics and Responses to Climate Change
*Our research group is consistently recruiting Master’s/PhD students, postdoctoral researchers, and research assistants. Interested candidates are welcome to contact us.
Education and Professional Experience
2023 – Present
Peking University, School of Urban Planning and Design
Assistant Professor/Researcher, Doctoral Supervisor
2021 – 2023
Peking University, Boya Postdoctoral Fellow
2016 – 2021
Peking University, Ph.D. in Physical Geography
2012 – 2016
Peking University, B.S. in Ecology/Economics
Research Projects
Dynamics of Soil Organic Matter Fractions in the Three-North Shelterbelt Program
National Natural Science Foundation of China (General Program) | 2025.1–2028.12 | Principal Investigator
Estimation and Simulation of Carbon Storage and Three Major Greenhouse Gas Budgets in China’s Planted Forests
Peking University Shenzhen Graduate School Talent Recruitment Start-up Project | 2024.1–2026.12 | Principal Investigator
Impacts of Afforestation on Soil Nitrogen and Phosphorus Cycling in Northern China
Postdoctoral Innovation Talent Support Program | 2021.7–2024.3 | Principal Investigator
Ecological Engineering Strategies for Global Change Adaptation
Sub-project of the National Key Research and Development Program of China | 2019.11–2024.10 | Participating Researcher
Impacts of Climate Change on Ecosystem Productivity and Carbon Sequestration Services
Sub-project of the National Key Research and Development Program of China | 2017.7–2022.6 | Participating Researcher
First/Corresponding Author Publications
14. Yan Y.#, Hong S.#, Chen A., Peñuelas J., Allen C., Hammond W., Munson S., Myneni R. & Piao S. Satellite-based evidence of recent decline in global forest recovery rate from tree mortality events. Nature Plants. (in press) (# equal contribution)
13. Gao Y., Li Z., Hong S.*, Yu L., Li S., Wei J., Chang J., Zhang Y., Zhang W., Yuan W. & Wang X. (2025) Recent stabilization of agricultural non-CO2 greenhouse gas emissions in China. National Science Review, nwaf040. (* corresponding author) [Press coverage]
12. Hong S.*, Li Z., Tang M., Li F., Yao Y., Yan Y., He M., Wang X., Zeng H. & Piao S. (2025) Magnitude, distribution and temporal trend of nitrous oxide emissions from China’s natural soils over 1980-2022. Science China Earth Sciences, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11430-024-1522-4. (* corresponding author)
11. Zhang Y., Hong S.*, Peñuelas J., Xu H., Wang K., Zhang Y., Lian X. & Piao S.* Weakened connection between spring leaf-out and autumn senescence in the Northern Hemisphere. Global Change Biology, 30: e17429, (2024). (* corresponding author)
10. Anniwaer N., Li X.*, Wang K., Xu H. & Hong S.* Shifts in the trends of vegetation greenness and photosynthesis in different parts of Tibetan Plateau over the past two decades. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology, 345, 109851 (2024). (* corresponding author)
9. Hong S., Cong N.*, Ding J.*, Piao S., Liu L., Peñuelas J., Chen A., Quine T., Zeng H. & Houlton B. Effects of afforestation on soil carbon and nitrogen accumulation depend on initial soil nitrogen status. Global Biogeochemical Cycles. e2022GB007490 (2023).
8. Hong S., Ding J.*, Kan F., Xu H., Chen S., Yao Y. & Piao S.* Asymmetry of carbon sequestrations by plant and soil after forestation regulated by soil nitrogen. Nature Communications, 14, 3196 (2023). [Behind the Paper] [Press coverage]
7. Meng F.#, Hong S.#, Wang J., Chen A., Zhang Y., Zhang Y., Janssens I., Mao J., Myneni R., Peñuelas J. & Piao S.* Climate change increases carbon allocation to leaves in early leaf green-up. Ecology Letters, 26, 5 (2023). (# equal contribution) [Press coverage]
6. Zhang Y., Hong S.*, Liu D.* & Piao S. Susceptibility of vegetation low-growth to climate extremes on Tibetan Plateau. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology, 331, 109323 (2023). (* corresponding author)
5. Hong S., Zhang Y., Yao Y., Meng F., Zhao Q. & Zhang Y.* Contrasting temperature effects on the velocity of early- versus late-stage vegetation green-up in the Northern Hemisphere. Global Change Biology, 28(23) (2022).
4. Hong S. & Chen A.* Contrasting responses of soil inorganic carbon to afforestation in acidic versus alkaline soils. Global Biogeochemical Cycles, 36, e2021GB007038 (2022).
3. Hong S.#, Yin G.#, Piao S.*, Dybzinski R., Cong N., Li X., Wang K., Peñuelas J., Zeng H. & Chen A.* Divergent responses of soil organic carbon to afforestation. Nature Sustainability, 3, 694–700 (2020). (# equal contribution) [Press coverage]
2. Hong S., Gan P. & Chen A.* Environmental controls on soil pH in planted forest and its response to nitrogen deposition. Environmental Research, 172: 159-165 (2019).
1. Hong S., Piao S.*, Chen A.*, Liu Y., Liu L., Peng S., Sardans J., Sun Y., Peñuelas J. & Zeng H.* Afforestation neutralizes soil pH. Nature Communications, 9, 520 (2018). [Press coverage]
Collaborative Publications (Selected)
10. Yuan W., Liang M., Gao Y. Huang L., Dan L., Duan H., Hong S., Jiang F., Ju W. ……Piao S. & Wang X.* China’s greenhouse gas budget during 2000-2023. National Science Review, nwaf069, (2025).
9. Wu Q., Ni X.*, Sun X., Chen Z., Hong S., Berg B. ……& Wu F.* Substrate and climate determine terrestrial litter decomposition. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 122, 7, e2420664122 (2025).
8. Song J., Wan S.*, Zhang K., Hong S., Xia J., Piao S. ……& Qiu X. Ecological restoration enhances dryland carbon stock by reducing surface soil carbon loss due to wind erosion. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 121, 46, e2416281121 (2024).
7. Huang Y.#*, Song X.#, Wang Y., Canadell J., Luo Y., Ciais P., Chen A., Hong S., Wang Y., Tao F., Li W., Xu Y., Mirzaeitalarposhti R., Elbasiouny H., Savin I., Shchepashchenko D., Rossel R., Goll D., Chang J., Houlton B., Wu H., Yang F., Feng X., Chen Y., Liu Y., Niu S. & Zhang G.* Size, distribution and vulnerability of the global soil inorganic carbon. Science, 384, 233–239 (2024).
6. Meng F.*, Felton A., Mao J., Cong N., Smith W., Körner C., Hu Z., Hong S., Knott J., Yan T., Guo B., Deng Y., Leisz S., Dorji T., Wang S. & Chen A.* Consistent time allocation fraction to vegetation green-up versus senescence across northern ecosystems despite recent climate change. Science Advances, 10, eadn2487 (2024).
5. Yan Y., Piao S.*, Hammond W., Chen A.*, Hong S., Xu H., Munson S., Myneni R. & Craig A. Pulsed forest tree-mortality events obscured by broad-scale global greening trends. Nature Ecology & Evolution, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-024-02372-1 (2024).
4. Wang X.*, Gao Y., Jeong S., Ito A., Bastos A., Poulter B., Wang Y., Ciais P., Tian H., Yuan W., Chandra N., Chevallier F., Fan L., Hong S., Lauerwald R., Li W., Lin Z., Pan N., Patra P., Peng S., Ran L., Sang Y., Sitch S., Takashi M., Thompson R., Wang C., Wang K., Wang T., Xi Y., Xu L., Yan Y., Yun J., Zhang Y., Zhang Y., Zhang Z., Zheng B., Zhou F., Tao S., Canadell J. & Piao S. The Greenhouse Gas Budget of Terrestrial Ecosystems in East Asia Since 2000. Global Biogeochemical Cycles, 38, e2023GB007865 (2024).
3. Sun M., Li X.*, Xu H., Wang K., Anniwaer N. & Hong S. Drought thresholds that impact vegetation reveal the divergent responses of vegetation growth to drought across China. Global Change Biology, 00: e16998 (2023).
2. Wang X.*, Gao Y., Wang K., Sang Y., Wang Y., Zhang Y., Hong S., Zhang Y. & Yuan W. The greenhouse gas budget for China’s terrestrial ecosystems. National Science Review, 10, nwad274 (2023).
1. Zhang Y., Hong S., Liu Q.*, Huntingford C., Peñuelas J., Rossi S., Myneni R. & Piao S.* Autumn canopy senescence has slowed down with global warming since the 1980s in the Northern Hemisphere. Communications Earth & Environment, 4, 173 (2023).
Academic Service
Editorial Board Member: Journal of Plant Ecology (2024–Present)
Peer Reviewer for:
Global Change Biology, Science Bulletin, Journal of Applied Ecology, Agricultural and Forest Meteorology, Global and Planetary Change, Catena, Journal of Forestry Research, etc.