Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Jinxun Liu

My research interests and expertise are closely related to system ecology and ecosystem simulation models.

During my PhD study, I used Professional Dynamo Plus to build an agro-forestry system model and performed system optimization on tree harvesting. From late 1990s, I began carbon simulation studies. I have used a number of models in my research, such as the CBM-CFS2, 3PG, TreeDYN, CENTURY, TRIPLEX, IBIS, GEMS-EDCM, and USPED. My current research also includes models like Biome-BGC, DAYCENT, ED, CLM and LUCAS. My other experiences/skills include GIS/RS data processing, back-propagation (BP) neural network modeling, NetCDF data processing/visualization, and leadership class supper computing (ALCF Mira/Theta). My Research activities have brought 50+ various peer-reviewed journal publications.

I have been participating in the development of the methodology and the implementation of GEMS and IBIS models for the USGS LandCarbon Project since 2010. Currently I am leading an ESTCP project that focuses on ecosystem model inter-comparisons and decision support. Beyond that, I also joined in a multi-organization effort on inland and coastal wetland modeling. 

Science and Products

link
LUCAS model

Wetland Carbon Working Group: Improving Methodologies and Estimates of Carbon and Greenhouse Gas Flux in Wetlands

WARC researchers are working to quantify the impacts of future climate and land use/land cover change on greenhouse gas emissions and reductions.
By
Land Management Research Program, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center
link

Wetland Carbon Working Group: Improving Methodologies and Estimates of Carbon and Greenhouse Gas Flux in Wetlands

WARC researchers are working to quantify the impacts of future climate and land use/land cover change on greenhouse gas emissions and reductions.
Learn More
link
Image of Mount Adams with grassland and trees

Land Use and Climate Change Team

We are a research team focusing on understanding the rates, causes, and consequences of land change across a range of geographic and temporal scales. Our emphasis is on developing alternative future projections and quantifying the impact on environmental systems, in particular, the role of land-use change on ecosystem carbon dynamics.We are interested in how land-use and climate systems will...
By
Western Geographic Science Center
link

Land Use and Climate Change Team

We are a research team focusing on understanding the rates, causes, and consequences of land change across a range of geographic and temporal scales. Our emphasis is on developing alternative future projections and quantifying the impact on environmental systems, in particular, the role of land-use change on ecosystem carbon dynamics.We are interested in how land-use and climate systems will...
Learn More

Federal Lands Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sequestration in the United States: Estimates 2005-14 - Data Release

This dataset includes ten years of emissions and sequestration estimates (2005-2014) in two separate tables, 1) the combustion and extraction of fossil fuels on Federal lands and 2) processes from the ecosystems on those Federal lands. The fossil fuel related estimates include the greenhouse gases carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), and nitrous oxide (N2O), and the ecosystems estimates include on
By
Energy Resources Program, Geology, Energy & Minerals Science Center

Simulated 1km resolution 1971-2015 ecosystem carbon variables from the IBIS model (2017/09/12)

This simulated ecosystem carbon dataset is derived from simulations of the parallel Integrated Biosphere simulator (pIBIS). Annual carbon variables cover 1971-2015 at 1-km (960m) spatial resolution with 3052 rows and 4823 columns. Carbon stock and flux units are in kgC/m2 and kgC/m2/yr, respectively. Data are in NetCDF format and Albers equal area projection. Overall data creation steps: 1. The pI
By
Western Geographic Science Center
Filter Total Items: 36

Terrestrial ecosystem modeling with IBIS: Progress and future vision

Dynamic Global Vegetation Models (DGVM) are powerful tools for studying complicated ecosystem processes and global changes. This review article synthesizes the developments and applications of the Integrated Biosphere Simulator (IBIS), a DGVM, over the past two decades. IBIS has been used to evaluate carbon, nitrogen, and water cycling in terrestrial ecosystems, vegetation changes, land-atmosphere
By
Earth Resources Observation and Science Center, Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center , Western Geographic Science Center

Ecosystem carbon balance in the Hawaiian Islands under different scenarios of future climate and land use change

The State of Hawai'i passed legislation to be carbon neutral by 2045, a goal that will partly depend on carbon sequestration by terrestrial ecosystems. However, there is considerable uncertainty surrounding the future direction and magnitude of the land carbon sink in the Hawaiian Islands. We used the Land Use and Carbon Scenario Simulator (LUCAS), a spatially explicit stochastic simulation model
By
Western Geographic Science Center

Identifying dominant environmental predictors of freshwater wetland methane fluxes across diurnal to seasonal time scales

While wetlands are the largest natural source of methane (CH4) to the atmosphere, they represent a large source of uncertainty in the global CH4 budget due to the complex biogeochemical controls on CH4 dynamics. Here we present, to our knowledge, the first multi-site synthesis of how predictors of CH4 fluxes (FCH4) in freshwater wetlands vary across wetland types at diel, multiday (synoptic), and
By
Ecosystems, Climate Research and Development Program, Land Change Science Program, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center

Effects of 21st century climate, land use, and disturbances on ecosystem carbon balance in California

Terrestrial ecosystems are an important sink for atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2), sequestering ~30% of annual anthropogenic emissions and slowing the rise of atmospheric CO2. However, the future direction and magnitude of the land sink is highly uncertain. We examined how historical and projected changes in climate, land use, and ecosystem disturbances affect the carbon balance of terrestrial eco
By
Ecosystems, Climate Research and Development Program, Fisheries Program (unpublished), Land Change Science Program, Western Fisheries Research Center, Western Geographic Science Center

Grasslands

Key findings:Total grassland carbon stocks in the conterminous United States, estimated to be about 7.4 petagrams of carbon (Pg C) in 2005, are projected to increase to about 8.2 Pg C by 2050. Although U.S. grasslands are expected to remain carbon sinks over this period, the uptake rate is projected to decline by about half. In the U.S. Great Plains, land-use and land-cover changes are expected to
By
Western Geographic Science Center

Federal lands greenhouse emissions and sequestration in the United States—Estimates for 2005–14

In January 2016, the Secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior tasked the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) with producing a publicly available and annually updated database of estimated greenhouse gas emissions associated with the extraction and use (predominantly some form of combustion) of fossil fuels from Federal lands. In response, the USGS has produced estimates of the greenhouse gas emi
By
Energy Resources Program, Geology, Energy & Minerals Science Center

Integrating forest inventory data and MODIS data to map species-level biomass in Chinese boreal forests

Timely and accurate knowledge of species-level biomass is essential for forest managers to sustain forest resources and respond to various forest disturbance regimes. In this study, maps of species-level biomass in Chinese boreal forests were generated by integrating Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) images with forest inventory data using k nearest neighbor (kNN) methods and e
By
Geosciences and Environmental Change Science Center

Effects of contemporary land-use and land-cover change on the carbon balance of terrestrial ecosystems in the United States

Changes in land use and land cover (LULC) can have profound effects on terrestrial carbon dynamics, yet their effects on the global carbon budget remain uncertain. While land change impacts on ecosystem carbon dynamics have been the focus of numerous studies, few efforts have been based on observational data incorporating multiple ecosystem types spanning large geographic areas over long time hori
By
Ecosystems, Earth Resources Observation and Science Center, Climate Adaptation Science Centers, National Land Imaging Program, Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center , Geosciences and Environmental Change Science Center, Western Geographic Science Center

Interannual variation in methane emissions from tropical wetlands triggered by repeated El Niño Southern Oscillation

Methane (CH4) emissions from tropical wetlands contribute 60%–80% of global natural wetland CH4 emissions. Decreased wetland CH4 emissions can act as a negative feedback mechanism for future climate warming and vice versa. The impact of the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) on CH4 emissions from wetlands remains poorly quantified at both regional and global scales, and El Niño events are expecte
By
Western Geographic Science Center

Simulated effects of nitrogen saturation the global carbon budget using the IBIS model

Over the past 100 years, human activity has greatly changed the rate of atmospheric N (nitrogen) deposition in terrestrial ecosystems, resulting in N saturation in some regions of the world. The contribution of N saturation to the global carbon budget remains uncertain due to the complicated nature of C-N (carbon-nitrogen) interactions and diverse geography. Although N deposition is included in mo
By
Western Geographic Science Center

Climate-driven increase of natural wetland methane emissions offset by human-induced wetland reduction in China over the past three decades

Both anthropogenic activities and climate change can affect the biogeochemical processes of natural wetland methanogenesis. Quantifying possible impacts of changing climate and wetland area on wetland methane (CH4) emissions in China is important for improving our knowledge on CH4 budgets locally and globally. However, their respective and combined effects are uncertain. We incorporated changes in
By
Western Geographic Science Center

Mapping site index and volume increment from forest inventory, Landsat, and ecological variables in Tahoe National Forest, California, USA

High-resolution site index (SI) and mean annual increment (MAI) maps are desired for local forest management. We integrated field inventory, Landsat, and ecological variables to produce 30 m SI and MAI maps for the Tahoe National Forest (TNF) where different tree species coexist. We converted species-specific SI using adjustment factors. Then, the SI map was produced by (i) intensifying plots to e
By
Western Geographic Science Center

Science and Products