Zhi Li
Ph.D, Professor, College of Natural Resources and Environment, Northwest A&F University
Contact Information
PO Box 81, No 3 Taicheng Road, Yangling, Shaanxi Province, 712100, China
Tel: +86-29-8708-2069
Email: lizhibox@nwafu.edu.cn
https://zhxy.nwafu.edu.cn/english2/faculty_staff/296681.htm
Education Background
2004-2007, Ph.D., Ecohydrology, Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China
2001-2004, M.S., Environmental Sciences, Northwest University, China
1997-2001, B.S., Geographic Sciences, Yantai Normal University, China
Working Experiences
2016.12-present, Vice Dean, Professor, Northwest A&F University, China
2015.07-2017.02, Visiting professor, University of Saskatchewan, Canada
2014.12-present, Professor, Northwest A&F University, China.
2011.03-2012.03, Visiting Scholar, University of Quebec, Canada
2007.06-2014.12, Assistant/Associate Professor, Northwest A&F University, China
Research Interests
My research interests focus on assessing and regulating the impacts of environmental changes on hydrology. During the past decades, climate variability and human activity-induced land use change have greatly altered the hydrological processes. It is of utmost importance to quantify the impacts of these changes on subsurface water (i.e. soil water and groundwater) and surface water. I have been doing two aspects of studies respectively related to subsurface water and surface water.
The first research area is related to the sustainability of subsurface water under changing environment. To understand the changes in subsurface water and the controlling factors, tracer method such as isotope and chloride is used to interpret the recharge mechanism and quantify the recharge rates. Further, combined with modeling work by HYDRUS-1D, the impacts of climate and land use change on subsurface water are quantified to give information for water resources management.
The second aspect is to quantify/project the effects of the past/future climate change on surface water and soil erosion both on hill slope and watershed scale. Modeling methods have been used, such as hydrological models (SWAT and WEPP), weather generators, and climate models (GCMs and RCMs). My main work is to solve the mismatch between the course resolution of GCM outputs (grid and monthly scale) and the high-resolution input requirement of hydrological models (station and daily scale). I am trying to develop some techniques for GCM downscaling.
Research Grants Funded in Recent Five Years
1. Pathways, rates and controlling factors of groundwater recharge in the loess-covered region. Principal Investigator. Funded by National Natural Science Foundation of China. 2021-2024.
2. Evaluation of hydrological variability based on dynamical-statistical GCM downscaling. Principal Investigator. Funded by National Natural Science Foundation of China. 2018-2020.
3. Study on the hydro logical cycle in the loess tableland-gully region using stable isotope . Principal Investigator. Funded by National Natural Science Foundation of China. 2012-2015.
4. Rebuilding the spatial correlation of meteorological variables during the statistical downscaling of GCM . Principal Investigator. Funded by National Natural Science Foundation of China. 2012-2014.
5. Groundwater recharge mechanism in the Luochuan loess plateau based on tritium mass balance techniques. Principal Investigator. Funded by Natural Science Foundation of Shaanxi Province.
6. The mechanism of groundwater recharge and its response to land use change on the Changwu tableland . Principal Investigator. Funded by State Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming on Loess Plateau. 2014-2016.
7. Quantifying the impacts of land use change on soil water infiltration . Principal Investigator. Funded by Science and Technology Research and Development Program of Shaanxi Province, China. 2013-2015.
Publications (International Journals)
Environmental changes (Land use and climate change analysis and projection)
[1] Peng Shouzhang, Ding Yongxia, Liu Wenzhao*, Li Zhi*. 1 km monthly temperature and precipitation dataset for China from 1901 to 2017. Earth System Science Data, 2019, 11(4): 1931-1946. DOI: 10.5194/essd-11-1931-2019. (SCI, IF="10.951)
[2] Peng Shouzhang, Li Zhi*. Incorporation of potential natural vegetation into revegetation programs for sustainable land management. Land Degradation & Development, 2018, 29(10): 3503-3511. DOI: 10.1002/ldr.3124. (SCI, IF="7.27)
[3] Li Jingjing, Peng Shouzhang, Li Zhi*. Detecting and attributing vegetation changes on China’s Loess Plateau. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology, 2017, 247: 260-270. DOI: 10.1016/j.agrformet.2017.08.005. (SCI, IF="3.887)
[4] Li Zhi*, Zheng Fenli, Liu Wenzhao. Spatiotemporal characteristics of reference evapotranspiration during 1961-2009 and its projected changes during 2011-2099 on the Loess Plateau of China. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology, 2012, 154-155: 147-155. DOI: 10.1016/j.agrformet.2011.10.019. (SCI, IF="3.887)
[5] Peng Shouzhang, Li Zhi*. Potential land use adjustment for future climate change adaptation in revegetated regions. Science of the Total Environment, 2018, 639: 476-484. DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.05.194. (SCI, IF="4.9)
[6] Li Zhi*. A new framework for multi-site weather generator: a two-stage model combining a parametric method with a distribution-free shuffle procedure. Climate Dynamics, 2014, 43(3-4):657-669. DOI: 10.1007/s00382-013-1979-2. (SCI, IF="4.619)"
[7] Li Zhi*, Brissette F, Chen J. Assessing the applicability of six precipitation probability distribution models on the Loess Plateau of China. International Journal of Climatology, 2014, 34(2): 462-471. DOI: 10.1002/joc.3699. (SCI, IF="3.76)
[8] Li Zhi*, Brissette Francois, Chen Jie. Finding the most appropriate precipitation probability distribution for stochastic weather generation and hydrological modelling in Nordic watersheds. Hydrological Processes, 2013, 27(25): 3718-3729. DOI: 10.1002/hyp.9499. (SCI, IF="3.014)
[9] Li Zhi*, Zheng Fenli, Liu Wenzhao, Jiang Dejuan. Spatially downscaling GCMs outputs to project changes in extreme precipitation and temperature events on the Loess Plateau of China during the 21st Century. Global and Planetary Change, 2012, 82-83: 65-73. DOI: 10.1016/j.gloplacha.2011.11.008. (SCI, IF="3.915)
[10] Li Zhi*, Shi Xiaoping. Stochastic generation of daily precipitation considering diverse model complexity and climates. Theoretical and Applied Climatology, 2019, 137, 839-853. DOI: 10.1007/s00704-018-2638-7. (SCI, IF="2.321)
[11] Li Zhi*, Shi Xiaoping, Li Jingjing. Multisite and multivariate GCM downscaling using a distribution-free shuffle procedure for correlation reconstruction. Climate Research, 2017, 72(2): 141-151. DOI: 10.3354/cr01460. (SCI, IF="1.578)
[12] Li Zhi*, Lü Zhemin, Li Jingjing, Shi Xiaoping. Links between the spatial structure of weather generator and hydrological modeling. Theoretical and Applied Climatology, 2017, 128(1): 103-111. DOI: 10.1007/s00704-015-1691-8. (SCI, IF="2.64)
[13] Li Zhi*, Li Yanping, Shi Xiaoping, Li Jingjing. The characteristics of wet and dry spells for the diverse climate in China. Global and Planetary Change, 2017, 149: 14-19. DOI: 10.1016/j.gloplacha.2016.12.015. (SCI, IF="3.915)
Response of subsurface water to environmental changes:
[14] Shi Peijun, Huang Yannan, Ji Wangjia, Xiang Wei, Evaristo Jaivime, Li Zhi*. Impacts of deep-rooted fruit trees on recharge of deep soil water using stable and radioactive isotopes. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology, 2021, 300: 108325. DOI: 10.1016/j.agrformet.2021.108325. (SCI, IF="4.651)
[15] Ji Wangjia, Huang Yanan, Li Bingbing, Li Zhi*. Recharge mechanism of deep soil water and the response to land use change in the loess deposits. Journal of Hydrology, 2021, 592: 125817. DOI: 10.1016/j.jhydrol.2020.125817. (SCI, IF="4.5)
[16] Li Bingbing, Biswas Asim, Wang Yunqiang, Li Zhi*. Identifying the dominant effects of climate and land use change on soil water balance in deep loessial vadose zone. Agricultural Water Management, 2021, 245: 106637. DOI: 10.1016/j.agwat.2020.106637. (SCI, IF="4.021)
[17] Xiang Wei, Evaristo Jaivime, Li Zhi*. Recharge mechanisms of deep soil water revealed by water isotopes in deep loess deposits. Geoderma, 2020, 369: 114321. DOI: 10.1016/j.geoderma.2020.114321. (SCI, IF="4.336)
[18] Ji Wangjia, Huang Yanan, Li Bingbing, Hopkins David, Li Zhi*. Legacy nitrate in the deep loess deposits after conversion of arable farmland to non-fertilizer land uses for degraded land restoration. Land Degradation and Development, 2020, DOI: 10.1002/LDR.3532. (SCI, IF="4.275)
[19] Huang Tianming, Ma Baoqiang, Pang Zhonghe, Li Zhi, Li Zhenbin, Long Yin. How does precipitation recharge groundwater in loess aquifers? Evidence from multiple environmental tracers. Journal of Hydrology, 2020, 583: 124532. DOI: 10.1016/j.jhydrol.2019.124532. (SCI, IF="4.405)
[20] Huang Yanan, Evaristo Jaivime, Li Zhi*. Multiple tracers reveal different groundwater recharge mechanisms in deep loess deposits. Geoderma, 2019, 353: 204-212. DOI: 10.1016/j.geoderma.2019.06.041. (SCI, IF="4.336)
[21] Xiang Wei, Si Bingcheng, Biswas Asim, Li Zhi. Quantifying dual recharge mechanisms in deep unsaturated zone of Chinese Loess Plateau using stable isotopes. Geoderma, 2019, 337: 773-781. DOI: 10.1016/j.geoderma.2018.10.006.
[22] Li Bingbing, Wang Yunqiang, Hill Robert, Li Zhi*. Effects of apple orchards converted from farmlands on soil water balance in the deep loess deposits based on HYDRUS-1D model. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment, 2019, 285: 106645. DOI: 10.1016/j.agee.2019.106645. (SCI, IF="3.954)
[23] Li Zhi*, Scott Jasechko, Bingcheng Si*. Uncertainties in tritium mass balance models for groundwater recharge estimation. Journal of Hydrology, 2019, 571: 150-158. DOI: 10.1016/j.jhydrol.2019.01.030. (SCI, IF="3.727)
[24] Hu W, Wang YQ, Li HJ, Huang MB, Hou MT, Li Z, She DL, Si BC. 2019. Dominant role of climate in determining spatio-temporal distribution of potential groundwater recharge at a regional scale. Journal of Hydrology, 578: 124042. DOI: 10.1016/j.jhydrol.2019.124042. (SCI, IF="3.727)
[25] Li Zhi*, Si Bingcheng*. Reconstructed precipitation tritium leads to overestimated groundwater recharge. Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, 2018, 123(17): 9858-9867. DOI: 10.1029/2018JD028405. (SCI, IF="3.38)
[26] Huang Yanan, Chang Qingrui, Li Zhi*. Land use change impacts on the amount and quality of recharge water in the loess tablelands of China. Science of the Total Environment, 2018, 628-629: 443-452. DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.02.076. (SCI, IF="4.9)
[27] Li Zhi*, Chen Xi, Liu Wenzhao, Si Bingcheng*. Determination of groundwater recharge mechanism in the deep loessial unsaturated zone by environmental tracers. Science of the Total Environment, 2017, 586: 827-835. DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.02.061. (SCI, IF="4.9)
Response of surface water to environmental changes:
[28] Yang Wuchao, Jin Fengmei, Si Yajun, Li Zhi*. Runoff change controlled by combined effects of multiple environmental factors in a cold and arid watershed in northwest China. Science of the Total Environment, 2021, 756: 143995. DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.143995. (SCI, IF="6.551)
[29] Jin Fengmei, Yang Wuchao, Fu Jinxia, Li Zhi*. Effects of vegetation and climate on the changes of soil erosion in the Loess Plateau of China. Science of The Total Environment, 2021, 773: 145514. DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.145514. (SCI, IF="6.551)
[30] Ning Tingting, Li Zhi*, Feng Qi*, Chen Wen, Li Zongxing. Effects of forest cover change on catchment evapotranspiration variation in China. Hydrological Processes, 2020, 34(10): 2219-2228. DOI: 10.1002/hyp.13719. (SCI, IF="3.256)
[31] Li Zhi*, Coles Anna, Xiao Jun*. Groundwater and streamflow sources in China's Loess Plateau on catchment scale. CATENA, 2019, 181: 104075. DOI: 10.1016/j.catena.2019.104075. (SCI, IF="3.851)
[32] Li Zhi*, Xiang Wei, Lin Xueqing, Chen Xi, Huang Tianming. Stable isotope tracing of headwater sources in a river on the Loess Plateau of China. Hydrological Sciences Journal, 2017, 62(13): 2150-2159. DOI: 10.1080/02626667.2017.1368519. (SCI, IF="2.222)
[33] Li Zhi, Jin Jiming. Evaluating climate change impacts on streamflow variability based on a multisite multivariate GCM downscaling method in the Jing River of China. Hydrology and Earth System Sciences, 2017, 21(11): 5531-5546. DOI: 10.5194/hess-21-5531-2017. (SCI, IF="4.437)
[34] Li Zhi*, Liu Wenzhao, Zhang Xunxhang, Zheng Fenli. Impacts of land use change and climate variability on hydrology in an agricultural catchment on the Loess Plateau of China. Journal of Hydrology, 2009, 377(1-2): 35-42. DOI: 10.1016/j.jhydrol.2009.08.007. (SCI, IF="2.305)
[35] Li Zhi*, Ning Tingting, Li Jingjing, Yang Daqing. Spatiotemporal variation in the attribution of streamflow changes in a catchment on China's Loess Plateau. CATENA, 2017, 158: 1-8. DOI: 10.1016/j.catena.2017.06.008. (SCI, IF="3.191)
[36] Li Zhi*, Lin Xueqing, Cloes Anna, Chen Xi. Catchment-scale surface water-groundwater connectivity on China’s Loess Plateau. CATENA, 2017, 152: 268-276. DOI: 10.1016/j.catena.2017.01.026. (SCI, IF="3.191)
[37] Ning Tingting, Li Zhi*, Liu Wenzhao*. Separating the impacts of climate change and land surface alteration on runoff reduction in the Jing River catchment of China. CATENA, 2016, 147: 80-86. DOI: 10.1016/j.catena.2016.06.041. (SCI, IF="3.191)
[38] Li Zhi*, Liu Wenzhao, Zhang Xunchang, Zheng Fenli. Assessing the site-specific impacts of climate change on hydrology, soil erosion and crop yields in the Loess Plateau of China. Climatic Change, 2011, 105(1-2): 223-242. DOI: 10.1007/s10584-010-9875-9. (SCI, IF="3.496)
[39] Li Zhi*, Liu Wenzhao, Zhang Xunchang, Zheng Fenli. Assessing and regulating the impacts of climate change on water resources in the Heihe watershed on the Loess Plateau of China. Sci China Earth Sci, 2010, 53(5): 710-720. DOI: 10.1007/s11430-009-0186-9. (SCI, IF="1.989)