Professor
Professor
Sc.D. Meteorology Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1977
S.B. Applied Mathematics Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1971
Climate change biogeochemical cycles
Projects
A principal research activity is the cycle of carbon dioxide. The current atmospheric CO2 increase is only half the carbon emission from fossil fuel combustion. Where is the missing carbon? We use details of the atmospheric CO2 distribution (e.g. the difference in hemispheric loading, the changes in the seasonal amplitude over time) together with atmospheric transport models to deduce the location of the carbon sink. We hypothesized that the terrestrial biosphere of the northern hemisphere may be as important as the oceans as a repository for anthropogenic CO2. By combining satellite observations of the biosphere, observations of the year-to-year variations in the atmosphere and biosphere, and in-situ process studies, we identify the sensitive ecosystems and the processes responsible for the carbon sequestration.
We incorporated interactive land and ocean carbon cycles into NCAR's global climate model. The results show that "the warming feeds the warming," i.e. as atmospheric CO2 increases and the climate warms, the capacity of the land and ocean to absorb CO2 decreases. I embarked on a field experiment in UC Natural Reserve System's Angelo Coast Range Reserve to understand how transpiration in different evergreen trees respond to the microclimate.
Liu, J., Fung, I, and JCH Chiang (2022). East Asian rainbands and associated circulation over the Tibetan Plateau Region. J Climate, https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI-D-21-0569.1
Bilir, T.E., Fung, I., Dawson, T.E. (2021). Slope-aspect induced climate differences influence how water is exchanged between the land and atmosphere. J Geophy Res – Biogeosciences. https://doi.org/10.1029/2020JG006027
Turner, A.J., Köhler, P., Magney, T., Frankenberg, C., Fung, I., and Cohen, R.C. (2021). Extreme events driving year-to-year differences in gross primary productivity across the US. Biogeosciences. https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-2021-49.
Rosa, L., Chiarelli, D.D., Sangiorgio, M., Beltran-Peña, A. A., Rulli, M.C., O’Dorico, P., and Fung, I. (2020). Potential for sustainable irrigation expansion in a 3oC warmer climate. Proc. Nat. Acad. Sciences, 117, https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2017796117
Fung, I. (2020). In Pursuit. Annual Review of Earth and Planetary Sciences, 40, 1-20. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-earth-072519-055956
Turner, A.J., Köhler, P., Magney, T.S., Frankenberg, C., Fung, I., & Cohen, R.C. (2020).A double peak in the seasonality of California’s photosynthesis as observed from space. Biogeosciences, 15, 405-522. https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-405-2020.
Day, JA, IY Fung and W Liu (2018). Changing character of rainfall in eastern China, 1951-2007. Proc National Acad of Sciences, USA, https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1715386115
Vrettas, M. D., and I. Y. Fung (2017), Sensitivity of transpiration to subsurface properties: Exploration with a 1-D model, J. Adv. Model. Earth Syst., 9, doi:10.1002/2016MS000901.
Vrettas, MD, and I Fung (2015). Toward a new parameterization of hydraulic conductivity in climate models: Simulation of rapid groundwater fluctuations in Northern California. J. Adv in Modeling Earth Systems, 7, 2105-2135. Doi:10.10012/2015MS000516.
Chiang, JCH, I Fung, CH Wu, Y Cai, JP Edman, Y Liu, JA Day, T Bhattacharya, Y Mondai and CA Labrousse (2015). Role of seasonal transitions and westerly jets in East Asian paleoclimate. Quart Sci Rev., 108, 111-129. Doi:10.1016/j.quascirev.2014.11.009.
Cai, Y, I Fung, RL Edwards, Z An, H Cheng, JE Lee, L Tan, C-C Shen, X Wang, JA Day, W Zhou, MJ Kelly and JCH Chiang (2015). Variability of stalagmite-inferred Indian monsoon precipitation over the pat 252,000 y. Proc. Nat Acad Sciences USA, 112, 2954-2959, doi:10.1073/pnas.14240353112.
Link, P, K Simonin, H Maness, J Oshun, T Dawson and I Fung (2014). Species differences in the seasonality of evergreen tree transpiration in a Mediterranean climate: Analysis of multiyear, half-hourly sap flow observations. Water Resources Res., 50, 1869-1894, doi: 10.10022013WR014023.
Swann, A., I. Fung and J.C.H. Chiang (2012). Mid-latitude afforestation shifts general circulation and tropical precipitation. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA, 109, 712-716. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1116706108.
Swann, A., I. Fung, S. Levis, G. Bonan and S. Doney (2010). Changes in Arctic vegetation amplify high-latitude warming through the greenhouse effect. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, USA, 107, 1295-1300.
Koven, C.D. and I. Fung (2008). Identifying global dust source areas using high-resolution land surface form. Journal Geophysical Researh – Atmospheres, 113, article number D22204
Lee JE, Fung I. (2008). “Amount effect” of water isotopes and quantitative analysis of post-condensation processes. HYDROLOGICAL PROCESSES, 22, 1-8.
Lee JE, Fung I, DePaolo DJ and Otto-Bliesner, B (2008). Water isotopes during the Last Glacial Maxima: New GCM Calculations. J Geophys. Res.-Atmosphere, 113, doi:10.1029/2008JD009859.
- Fellows Medal, California Academy of Sciences, 2019
- Elected Foreign Member, Royal Society London, 2019
- Carl-Gustaf Rossby Research Medal, American Meteorological Society, 2019
- Elected Member, California Academy of Sciences, 2017
- Elected Member, American Philosophical Society, 2014
- Elected Member, American Academy of Arts and Sciences, 2014
- Elected Member, Academia Sinica (Taiwan), 2010
- Outstanding Mentor Award, Department of Energy, 2009
- Distinguished Faculty Mentoring Award, UC Berkeley Graduate Assembly 2009
- Contributor to the United National Environmental Programme (UNEP) Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change (IPCC) which shared the Nobel Peace Prize, 2007
- NCAR Community Climate System Model Distinguished Achievement Award - National Center for Atmospheric Research - 2007
- 2006 Award for the Environment - World Technology Network - 2006
- Scientific American 50 - Scientific American - 2005
- Roger Revelle Medal - American Geophysical Union - 2004
- Elected Member - National Academy of Sciences - 2001
- Fellow - American Geophysical Union - 1996
- Fellow - American Meteorology Society - 1994
- Goddard Senior Fellow - NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, 1992-1997 - 1992
- NASA Exceptional Scientific Achievement Medal - NASA - 1989
- C.G. Rossby award for the outstanding thesis of the year - Department of Meteorology, MIT - 1977
- ESPM 15 Introduction to Environmental Sciences
- EPS C183 / ESPM C170 / EPS 251 Carbon Cycle Dynamics
- EPS 229 Introduction to Climate Modeling
- ESPM 280 Hydroclimate Modeling
Contact details
Inez Fung
By Appointment
399 McCone Hall MC 4767
Berkeley, California 94720-4767