Dr. Ziyong Sun

Professor in Hydrogeology

School of Environmental Studies,

China University of Geosciences,

Wuhan, Hubei, 430074, China

E-mail: ziyong.sun@cug.edu.cn;

Education

2003-2006, Ph.D., Environmental Engineering, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, China

2000-2003, M.Sc., Environmental Engineering, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, China

1996-2000, B.S., Environmental Engineering, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, China

Professional Experience

2019-2020, Visiting Scholar, Department of Geoscience, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA

2017-present, Professor, School of Environmental Studies, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, China

2009-2010, Visiting Scholar, Department of Ecosystem Science and Management, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA

2008-2010, Postdoctoral Fellow, Institute of Cold and Arid Regions Environment and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China

2008-2017, Associate Professor, School of Environmental Studies, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, China

2006-2008, Assistant Professor, School of Environmental Studies, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, China

Research Interests

l  Surface water-groundwater interactions in catchments and their effect on biogeochemical cycle

l  Permafrost hydrogeology in Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

l  Plant-water relationship in water-limited environments and its response to anthropogenic activities and climate change

Teaching

l  Ecohydrology

l  Hydrogeology

l  Groundwater System Analysis

l  Environmental Geology

Editorial Boards

l  2019-present, Associate Editor-in-Chief of Geological Science and Technology Information (in Chinese)

l  2018-2019, Associate Editor of Geological Science and Technology Information (in Chinese)

Research Projects

l  Optimized allocation of water resources to maintain the Crescent Moon Lake, Dunhuang. Principal Investigator, Ministry of Ecology and Environmental Protection, 2023-2025.

l  Geological-ecological-hydrological coupling mechanism of ecological degradation and identification of ecological carrying capacity thresholds in the agro-pastoral ecotone of northern China (No. U2244230). Principal Investigator, National Science Foundation of China – key project, 2023-2026.

l  Investigation on Ecological Suitability of Key Areas in the Tarim River Basin (No. 2022xjkk0300). Principal Investigator of the 4^th Subject, Ministry of Science and Technology of PRC – the Third Xinjiang Scientific Expedition Program, 2022-2025.

l  Risk assessment of water surges in water transmission tunnels of BSND project in XXX. Principal Investigator, Xinjiang Water Conservancy and Hydropower Survey and Design Institute, 2022-2024.

l  Interaction between high-intensity underground space development and utilization and groundwater in Suzhou. Principal Investigator, Jiangsu Institute of Geological Survey, 2021-2022.

l  Measures for Ecosystem Protection and Restoration under Post-Industrialization Process in Southern Jiangsu. Principal Investigator, Jiangsu Institute of Geological Survey, 2018-2020.

l  Using isotopic tracers to reveal hydraulic relation and water environment change in cold regions of Qilian Mountains (No. XDA20100103). Principal Investigator, Chinese Academy of Sciences - Strategic Priority Research Program, 2018-2022.

l Effect of permafrost and hydrology on the composition and transport of dissolved organic carbon in an alpine headwater stream (No. 41772270). Principal investigator, National Science Foundation of China, 2018-2021.

l Hydrogeological and hydrogeochemical processes controlling the groundwater salinization in Aksu area. Principal Investigator, China Geological Survey, 2018-2019.

l Geochemical characteristics and evolutions of high iodine groundwater in coastal Jiangsu Province. Principal Investigator, China Geological Survey, 2017-2018.

l Groundwater regulation and its function in maintaining groundwater-dependent ecosystem in important wetland area (No. 2017YFC0406105). co-principal investigator, Ministry of Science and Technology of PRC - National Key Research and Development Program. 2017-2020.

l Investigation and carrying capacity assessment of geological environment in coastal Jiangsu Province. Principal Investigator, China Geological Survey, 2015-2017.

l Assessment of environmental carrying capacity for resources exploitation in Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (NO. 1212010818093). Principal Investigator, China Geological Survey, 2015-2016.

l Geochemistry of Br and Cl in Groundwater of China and Russia (No. 413111049). Principal investigator, National Science Foundation of China, 2014-2015.

l Groundwater flow system and its interaction with surface water in permafrost region at the upper reaches of Heihe River Basin (No. 91325101), co-principal investigator, National Science Foundation of China. 2014-2017.

l Influence of land subsidence on regional hydrologic process. Principal investigator, Ministry of Land and Resources of PRC, 2013-2014.

l Groundwater numerical modeling in arid Dunhuang Basin, co-principal investigator, Geo-environmental Monitoring Station of Gansu Province, 2013-2015.

l Using isotopic and hydrochemical tracers to determine the generation processes of snowmelt runoff in the upper reaches of Heihe River (No. 91125009). Principal investigator, National Science Foundation of China, 2012-2014.

l Using remote sensing data to monitor geological environment in mines (NO. 1212011120028), Principal Investigator, China Geological Survey, 2011-2014

l Using heat to trace surface water-groundwater interactions (No. 41002081), co-principal investigator, National Science Foundation of China, 2011-2013.

l Transport and natural attenuation of contaminants in hyporheic zones (No. 40830748), participant, National Science Foundation of China – key project, 2009-2012.

l Using natural deuterium and oxygen-18 to quantify condensation water uptake by desert plants in inland arid region (No.40702042), Principal Investigator, National Science Foundation of China, 2008-2010.

l Effect of resources exploitation on environment in Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, Principal Investigator, China Geological Survey, 2008-2011

Selected Peer- reviewed Articles

1.    Hu, S., Meng, K., Ma, R., Sun, Z., Wang, Z., Ge, M., Zeng, L., Yin, L. The potential risk of soil salinization on vegetation restoration by ecological water conveyance project in Qingtu Lake Wetland, northwestern China. Land Degradation & Development, 2024, 35(4), 1296–1307. https://doi.org/10.1002/ldr.4986

2.    Jiang, L., Guo, S., He, L., Zhang, S., Sun, Z., Wang, L. Enhancing Root Water Uptake and Mitigating Salinity through Ecological Water Conveyance: A Study of Tamarix ramosissima Ledeb. Using Hydrus-1D Modeling. Forests, 2024, 15(9), 1664. https://doi.org/10.3390/f15091664

3.    Lin, J., Ma, R., Sun, Z., Tang, L. Assessing the connectivity of a regional fractured aquifer based on a hydraulic conductivity field reversed by multi-well pumping tests and numerical groundwater flow modeling. Journal of Earth Science, 2023, 34(6), 1926–1939. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12583-022-1674-5

4.    Miao, M., Zhang, M., Wang, S., Sun, Z., Li, X., Yuan, X., Yang, G., Hu, Z., Zhang, S. Effect of oasis and irrigation on mountain precipitation in the northern slope of Tianshan Mountains based on stable isotopes. Journal of Hydrology, 2024, 635, 131151. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2024.131151

5. Wang, Q., Jiang, G., Sun, Z., Liang, Y., Liu, F., Shi, J. Water quality and microecosystem of water tanks in karst mountainous area, Southwest China. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 2024, 31(9), 12948–12965. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-024-31959-1

6.    Shi, J., G. Jiang, Z. Sun, F. Liu, Q. Wang. The migration and transformation processes of dissolved organic matter in rainwater-drip water-phreatic water of a typical karst spring catchment, in South China. Journal of Hydrology, 2022,130077.

7.    Qiao, S., R. Ma, Z. Sun, Y. Wang, S. Hu. A new model for simulating root water uptake by vegetation under the impact of a dynamic groundwater table in arid regions. Hydrological Processes, 2023, 37(8): e14972.

8.    Lei, Y., Y. Liu, Z. Sun, C. Zou, R. Ma, L. Yin, H. Pan. Influences of paleoclimatic environment and hydrogeochemical evolution on groundwater salinity in an arid inland plain in northwestern China. Applied Geochemistry, 2023, 154: 105688.

9.    Su, M., R. Ma, Y. Wang, Z. Sun, M. Yin, M. Ge. Tracing the soil water flux in variably saturated zones using temperature data. Water Resources Research, 2023, e2022WR033677.

10. Zou, C., Y. Liu, H. Pan, Y. Lei, L. Yin, Z. Sun. Enrichment mechanism of fluoride in different aquifer systems of the Aksu area located in the Tarim Basin, Northwest China. Applied Geochemistry, 2023, 151: 105606.

11. Hu, Y., Z. Sun, R. Ma. Springs Emerging along the Elevation Gradient Indicate Intensive Groundwater-Surface Water Exchange in an Alpine Headwater Catchment, Northwestern China. Journal of Earth Science, 2023, 34(1): 181-193.

12. Hu, Y., R. Ma, Z. Sun, Y. Zheng, Z. Pan, L. Zhao. Groundwater plays an important role in controlling riverine dissolved organic matter in a cold alpine catchment, the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau. Water Resources Research, 2023, 59(2): e2022WR032426

13. Zhang, M., Y. Zhou, X. Li, Z. Sun, G. Yang, Z. Xie. Quantifying the Contributions of Regional Human Activities and Global Climate Change to the Regional Climate in a Typical Mountain‐Oasis‐Desert System of Arid Central Asia from 1979 to 2018. Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, 2023, 128(1): e2022JD037110.

14. Shi, J., G. Jiang, Z. Sun, F. Guo, Q. Wang, F. Liu. Dissolved organic matter tracers reveal contrasting characteristics in the concentrated flow zone and matrix-with-fractures zone of a sulfate-contaminated karst aquifer in South China. Applied Geochemistry, 2022, 146: 105431.

15. Li, J., Z. Xie, X. Qiu, Q. Yu, J. Bu, Z. Sun, R. Long, K. J. Brandis, J. He, Q. Feng, D. Ramp. Heavy metal habitat: A novel framework for mapping heavy metal contamination over large-scale catchment with a species distribution model. Water Research, 2022, 226: 119310.

16. Pan, Z., R. Ma, Z. Sun, Y. Hu, Q. Chang, M. Ge, S. Wang, J. Bu1, X. Long, Y. Pan, L. Zhao. Integrated hydrogeological and hydrogeochemical dataset of an alpine catchment in the northern Qinghai–Tibet Plateau. Earth System Science Data, 2022, 14(5): 2147-2165.

17. Pan, Y., Z. Sun, Z. Pan, S. Zhang, X. Li, R. Ma. Influence of permafrost and hydrogeology on seasonal and spatial variations in water chemistry of an alpine river in the northeastern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, China. Science of The Total Environment, 2022, 834: 155227.

18. Jiang, X., R. Ma, T. Ma, Z. Sun. Modeling the effects of water diversion projects on surface water and groundwater interactions in the central Yangtze River basin. Science of The Total Environment, 2022, 830: 154606.

19. Huang, L., Z. Sun, A. Zhou, J. Bi, Y. Liu. Source and enrichment mechanism of fluoride in groundwater of the Hotan Oasis within the Tarim Basin, Northwestern China. Environmental Pollution, 2022, 300: 118962.

20. Yang, X., J. Hu, R. Ma, Z. Sun. Integrated Hydrologic Modelling of Groundwater-Surface Water Interactions in Cold Regions. Frontiers in Earth Science, 2021, 9: 721009.

21. Wei, W., A. Nghiem, R. Ma, Z. Sun, X. Gong, A. Zhou, H. Prommer. Factors controlling iodine enrichment in a coastal plain aquifer in the North Jiangsu Yishusi Plain, China. Journal of Contaminant Hydrology, 2021, 243: 103894

22. Hu, S., R. Ma, Z. Sun, M. Ge, L. Zeng, F. Huang, J. Bu, Z. Wang. Determination of the optimal ecological water conveyance volume for vegetation restoration in an arid inland river basin, northwestern China. Science of The Total Environment, 2021, 788:147775.

23. Sun, Y., K. Clauson, M. Zhou, Z. Sun, C. Zheng, Y. Zheng. Hillslopes in headwaters of Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau as hotspots for subsurface dissolved organic carbon processing during permafrost thaw. Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences, 2021, 126, e2020JG006222.

24. Ma, R., Z. Sun, Q. Chang, M. Ge,  Z. Pan. Control of the interactions between stream and groundwater by permafrost and seasonal frost in an alpine catchment, northeastern Tibet Plateau, China. Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, 2021, 126, e2020JD033689.

25. Qiao, S., R. Ma, Z. Sun, M. Ge, J. Bu, J. Wang, Z. Wang, H. Nie. The Effect of Water Transfer during Non-growing Season on the Wetland Ecosystem via Surface and Groundwater Interactions in Arid Northwestern China. Remote Sensing, 2020, 12(16): 2516.

26. Hu, Y., R. Ma, Y. Wang, Q. Chang, S. Wang, M. Ge, J. Bu, Z. Sun. Using hydrogeochemical data to trace groundwater flow paths in a cold alpine catchment. Hydrological Processes, 2019, 33: 1942-1960.

27. Chang, Q., R. Ma, Z. Sun, A. Zhou, Y. Hu, Y. Liu. Using isotopic and geochemical tracers to determine the contribution of glacier‐snow meltwater to streamflow in a partly glacierized alpine- gorge catchment in northeastern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, 2018, 123.

28. Lin, J., R. Ma, Y. Hu, Z. Sun, Y. Wang, C. McCarter, Groundwater sustainability and groundwater/surface-water interaction in arid Dunhuang Basin, northwest China. Hydrogeology Journal, 2018, 26(5):1559-1572. 

29. Wei, W., R. Ma, Z. Sun, A. Zhou, J. Bu, X. Long, Y. Liu. Effects of Mining Activities on the Release of Heavy Metals (HMs) in a Typical Mountain Headwater Region, the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in China. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2018, 15(9): 1987.

30. Ma, R., Z. Sun, Y. Hu, Q. Chang, S. Wang, W. Xing, M. Ge, Hydrological connectivity from glaciers to rivers in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau: roles of suprapermafrost and subpermafrost groundwater. Hydrology and Earth System Sciences, 2017. 21, 4803-4823.

31. Sun, Z., R. Ma, Y. Wang, Y. Hu, L. Chen, Hydrogeological and hydrogeochemical control of groundwater salinity in an arid inland basin: Dunhuang Basin. Hydrological Processes, 2016. 30: 1884–1902.

32. Sun, Z., R. Ma, Y. Wang, T. Ma, Y. Liu. Using isotopic, hydrogeochemical-tracer and temperature data to characterize recharge and flow paths in a complex karst groundwater flow system in northern China. Hydrogeology Journal, 2016. 24: 1393–1412.

33. Sun, Z., X. Long, R. Ma, Water uptake by saltcedar (Tamarix ramosissima) in a desert riparian forest: responses to intra-annual water table fluctuation. Hydrological Processes, 2016, 30: 1388–1402.

34. Bu, J., Z. Sun, A. Zhou, Y. Xu, R. Ma, W. Wei, Heavy metals in surface soils in the upper reaches of the Heihe River, northeastern Tibetan Plateau, China. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2016. 13(3): 247.

35. Wang X., A. Zhou, Z. Sun. Spatial and Temporal Dynamics of Lakes in Nam Co Basin, 1991-2011. Journal of Earth Science, 2016, 27(1): 130-138

36. Long X., Z. Sun, A. Zhou, D. Liu. Hydrogeochemical and Isotopic Evidence for Flow Paths of Karst Waters Collected in the Heshang Cave, Central China. Journal of Earth Science, 2015, 26(1): 149-156

37. Wang X., Z. Sun, A. Zhou. Alpine Cold Vegetation Response to Climate Change in the Western Nyainqentanglha Range in 1972-2009. Scientific World Journal, 2014, 2014(8): 1-9.

38. Ma, R., Y. Wang, Z. Sun, C. Zheng, T. Ma, H. Prommer, Geochemical Evolution of Groundwater in Carbonate Aquifers in Taiyuan, Northern China. Applied Geochemistry, 2011. 26, 884–897.

39. Sun, Z., R. Ma, Y. Wang. Using Landsat data to determine land use changes in Datong basin, China. Environmental Geology, 2009. 57(8): 1825-1837.

40. Ma, R., Y. Wang, T. Ma, Z. Sun, S. Yan. The effect of stratigraphic heterogeneity on areal distribution of land subsidence at Taiyuan, northern China. Environmental Geology, 2006. 50: 551-568.