Stanford

Grassland paper chosen as cover in PNAS

Cover image: Pictured is grassland at the Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve in California. Over 17 years, Kai Zhu et al. subjected this grassland to changes in temperature, precipitation, carbon dioxide, and nitrogen, both individually and in combination, to determine how simultaneous changes in multiple global environmental factors would affect primary production. Primary production was a ridge-shaped function of temperature and precipitation, with peak production increasing with added nitrogen and shifting to lower temperatures with added [...]

Kai Zhu2018-08-29T14:34:10-04:00

Grassland paper published in PNAS

Warmer, wetter climate would impair California grasslands Zhu K., Chiariello N.R., Tobeck T., Fukami T., Field C.B. (2016). Nonlinear, interacting responses to climate limit grassland production under global change. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1606734113. Paper link Rice University News link Carnegie Institution News link Inside Science -- American Institute of Physics link Associated Press link 17-year experiment finds present climate near optimal for plant growth Jade Boyd/Rice University HOUSTON — (Sep. [...]

Kai Zhu2018-08-29T14:34:20-04:00

Coral reef paper published in Nature

Study: Ocean acidification already slowing coral reef growth Experiment dials back clock to test ocean reef growth in preindustrial conditions Albright R., Hosfelt J., Kwiatkowski L., Maclaren J.K., Mason B.M., Nebuchina Y., Ninokawa A., Pongratz J., Ricke K.L., Rivlin T., Schneider K., Sesboüé M., Shamberger K., Silverman J., Wolfe K., Zhu K., Caldeira K. (2016). Reversal of ocean acidification enhances net coral reef calcification. Nature. DOI 10.1038/nature17155 News release below (Rice link here). Jade Boyd/Rice University [...]

Kai Zhu2018-08-29T14:34:30-04:00

Density dependence paper published in Ecology

Zhu K., Woodall C.W., Monteiro J.V.D., Clark J.S. (2015). Prevalence and strength of density-dependent tree recruitment. Ecology. 96, 2319-2327. My new paper on density dependence, as the cover paper in the cover of September 2015 issue of Ecology.

Kai Zhu2018-08-29T14:34:45-04:00

Figuring the odds of Earth’s global hot streak

Is global change real? How about this year's temperature record? I helped to calculate the odds--really low, indeed! GO FIGURE: Figuring the odds of Earth's global hot streak The global heat streak of the 21st century can be explained with statistics that defy astronomical odds. First, the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration calculates global average temperature going back to 1880. That's 135 years. So if no other forces were in play and temperatures last year were totally [...]

Kai Zhu2018-08-29T14:47:39-04:00

Stanford grant to study Ebola

Zhiyuan Song and I got a seed grant from Center for Innovation in Global Health Ebola Innovation at Stanford. We will use our expertise to solve global health challenges. Abstract below. Dynamically evaluating and mapping Ebola outbreak risks in West and Central Africa in response to social-environmental changes Since the first recorded outbreak of human Ebola virus disease in 1976, the Ebola epidemics have evolved from rare smallscale endemics to frequent largerscale epidemics. The current ongoing [...]

Kai Zhu2018-08-29T14:47:49-04:00

Embarking at Stanford

Really excited to begin postdoc at Carnegie Institution for Science and Stanford University, with Chris Field, Nona Chiariello, and Tad Fukami!

Kai Zhu2017-09-02T12:28:39-04:00