Senior Research Scientist
Director (adjunct), Institute of Plateau Meteorology, China Meteorological Administration
CIRES Fellow
PhD, University of Alaska Fairbanks, 1993
Specialties [top]
Permafrost and seasonally frozen ground; remote sensing of near-surface soil freeze/thaw cycle; snow cover and soil thermal dynamics
Recent Highlights and Upcoming Expeditions [top]
- January 2009: Zhang received a Reviewers Certificate from the Elsevier journal Cold Regions Science & Technology, which was awarded to reviewers who had gone above and beyond the normal peer review process.
- Summer 2008: Zhang traveled to the Tibetan Plateau, China, to study permafrost and seasonally frozen ground.
- April 2008: Zhang was elected to the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES) Council of Fellows. CIRES is NSIDC's parent institution at the University of Colorado at Boulder.
- October 2007: The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) was named to receive the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize, along with former Vice President Al Gore. Zhang contributed to the most recent IPCC report, Climate Change 2007: The Physical Science Basis, serving as a lead author for Chapter 4, "Observations: Changes in snow, ice and frozen ground."
- October 2007: Briefed former Vice President Al Gore on permafrost and frozen ground
- February 2007: Zhang was invited to be
the first Arctic Research Consortium of the United States (ARCUS)
Arctic Visiting Speaker (see ARCUS Invites NSIDC Scientist to be Arctic Visiting Speaker)
- February 2007: Zhang was lead author for Chapter 4, "Observations: Changes in Snow, Ice, and Frozen Ground," in the IPCC report, Climate Change 2007: The Physical Science Basis
- December 2005: Published an invited overview of snow cover and frozen ground in the December 31, 2005 issue of Reviews of Geophysics (see Overview of Frozen Ground Research Published)
- Developed and distributed data sets on areal extent of seasonally frozen ground in the northern hemisphere from 1901 to 2002
- Participated in the IPCC Working Group 1 Fourth Assessment as lead author concerning changes in permafrost/frozen ground
Current Research [top]
- Investigating changes in the active layer and permafrost in the Russian Arctic through ground-based measurements and numerical modeling
- Using passive microwave satellite remote sensing data to detect near-surface soil freeze/thaw cycles at various scales; NSIDC Frozen Soil Algorithm has been developed using both remote sensing technique and numerical modeling
- Working with the International Permafrost Association and the International Arctic Research Center to collect and distribute permafrost- and frozen ground-related data worldwide for the Frozen Ground Data Center; new data sets have been added
Current Projects [top]
Assessment of Recent Hydrologic Change over the Arctic Terrestrial Drainage System
Biogenic Heat Production in Frozen Tundra and Permafrost: Adaptation to Cold and Impact on Biogeochemical Processes
Changes in Freeze-Thaw Cycle and Permafrost Dynamics, and their Hydrological Implications over the Russian Arctic Drainage Basin
The Contribution of Land-Surface Processes to Climate Change on the Tibetan Plateau
Freezing and Thawing Cycle of Soils at Local, Regional, and Global Scales
Hydrological Response to Changes in Active Layer and Permafrost Conditions in the Russian Arctic
Interactions Between Frozen Ground in the Russian Arctic and Atmospheric Circulation
Investigation of the Spatial and Temporal Variations of the Seasonally Frozen Ground in the Contiguous United States
Permafrost Models Intercomparison Project
Activities [top]
Member, American Meteorological Society
Member, American Geophysical Union
Member, Association of American Geographers
Member, International Glaciological Society
Member, Steering Committee of the NASA Land Surface Hydrological Program (LSHP) Cold Land Processes Working Group
Member, Editorial Board of Directors, Cold Regions Science and Technology
Member, Editorial Boards of the Journal of Glaciology and Geocryology and the China Society of Glaciology and Geocryology
Publications [top]
2007
Anisimov, O. A., V. A. Lobanov, S. A. Reneva, N. I. Shiklomanov, T. Zhang, and F. E. Nelson. 2007. Uncertainties in gridded air temperature fields and effects on predictive active layout modeling. Journal of Geophysical Research 112, F02S14, doi:10.1029/2006JF000593.
Chu, D., L. Lu, and T. Zhang. 2007. Sensitivity of NDVI to seasonal and interannual climate conditions in Lhasa area, Tibetan Plateau. Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research 39(4): 635-641.
Fan, G., T. Zhang, J. Ji, K. Li, and J. Liu. 2007. Numerical simulation of the carbon cycle over the Tibetan Plateau, China. Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research 39(4): 723-732.
Frauenfeld, O. W., T. Zhang, and J. L. McCreight. 2007. Northern Hemisphere freezing/thawing index variations over the 20th century. International Journal of Climatology 27(1): 47-63, doi:10.1002/joc.1372.
Lemke, P., J. Ren, R. B. Alley, I. Allison, J. Carrasco, G. Flato, Y. Fujii, G. Kaser, P. Mote, R. H. Thomas, and T. Zhang. 2007. Chapter 4, Observations: Changes in Snow, Ice, and Frozen Ground. In Climate Change 2007: The Physical Science Basis, Contribution of Working Group 1 to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, ed. S. Solomon et al., 337-384. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Ling, F., and T. Zhang. 2007. Modeled impacts of changes in tundra snow thickness on ground thermal regime and heat flow to the atmosphere in Northernmost Alaska. Global and Planetary Change 57: 235-246.
Oelke, C., and T. Zhang. 2007. Modeling the soil thermal regime of the Tibetan Plateau. Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research 39(4): 714-722.
Paimazumder, D., J. Miller, Z. Li, J. E. Walsh, A. Etringer, J. McCreight, T. Zhang, and N. Mölders. 2007. Evaluation of Community Climate System Model soil temperatures using observations from Russia. Theoretical and Applied Climatology, doi:10.1007/s00704-007-0350-0.
Saito, K., M. Kimoto, T. Zhang, K. Takata, and S. Emori. 2007. Evaluating a high-resolution climate model: Simulated hydrothermal regimes in frozen ground regions and their change under the global warming scenario. Journal of Geophysical Research 112, F02S11, doi:10.1029/2006JF000577.
Schaefer, K., T. Zhang, P. P. Tans, and R. Stöckli. 2007. Temperature anomaly reemergence in seasonally frozen soils. Journal of Geophysical Research 12, D20102, doi:10.1029/2007JD008630.
Serreze, M. C., A. P. Barrett, A. G. Slater, M. Steele, J. Zhang, and K. E. Trenberth. 2007. The large-scale energy budget of the Arctic. Journal of Geophysical Research 112, D11122, doi: 10.1029/2006JD008230.
Shiklomanov, N. I., O. A. Anisimov, T. Zhang, S. Marchenko, F. E. Nelson, and C. Oelke. 2007. Comparison of model-produced active layer fields: results for northern Alaska. Journal of Geophysical Research 112, F02S10, doi: 10.1029/2006JF000571.
White, D., L. Hinzman, L. Alessa, J. Cassano, M. Chambers, K. Falkner, J. Francis, W. J. Gutowski, M. Holland, R. M. Holmes, H. Huntington, D. Kane, A. Kliskey, C. Lee, J. McClelland, B. Peterson, T. S. Rupp, F. Straneo, M. Steele, R. Woodgate, D. Yang, K. Yoshikawa, and T. Zhang. 2007. The Arctic freshwater system: Changes and impacts. Journal of Geophysical Research 112, doi:10.1029/2006JG000353.
Zhang, T. 2007. Perspectives on environmental study of response to climatic and land use and land cover change over the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau: An introduction. Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research 39(4): 631-634.
Zhang, T., F. Nelson, and S. Gruber. 2007. Introduction to special section: permafrost and seasonally frozen ground under a changing climate. Journal of Geophysical Research 112, F02S01, doi:10.1029/2007JF000821.
2006
Chudinova, S. M., O. W. Frauenfeld, R. G. Barry, T. Zhang, and V. A. Sorokovikov. 2006. Relationship between air and soil temperatures and periodicities in the permafrost regions of Russia. Journal of Geophysical Research 111, doi:10.1029/2005JF000342.
Frauenfeld, O. W., T. Zhang, and J. L. McCreight. 2006. Northern Hemisphere freezing/thawing index variations over the 20th century. International Journal of Climatology, doi:10.1002/joc.1372.
Ling, F., and T. Zhang. 2006. Sensitivity of ground thermal regime and surface energy fluxes to tundra snow density in northern Alaska. Cold Regions Science and Technology 42(2): 121-130.
2005
Duguay, C. R., T. Zhang, D. W. Leverington, and V. E. Romanovsky. 2005. Satellite remote sensing of permafrost and seasonally frozen ground. In Remote Sensing in Northern Hydrology, Eds. C. R. Duguay and A. Pietroniro, 91-118. Washington, D. C.: American Geophysical Union.
Frauenfeld, O. W., T. Zhang, and M. C. Serreze. 2005. Climate change and variability using European Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasts Reanalysis (ERA-40) temperatures on the Tibetan Plateau. Journal of Geophysical Research 110, doi:10.1029/2004JD005230.
Ling, F., and T. Zhang. 2005. Modeling the effect of variations in snowpack-disappearance date on surface-energy balance on the Alaskan North Slope. Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research 37(4): 483-489.
Zhang, T., O. W. Frauenfeld, M. C. Serreze, A. J. Etringer, C. Oelke, J. L. McCreight, R. G. Barry, D. Gilichinsky, D. Yang, H. Ye, L. Feng, and S. Chudinova. 2005. Spatial and temporal variability in active layer thickness over the Russian Arctic Drainage Basin. Journal of Geophysical Research 110, doi:10.1029/2004JD005642.
Zhang, T. 2005. Influence of the seasonal snow cover on the ground thermal regime: an overview. Reviews of Geophysics 43:1-23, doi:10.1029/2004RG000157.
Zhang, T. 2005. Historical overview of permafrost studies in China. Physical Geography 26(4): 279-298.
2004
Frauenfeld, O., T. Zhang, R. G. Barry, and D. G. Gilichinsky. 2004. Interdecadal changes in seasonal freeze and thaw depths in Russia. Journal of Geophysical Research 109, doi:10.1029/2003JD004245.
Ling, F., and T. Zhang. 2004. Numerical simulation of talik freeze-up and permafrost response under drained thaw lakes on the Alaskan Arctic Coastal Plain. Journal of Geophysical Research 109, doi:10.1029/2003JD3886.
Ling, F., and T. Zhang. 2004. A surface energy balance approach based finite difference model for thermal regime of permafrost containing unfrozen water. Cold Regions Science and Technology 38(1): 1-15.
Oelke, C., and T. Zhang. 2004. A Model study of circum-Arctic soil temperatures. Permafrost and Periglacial Processes 15(2): 103-121.
Oelke, C., T. Zhang, and M. C. Serreze. 2004. Modeling evidence for recent warming of the Arctic soil thermal regime. Geophysical Research Letters 31(L07208), doi:10.1029/2003GL019300.
Ye, H., D. Yang, T. Zhang, X. Zhang, and S. Ladochy, and M. Ellison. 2004. The impact of climatic condition on seasonal river discharges in Siberia. Journal of Hydrometeorology 5: 286-295.
Zhang, T., R. G. Barry, and R. L. Armstrong. 2004. Application of satellite remote sensing on frozen ground studies. Polar Geography 28(3): 193-196.
2003
Ling, F., and T. Zhang. 2003. Impact of the timing and duration of seasonal snow cover on the active layer and permafrost in the Alaskan Arctic. Permafrost and Periglacial Processes 14: 141-150.
Ling, F., and T. Zhang. 2003. Numerical simulation of permafrost thermal regime and talik formation under shallow thaw lakes in the Alaskan Arctic. Journal of Geophysical Research 108(D16): 4511, doi:10.1029/2002JD003014.
Oelke, C., T. Zhang, M. Serreze, and R. Armstrong. 2003. Regional-scale modeling of soil freeze/thaw over the Arctic drainage basin. Journal of Geophysical Research 108(D10): 4314, doi:10.1029/2002JD002722.
Serreze, M. C., D. H. Bromwich, M. P. Clark, A. J. Etringer, T. Zhang, and R. Lammers. 2003. The large-scale hydroclimatology of the terrestrial Arctic drainage system. Journal of Geophysical Research 107: 816, doi:10.1029/2001JD.000919-1.
Yang, D., D. L. Kane, L. D. Hinzman, X. Zhang, T. Zhang, and H. Ye. 2003. Siberian Lena River hydrologic regime and recent change. Journal of Geophysical Research 107(D23): 4694, doi:10.1029/2002JD002542.
Ye, H., D. Yang, X. Zhang, and T. Zhang. 2003. Connections of Yenisei River discharge to sea surface temperatures, sea ice, and atmospheric circulation. Journal of Geophysical Research 108(D24): 4776, doi:10.1029/2003ID003759.
Zhang, T., R. L. Armstrong, and J. Smith. 2003. Investigation of the near-surface soil freeze/thaw cycle in the contiguous United States: algorithm development and validation. Journal of Geophysical Research 108(D22): 8860, doi:10.1029/2003JD003530.
Zhang, T., R. G. Barry, K. Knowles, F. Ling, and R. L. Armstrong. 2003. Distribution of seasonally and perennially frozen ground in the Northern Hemisphere. In Proceedings of the 8th International Conference on Permafrost, Volume 2, ed. M. Phillips, S. M. Springman, and L. U. Arenson, 1289-1294. Zurich: A. A. Balkema Publishers.
Zhang, T., T. Scambos, T. Haran, L. D. Hinzman, R. G. Barry, and D. L. Kane. 2003. Ground-based and satellite-derived measurements of surface albedo on the North Slope of Alaska, USA. Journal of Hydrometeorology 4(1): 77-91.
2002
Zhang, T. 2002. A major milestone of permafrost study in China: review of "Geocryology in China." Journal of Glacoliogy and Geocryology 12(4): 375-385.
Zhang, T. 2002. Frozen ground study in China: a review. Journal of Glaciology and Geocryology 12(4): 345-350.
Ling, F., and T. Zhang. 2002. A two-dimensional heat transfer model for atmosphere-land system in the lake-dominated Alaskan North Slope. Journal of Xijiang University 22: 1-7.
2001
Zhang, T., R. G. Barry, and W. Haeberli. 2001. Numerical simulations of the influence of the seasonal snow cover on the occurrence of permafrost. Norwegian Journal of Geography 55(4): 261-266.
Zhang, T., R. G. Barry, D. Gilichinsky, S. S. Bykhovets, V. A. Sorokovikov, and J. Ye. 2001. An amplified signal of climatic change in soil temperatures during the last century at Irkutsk, Russia. Climatic Change 49: 1-2, 41-76.
Zhang, T., K. Stamnes, and S. A. Bowling. 2001. Impact of the atmospheric thickness on the atmospheric downwelling longwave radiation during snowmelt in the Arctic and Subarctic. Journal of Climate 14(5): 920-939.
Zhang, T., and R. L. Armstrong. 2001. Soil freeze/thaw cycles over snow-free land detected by passive microwave remote sensing. Geophysical Research Letters 28(5): 763-766.
2000
Gilichinsky, D. A., S. S. Bykhovets, V. A. Sorokovikov, D. G. Fedorov-Davydov, R. G. Barry, T. Zhang, M. K. Gavrilova, and O. I. Alexeeva. 2000. Use of the data of hydrometeorological survey for century history of soil temperature trends in the seasonally frozen and permafrost areas of Russia. Kriosfera Zemli (The Earth cryosphere) 4(3): 59-66. In Russian with English abstract.
Zhang, T., J. A. Heginbottom, R. G. Barry, and J. Brown. 2000. Further statistics on the distribution of permafrost and ground-ice in the Northern Hemisphere. Polar Geography 24(2): 126-131.
Zhang, T., and M. O. Jeffries. 2000. Modeling inter-decadal variations of lake ice thickness and sensitivity to climatic change in northernmost Alaska. Annals of Glaciology 31: 339-347.
Liu, F., J. Sun, T. Zhang, and G. Cheng. 2000. Characteristics of surface radiative fluxes and cloud-radiative forcing with a focus on the Arctic. Journal of Glaciology and Geocryology 22(4): 384-390.
1999
Serreze, M. C., J. E. Walsh, F. S. Chapin, T. Osterkamp, M. Dyurgerov, V. Romanovsky, W. C. Oechel, J. Morison, T. Zhang, and R. Barry. 1999. Observational evidence of recent change in the northern high-latitude environment. Climatic Change 46:159-207.
Zhang, T., Roger G. Barry, K. Knowles, J. A. Heginbottom, and J. Brown. 1999. Statistics and characteristics of permafrost and ground ice distribution in the Northern Hemisphere. Polar Geography 23(2): 147-169.
Jeffries, M, O., T. Zhang, K. Krey, and N. Kozlenko. 1999. Conductive heat flux through the snow cover on lakes and tundra in late winter on the Alaskan North Slope. Journal of Glaciology 45(150): 315-324.
1998
Gilichinsky, D. A., R. G. Barry, S. S. Bykhovets, V. A. Sorokovikov, T. Zhang, S. L. Zudin, and D. G. Fedorov-Davydov. 1998. A century of temperature observations of soil climate: methods of analysis and long-term trends. In Proceedings of the 7th International Conference on Permafrost, Yellowknife, Canada, June 22-27, 1998, 313-317.
Zhang, T. 1998. Climate and permafrost conditions in northern Alaska, USA. The Earth Geocryosphere 2(1): 19-27. (In Russian with English abstract)
Zhang, T., and K. Stamnes. 1998. Impact of climatic factors on the active layer and permafrost at Barrow, Alaska. Permafrost and Periglacial Processes 9(3): 229-246.
1997
Zhang, T., T. E. Osterkamp, and K. Stamnes. 1997. Effects of climate on the active layer and permafrost on the North Slope of Alaska. Permafrost and Periglacial Processes 8(1): 45-67.
Zhang, T., S. A. Bowling, and K. Stamnes. 1997. Impact of the atmosphere on the surface radiative fluxes and snowmelt in the Arctic and subarctic. Journal of Geophysical Research 102 (D4): 4,287-4,302.
1996
Zhang, T., T. E. Osterkamp, and K. Stamnes. 1996. Some characteristics of the climate in northern Alaska. Arctic and Alpine Research 28(4): 509-518.
Zhang, T., K. Stamnes, and S. A. Bowling. 1996. Impact of clouds on surface radiative fluxes and snowmelt in the Arctic and Subarctic. Journal of Climate 9(9): 2,110-2,123.
Zhang, T., T. E. Osterkamp, and K. Stamnes. 1996. Influence of the depth hoar layer of the seasonal snow cover on the ground thermal regime. Water Resources Research 32(7): 2,075-2,086.
1995
Zhang, T., and T. E. Osterkamp. 1995. Considerations in determining thermal diffusivity from temperature time series using numerical methods. Cold Regions Science and Technology 23: 333-341.
Zhang, T. 1995. Impact of the depth hoar layer of snowpack on the ground thermal regime. In Proceedings of the 1995 International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition, paper No. 95-WA/HT-47.
1994
Osterkamp, T. E., T. Zhang, and V. E. Romanovsky. 1994. Evidence for a cyclic variation of permafrost temperatures in northern Alaska. Permafrost and Periglacial Processes 5(3): 137-144.
1993
Zhang, T., and T. E. Osterkamp. 1993. Changing climate and permafrost temperatures in the Alaskan Arctic. In Proceedings of the 6th International Conference on Permafrost, Beijing, China, July 5-9, 1993, Vol. 1, 783-788.
1991
Zhang, T., T. E. Osterkamp, and J. Gosink. 1991. A model for the thermal regime of permafrost within the depth of annual temperature variations. In Proceedings of the 3rd International Symposium on Cold Regions Heat Transfer, June 11-14, 1991, Fairbanks, Alaska, 341-347.
1989
Wang, S,. and T. Zhang. 1989. Periglacial phenomena along Qinghai-Xizang Highway of the Kunlun mountainous regions. Mountain Research 7(3): 139-147.
Wang, S., P. Wang, and T. Zhang. 1989. Applications of environmental isotope tritium to research into ground ice in permafrost regions of the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau. Journal of Glaciology and Geocryology 11(1): 58-67.
1987
Zhang, T., and S. Wang. 1987. Approach to some problems on periglacial processes in the continental climate. Journal of Glaciology and Geocryology 9(4): 318-327.
1986
Tong, B., S. Li, and T. Zhang. 1986. Frozen ground in the Altai Mountains of China. Journal of Glaciology and Geocryology 8(4): 357-364.
1985
Li, S., B. Tong, and T. Zhang. 1985. Periglacial phenomena in the Altai Mountains of China. Journal of Glaciology and Geocryology 7(1): 51-56.
Zhang, T., B. Tong, and S. Li. 1985. Influence of snow cover on the lower limit of permafrost in the Altai Mountains. Journal of Glaciology and Geocryology 7(1): 57-64.
1983
Tong, B., S. Li, T. Zhang, and Y. He. 1983. Frozen ground in the Altai Mountains of China. In Proceedings of the 4th International Conference on Permafrost, July 17-22, 1983, Fairbanks, Alaska, Vol. 1, 1,267-1,272.
1982
Zhang, W., and T. Zhang. 1982. Polygonal soil along the highway between Qinghai-Xizang (Tibet). Journal of Glaciology and Geocryology 4(3): 80-89.
Related Resources [top]
Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES)
CIRES Council of Fellows
