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Chuxian Li

Chuxian Li
I am a geochemist and paleoclimatologist, working on geochemical tools and isotope systems to reconstruct past climate change and understand historical metal pollution, e.g., Hg and Pb. My current FORMAS project focuses on using Hg stable isotopes to investigate Hg cycling from restored peatlands to downstream ecosystems, including lake fish.

Presentation

25.09.2024: Invited talk to the University of Geneva, Switzerland by Prof. Vera Slaveykova on "Mercury stable isotopes and their application in environmental sciences”.
23.02.2024: Invited talk to Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de l’Environnement, France by Dr. Pascale Braconnot on "Multi-proxy reconstruction of the Holocene Southern Westerly Wind dynamics in comparison with climate model output”.
27.11.2023: Invited talk to ETH Zurich, Switzerland by Prof. Nina Buchmann on "Mercury deposition and redox transformation in peatland”.
13.12.2021: Invited Keynote talk to the Mercury Australia Symposium, Australia on “Differences in biogeochemical mercury".

Teaching

06.2024: Paleolimnology field and lab courses, Lecturer – Introduction to practical work within lake sediments, routine techniques and data analysis, University of Bern, Switzerland, MSc. level
10.2023: Advanced Laboratory Methods in Physical Geography I, Lecturer – experimental process required in physical geography to analyze environmental samples, University of Bern, Switzerland, MSc. level
01.2023: Advanced Laboratory Methods in Physical Geography II, Lecturer – characterization of Lake Wohlen based on sediment analysis, University of Bern, Switzerland, MSc. level
05.2022–10.2022: Aquatic systems through the lens of organic matter stability and fate, Guest Lecturer – Introduction to the Chemical process, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Sweden, PhD level
10.2021–10.2022: Forest – use and values, Guest Lecturer – Introduction to Forest in China, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Sweden, BSc. level

Research

Projects with Chuxian Li as the Principle Investigator

IMPACT OF PEATLAND REWETTING ON Hg BIOACCUMULATION IN DOWNSTREAM ECOSYSTEMS: PROCESSES QUANTIFICATION USING Hg STABLE ISOTOPES 01.2025–12.2028
Swedish FORMAS foundation, 6 030 964 SEK (525 855 €)

DOES THE SOUTHERN OCEAN ACT AS A NET SOURCE, OR SINK, OF CO2 11.2022–10.2024
Swiss National Science Foundation, 255 813 CHF (265 345 €)

PROOF OF CONCEPT - MERCURY ISOTOPES AS A QUANTITATIVE RAINFALL PROXY 10.2019–09.2020
L’Oréal- UNESCO funding, 15 000 €

Background

11.2022-10.2024 SNSF Swiss Postdoc Fellow (equivalent to EU Marie Skłodowska-Curie Postdoc Fellow)

2019 Young Talents France L’Oréal-UNESCO for Women in Science 

09.2015–09.2019 PhD in Geochemistry and isotope chemistry, Univeristy of Toulouse, France
09.2012–06.2015 MSc in Environmental Science, Southwest University, China
09.2008–06.2012 BSc in Environmental engineering, Southwest University, China

Supervision

MSc students

Co-supervision of J. Brochet, E. Mathis, M. Wodiczk, M. Bupto, L. Atouil from Ecole Nationale du Génie de l’Eau et de l’Environnement (ENGEES, France, Erasmus programme) and R. Gervais from École de Biologie Industrielle (EBI, France) for their internship Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Sweden, 05.2021 - 08.2022


Interns

Supervision of T. Manfredsson and S. Öhrnell from Sweden and N. Phan from Vietnam for their internships. Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Sweden, 08.2020 - 02.2021

Selected publications

Li, C.*, Enrico, M., Bishop, K., Roberts, S., Hodgson, D., Lamentowicz, M., Mauquoy, D., Mestrot, A. & Grosjean, M., 2025. The overlooked role of vegetational composition in peatland Hg accumulation. Journal of Hazardous Materials, p.136581.

Peng, H., Enrico, M., Zeng, M., Hong, B., Wang, J., Fan, B., Bishop, K., Li, C., Yin, R., Bindler, R. & Zhu, W., 2024. Tibetan peat records global major explosive volcanic eruptions in the Holocene. Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, no. 22 (2024): e2024JD041727.

Bishop, K., Li, C. & Osterwalder, S., 2024. Plant demethylation in global mercury cycling. Nature Food, 5, 15–16.

Peng, H., Zhang, X., Bishop, K., Marshall, J., Nilsson, M.B., Li, C., Björn, E. & Zhu, W., 2024. Tree Rings Mercury Controlled by Atmospheric Gaseous Elemental Mercury and Tree Physiology. Environmental Science & Technology, 58, 38, 16833–16842.

Pratte, S., Bao, K., Li, C., Zhang, W., Le Roux, G., Li, G. & De Vleeschouwer, F., 2024. East Asian monsoon and westerly jet driven changes in climate and surface conditions in the NE drylands of China since the Late Pleistocene. Quaternary Science Reviews, 331, p.108637.

Peng, H., Nijp, J.J., Ratcliffe, J.L., Li, C., Hong, B., Lidberg, W., Zeng, M., Mauquoy, D., Bishop, K. & Nilsson, M.B., 2024. Climatic controls on the dynamic lateral expansion of northern peatlands and its potential implication for the ‘anomalous’ atmospheric CH4 rise since the mid-Holocene. Science of The Total Environment, 908, p.168450.

Li, C.*, Jiskra, M., Nilsson, M.B., Osterwalder, S., Zhu, W., Mauquoy, D., Skyllberg, U., Enrico, M., Peng, H., Song, Y., Björn, E. & Bishop, K., 2023. Mercury deposition and redox transformation processes in peatland constrained by Hg stable isotopes. Nature Communications, 14(1), p.7389.

Li, C.*, Sonke, J.E., Enrico M., Magand, O., Araujo, B.F, Coronato, A., Le Roux, G., Osterwalder, S., Dommergue, A., Bertrand, Y., Brioude, J., & De Vleeschouwer, F., 2023. Holocene Hg isotope variability in a peat core from the northern edge of Southern Hemisphere westerly winds. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 341, 62-74.

Sun, T., Xie, Q., Li, C., Huang, J., Yue, C., Zhao, X. & Wang, D., 2022. Inorganic versus organic fertilizers : How do they lead to methylmercury accumulation in rice grains. Environmental Pollution, 314, p.120341.

Sun, T., Wang, Y., Li, C., Huang. J., Hua, Y., Yue, C., Chao, H., Zhang, D., Zhang, Y. & Wang, D., 2021. Use smaller size of straw to alleviate mercury methylation and accumulation induced by straw incorporation in paddy field. Journal of Hazardous
Materials, p.127002.

Li, C.*, Sonke, J.E., Le Roux, G., Van der Putten, N., Piotrowska, N., Jeandel C., Mattielli N., Benoit M., Wiggs G.F.S., & De Vleeschouwer, F., 2020. Holocene dynamics of the Southern Hemisphere westerly winds over the Indian Ocean inferred from a peat dust deposition record. Quaternary Science Reviews, 231, 106169.

Li, C., Sonke, J.E., Le Roux, G., Piotrowska, N., Van der Putten, N., Roberts, S.J., Daley T., Gehrels R., Enrico M., Mauquoy D., & DeVleeschouwer, F., 2020. Unequal anthropogenic enrichment of mercury in Earth’s northern and southern hemispheres. ACS Earth and Space Chemistry, 4 (11), 2073-2081.

Sonke, J.E., Teisserenc, R., Heimbürger-Boavida, L.E., Petrova, M.V., Marusczak, N., Le Dantec, T., Chupakov, A.V., Li, C., Thackray, C.P., Sunderland, E.M. & Tananaev, N., 2018. Eurasian river spring flood observations support net Arctic Ocean mercury export to the atmosphere and Atlantic Ocean. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, p.201811957.

Li, C.*, Le Roux, G., Sonke, J., van Beek, P., Souhaut, M., Van der Putten, N., & De Vleeschouwer, F., 2017. Recent 210Pb, 137Cs and 241Am accumulation in an ombrotrophic peatland from Amsterdam Island (Southern Indian Ocean). Journal of Environmental Radioactivity, 175, 164-169.

 


Contact

Researcher at the Department of Aquatic Sciences and Assessment; Division of Geochemistry and Hydrology
Telephone: +33615088493
Postal address:
Institutionen för vatten och miljö
Box 7050
750 07 UPPSALA
Visiting address: Lennart Hjelms väg 9, Uppsala