1. Carbon Cycling in the Land-Ocean Continuum and Global Carbon Budget

Focuses on the transport pathways and transformation processes of terrestrial organic matter along the river-estuary-coastal ocean continuum and their implications for the global carbon budget. Integrates ultrahigh-resolution mass spectrometry and dual carbon isotope techniques to elucidate the compositional evolution and fate of terrestrial organic matter during land-to-ocean transport at multiple levels.

2. Surface Water–Groundwater Interactions and Carbon Source-Sink Processes

Focuses on carbon source-sink patterns and exchange fluxes driven by surface water–groundwater interactions. Utilizes isotope tracers and hydrogeochemical approaches to reveal the transport characteristics of organic matter during water mass mixing and their carbon cycling effects.

3. Data-Driven Predictive Modeling of Aquatic Carbon Cycling

Focuses on the application of machine learning and data-driven approaches in aquatic ecosystem carbon cycling research. Integrates multi-source data including isotopes, ultrahigh-resolution mass spectrometry molecular fingerprints, and environmental parameters to construct machine learning models with biogeochemical process interpretability.

Water Environment Protection

• Research Grants Council of Hong Kong, General Research Fund (16306623), Participant

• Research Grants Council of Hong Kong, Early Career Scheme (26300822), Participant

• Shenzhen Bureau of Science, Technology and Innovation, Shenzhen-Hong Kong-Macau Technology Programme (Category C), Participant

#First author, *Corresponding author, Bold and underlined indicates the author.

2026

Liu T.#, Yi Y#, Zhao C., Zhang Z., Merder J., Tanentzap A.J., Yan Z., Zhang F., Feng H., Yang C., He D.* Graph-based understanding of isomeric diversity in complex dissolved organic matter. Communications Chemistry, 2026, 9, 228.

2025

Yi Y, Tanentzap A.J., He C., Merder J., Osterholz H., Bao H., Hawkes J.A., Cai R., Li S.-L., Shi Q., Xu S., Zhang C., Liu C.-Q., Zhao M., He D.* Underestimated input of terrestrial dissolved organic carbon to the ocean. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2025, 122(45), e2505838122.

He D., Wang W.*, Yi Y*, Zhong J., Mostofa K.M.G., Hu X., Shi W., He D., Li S.-L. Cascading river damming amplifies photosynthetic organic matter production and DOC transport. Water Research, 2025, 284, 124036.

Chen Z., Yi Y*, Cai R., Zhang Z., Liang W., Fu W., Li P., Wang K., Zhang L., Dong K., Li S.-L., Xu S., He D.* Revealing the mobilization and age of estuarine dissolved organic matter during floods using radiocarbon and molecular fingerprints. Water Research, 2025, 271, 122898.

Chen Z., Yi Y*, Fu W., Liang W., Li P., Wang K., Zhang L., Dong K., Li S.-L., Xu S., He D.* Severe flood modulates the sources and age of dissolved organic carbon in the Yangtze River Estuary. Environmental Research, 2024, 252, 119040.

2024

Yi Y, Li S.-L., Zhong J., Wang K., Merder J., Bao H., Qi Y., He D., Xu S., Dittmar T., Liu C.-Q. Assessing the impacts of reservoirs on riverine dissolved organic matter: Insights from the largest reservoir in the Pearl River. Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences, 2024, 129(8), e2024JG008199.

2023

Yi Y, Liu T., Merder J., He C., Bao H., Li P., Li S.-L., Shi Q., He D. Unraveling the linkages between molecular abundance and stable carbon isotope ratio in dissolved organic matter using machine learning. Environmental Science & Technology, 2023, 57(46), 17900-17909.

Yi Y, He C., Klaproth K., Merder J., Li P., Qi Y., Fu P., Li S.-L., Dittmar T., Shi Q., He D. Will various interpretation strategies of the same ultrahigh-resolution mass spectrometry data tell different biogeochemical stories? A first assessment based on natural aquatic dissolved organic matter. Limnology and Oceanography: Methods, 2023, 21(6), 320-333.

Zhao C., Hou Y., Wang Y., Li P., He C., Shi Q., Yi Y*, He D.* Unraveling the photochemical reactivity of dissolved organic matter in the Yangtze River estuary: Integrating incubations with field observations. Water Research, 2023, 245, 120638.

Chen Z., Yi Y*, et al., He D.* Differences in Dissolved Organic Matter Molecular Composition along Two Plume Trajectories from the Yangtze River Estuary to the East China Sea. ACS Environmental Au, 2023, 4(1), 3-15.

Li S.-L.*, Zhang H., Yi Y*, Zhang Y., Qi Y., Mostofa K.M.G., et al., Liu C.-Q. Potential impacts of climate and anthropogenic-induced changes on DOM dynamics among the major Chinese rivers. Geography and Sustainability, 2023, 4, 329-339.

2022

Yi Y, Li S.-L., Zhong J., Wang W., Chen S., Bao H., He D. The influence of the deep subtropical reservoir on the karstic riverine carbon cycle and its regulatory factors: Insights from the seasonal and hydrological changes. Water Research, 2022, 226, 119267.

Yi Y (易沅壁), Wang W., Wang B., Wang F., Li S.-L. 中国西南喀斯特地区水库碳循环研究进展. 地质科技通报, 2022, 41(5), 341-346.

Wang W.#, Yi Y#, Zhong J., Kumar A., Li S.-L. Carbon biogeochemical processes in a subtropical karst river-reservoir system. Journal of Hydrology, 2020, 591, 125590.

2021

Yi Y, Zhong J., Bao H., Mostofa K.M.G., Xu S., Xiao H., Li S.-L. The impacts of reservoirs on the sources and transport of riverine organic carbon in the karst area: A multi-tracer study. Water Research, 2021, 194, 116933.

2019

Yi Y, Xiao M., Mostofa K.M.G., Xu S., Wang Z. Spatial variations of trace metals and their complexation behavior with DOM in the water of Dianchi Lake, China. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2019, 16(24), 4919.