Zhang studies how highland and lowland regions are connected through atmospheric moisture transport and river flow within the global water cycle.

Zhang works on highland–lowland water interactions within the global water cycle. She explores the interdependence of water flows between highland and lowland regions. To achieve this, she uses global reanalysis datasets and moisture tracking methods such as UTrack and WAM-2layers, and combines these with hydrological approaches to investigate the connections between atmospheric moisture transport and river runoff. She is particularly interested in linking moisture source contributions to basin-scale hydrological responses, which may help improve the understanding of water resilience and cross-scale water interactions.

Zhang has a background in water resources research, with experience in atmospheric moisture tracking, runoff modelling, and geospatial analysis. She received her master’s degree in Physical Geography from East China Normal University, where her research focused on identifying potential hotspots for atmospheric water resources management. During this time, she also conducted runoff simulations in a typical semi-arid watershed. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Geographic Information Science from Henan University.

Supervisor

Lan Wang-Erlandsson