Assistant Professor
Department of Space, Earth and Environment
Chalmers University of Technology
I lead the Climate Dynamics Group at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden. I’m an atmospheric and climate scientist studying climate variability and change, atmospheric dynamics, the Arctic climate system, terrestrial carbon cycle dynamics, and greenhouse gas emissions. In my research, I combine observations, theory, and numerical modeling to advance our understanding of the Earth system.
My current research focuses on developing methods to estimate CO2 emissions and uptake using primarily satellite observations. Specifically, I use data assimilation and inverse modeling techniques to infer regional-scale CO2 emissions and uptake from both natural and anthropogenic sources and sinks. Such methods are useful to study the natural carbon cycle and independently estimate anthropogenic fossil fuel emissions.
I’m also interested in various aspects of climate change, with a focus on the Arctic climate system and its connections to mid-latitude weather and climate variability and extremes. You can read more about the research topics that I and my group are working on under Research.
In my free time, I like to play basketball, listen to and play music, bike, and contribute to free and open-source software.
Xu, H., H. W. Chen, D. Chen, C. Xiao, J. Xiao, B. He, A. Lv, L. Guo, W. Yuan, Y. Fu, X. Hao, Z. Zhong, L. Huang, T. Li, R. Tang, X. He, X. Guo, and Y. Chu, 2025: The critical role of snowmelt onset-driven vapor pressure deficit variations in wildfire dynamics of northern latitudes. Earth’s Future, 13, e2025EF006367, https://doi.org/10.1029/2025EF006367.
Zhong, Z., H. W. Chen, A. Dai, T. Zhou, B. He, and B. Su, 2025: Sub-diurnal asymmetric warming has amplified atmospheric dryness since the 1980s. Nature Communications, 16, 8247, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-63672-z.
Chen, J., H. W. Chen, Z. Li, Q. Wang, G. Wang, K. Jia, X. Yan, 2025: Divergent radiative forcing of fine-mode aerosols across tree genera during wildfires in North America and Europe. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 495, 138881, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2025.138881.
Liu, Y., Q. Tang, L. R. Leung, D. Chen, J. A. Francis, C. Zhang, H. W. Chen, and S. C. Sherwood, 2025: Changes in atmospheric circulation amplify extreme snowfall fueled by Arctic sea ice loss over high-latitude land. Weather and Climate Extremes, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wace.2025.100802.
Zhong, Z., H. W. Chen, B. He, and B. Su, 2025: Contrasting vegetation productivity responses in arid and humid zones to recent changes in diurnal temperature range. The Innovation Geoscience, 3, 100163, https://doi.org/10.59717/j.xinn-geo.2025.100163.
Zou, J., H. W. Chen, H. Li, Q. Wang, G. Wang, K. Jia, Z. Chen, C. Zhao, W. Shi, Y. Yang, Y. Tang, J. Chen, Y. Zhang, T. Xu, Y. Wang, G. Liu, and X. Yan, 2025: Amplified urban heat island effect in southern China’s old towns following atmospheric regulation policies. Sustainable Cities and Society, 131, 106675, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scs.2025.106675.
Peng, W., Y. Yi, U. Mishra, K. Bakian-Dogaheh, J. S. Kimball, M. Moghaddam, and H. W. Chen, 2025: Characterizing spatial variability of soil organic carbon through improved machine-learning modeling with in situ data resampling: A case study in Alaska. IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing, 63, 1–14, https://doi.org/10.1109/TGRS.2025.3572344.
Ye, K., J. Cohen, H. W. Chen, S. Zhang, D. Luo, and M. E. Hamouda, 2025: Attributing climate and weather extremes to Northern Hemisphere sea ice and terrestrial snow: progress, challenges and ways forward. npj Climate and Atmospheric Science, 8, 1–22, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41612-025-01012-0.
Cai, Z., Q. You, J. A. Screen, H. W. Chen, R. Zhang, Z. Zuo, D. Chen, J. Cohen, S. Kang, and R. Zhang, 2025: Lessened projections of Arctic warming and wetting after correcting for model errors in global warming and sea ice cover. Science Advances, 11, eadr6413, https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.adr6413.
Shen, C., Z.-B. Li, F. Liu, H. W. Chen, and D. Chen, 2025: A robust reduction in near-surface wind speed after volcanic eruptions: Implications for wind energy generation. The Innovation, 6, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.xinn.2024.100734.