Human Dimensions of Global Change - Coupled Human and Natural Systems

Human Dimensions of Global Change

The department’s ultimate research goal is to advance an integrated understanding of the coupled Earth system including spatially distributed human processes.  

Our research addresses both fundamental and applied issues in coupled human and natural systems, such as population, socio-economic development, consumption and production,  poverty, climate impacts and adaptation, vulnerability and mitigation, as well as the examination of policy options and trade-offs on sustainability. 

Our scientists investigate both the human socio-economic system and the climate system, and their linkages.

Stay tuned for more information about projects and researchers.

Project Name
Project Sponsor
Principal Investigator
Land degradation - Local NPP Scaling Maps
Prince, Stephen D.
Land Degradation - Background
NASA
Prince, Stephen D.
NASA South/Southeast Asia Research Initiative (SARI)
NASA
Sacred Space
Geores, Martha

Kahler, Jessica S., Danielle M. Reynald, and Meredith L. Gore. "“I let it go:” Quantifying residential guardianship intentions when witnessing wildlife poaching." Biological Conservation 277 (2023): 109829.
Read More
Hijbeek, R., van Loon, M., Ouaret, W., Boekelo, B., & van Ittersum, M. (2021). Liming agricultural soils in Western Kenya: Can long-term economic and environmental benefits pay off short term investments?. Agricultural Systems, 190, 103095.
Read More
Song, X.-P., Hansen, M.C., Stehman, S.V., Potapov, P.V., Tyukavina, A., Vermote, E.F., & Townshend, J.R. (2018). Global land change from 1982 to 2016. Nature, 560, 639-643
Read More
Eigenbrod, F., Beckmann, M., Dunnett, S., Graham, L., Holland, R.A., Meyfroidt, P., Seppelt, R., Song, X.P., Spake, R., Vaclavik, T., & Verburg, P.H. (2020). Identifying Agricultural Frontiers for Modeling Global Cropland Expansion. One Earth, 3, 504-514
Read More
Rising agricultural water scarcity in China is driven by expansion of irrigated cropland in water scarce regions.
Read More
Nakalembe, C., Zubkova, M., Hall, J. V., Argueta, F., & Giglio, L. (2022). Impacts of large-scale refugee resettlement on LCLUC: Bidi Bidi refugee settlement, Uganda case study. Environmental Research Letters, 17(6), 064019.
Read More
Fan, D., Z. Jiang, Z. Tian, G. Dong, L. Sun. 2021. The effects of climate change on Chinese Medicinal Yam over North China under the high-resolution PRECIS projection. Earth and Space Science (2020 IF = 2.90), 8 (8), e2021EA001804.
Read More
Fan, D., Y. Fan, Z. Tian, X. Li, M. Jiang, L. Sun, et al. 2021. A vital option for food security and greenhouse gases mitigation: planting elite super rice in double-to single-rice cropping fields in China. Environmental Research Letters.
Read More
Zhao, D., J. Liu, H. Yang, L. Sun, O. Varis. 2021. Socioeconomic drivers of provincial-level changes in the blue and green water footprints in China. Resources, Conservation & Recycling (2020 IF: 10.204). Vol. 175, article no. 105834.
Read More