Director

(1)Spatial variability, sampling design, and digital soil mapping

(2)Space-time modelling of cropland SOC, and soil carbon sequestration 

(3)Machine learning and 3D modelling in contaminated sites

(1)2002 – 2005, Ph.D., Soil Science, Institute of Soil Science, CAS, Nanjing, China

(2)1999 – 2002, Master, Soil Science, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, China  

(3)1995 – 1999, Bachelor, Agriculture Environmental Protection, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, China

(1)2017 (Mar -Sep), Visiting Scholar, Biosystems Engineering & Soil Science, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, USA.

(2)2011(Feb-Aug), Visiting Research Scientist, School of Environment and Natural Resources, The Ohio State University, Columbus, USA.

(3)2005(Mar-May), Guest Researcher, Department of Physical Geography, Christian-Albrechts-University of Kiel, Kiel, Germany.

2020 – Present, Director, Soil Genetic Classification and Soil Geography Specialty Committee, Soil Science Society of China.

(1)Scale-effects of soil data aggregation on the space-time modelling of cropland soil organic carbon, 2020.01-2023.12, National Natural Science Foundation of China (PI)

(2) Three-dimensional prediction and imaging of highly heterogeneous pollutants in contaminated sites, 2020.01-2022.12, National Key Research and Development Program of China (PI)

(1)Peng, Y., Chen, J., Xie, E., Zhang, X., Yan, G., Zhao, YC.*, 2023. Three-dimensional spatial prediction of Zn in the soil of a former tire manufacturing plant using machine learning and readily attainable multisource auxiliary data. Environ Pollut 318, 120931.

(2)Xie, E.Z., Zhang, X., Lu, F.Y., Peng, Y.X., Chen, J., Zhao, Y.C.*, 2022. Integration of a process-based model into the digital soil mapping improves the space-time soil organic carbon modelling in intensively human-impacted area. Geoderma 409.

(3)Xie, E.Z., Zhang, X., Lu, F.Y., Peng, Y.X., Zhao, Y.C.*, 2022. Spatiotemporal changes in cropland soil organic carbon in a rapidly urbanizing area of southeastern China from 1980 to 2015. Land Degradation & Development 33, 1323-1336.

(4)Zhao, Y.C., Wang, M.Y., Hu, S.J., Zhang, X.D., Ouyang, Z., Zhang, G.L., Huang, B.A., Zhao, S.W., Wu, J.S., Xie, D.T., Zhu, B., Yu, D.S., Pan, X.Z., Xu, S.X., Shi, X.Z.*, 2018. Economics- and policy-driven organic carbon input enhancement dominates soil organic carbon accumulation in Chinese croplands. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 115, 4045-4050.

(5)Liu, X.Y., Zhao, Y.C*., Shi, X.Z., Wang, S.H., Feng, X., Yan, F., 2021. Spatio-temporal Changes and Associated Uncertainties of CENTURY-modelled SOC for Chinese Upland Soils, 1980-2010. Chinese Geographical Science 31, 126-136.

(6)Xu, X.H., Zhang, X.D., Peng, Y.X., Li, R.Y., Liu, C.Y., Luo, X.S., Zhao, Y.C.*, 2021. Spatial Distribution and Source Apportionment of Agricultural Soil Heavy Metals in a Rapidly Developing Area in East China. Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology 106, 33-39.

(7)Liu, X.Y., Zhao, Y.C*., Shi, X.Z., Liu, Y., Wang, S.H., Yu, D.S., 2019. Uncertainty in CENTURY-modelled changes in soil organic carbon stock in the uplands of Northeast China, 1980-2050. Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems 113, 77-93.

(8)Guo, N.J., Shi, X.Z., Zhao, Y.C*., Xu, S.X., Wang, M.Y., Zhang, G.L., Wu, J.S., Huang, B., Kong, C., 2017. Environmental and Anthropogenic Factors Driving Changes in Paddy Soil Organic Matter: A Case Study in the Middle and Lower Yangtze River Plain of China. Pedosphere 27, 926-937.

(9)Liu, X.Y., Zhao, Y.C*., Shi, X.Z., Liu, Y., Wang, S.H., Yu, D.S., 2017. Sensitivity and uncertainty analysis of CENTURY-modeled SOC dynamics in upland soils under different climate-soil-management conditions: a case study in China. Journal of Soils and Sediments 17, 85-96.

(10)Qin, F.L., Zhao, Y.C.*, Shi, X.Z., Xu, S.X., Yu, D.S., 2017. Uncertainty and Sensitivity Analyses for Modeling Long-Term Soil Organic Carbon Dynamics of Paddy Soils Under Different Climate-Soil-Management Combinations. Pedosphere 27, 912-925.

(11)Wang, M., Xu, S., Kong, C., Zhao, YC.*, Shi, X., Guo, N., 2019. Assessing the effects of land use change from rice to vegetable on soil structural quality using X-ray CT. Soil and Tillage Research 195, 104343.

(12)Xie, E., Zhao, YC.*, Li, H., Shi, X., Lu, F., Zhang, X., Peng, Y., 2019. Spatio-temporal changes of cropland soil pH in a rapidly industrializing region in the Yangtze River Delta of China, 1980–2015. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment 272, 95-104.

(13)Xu, S., Zhao, YC.*, Shi, X., Wang, M., 2017. Rapid Determination of Carbon, Nitrogen, and Phosphorus Contents of Field Crops in China Using Visible and Near-Infrared Reflectance Spectroscopy. Crop Science 57, 475-489.

(14)Xu, S., Zhao, YC.*, Wang, M., Shi, X., 2017. Determination of rice root density from Vis–NIR spectroscopy by support vector machine regression and spectral variable selection techniques. CATENA 157, 12-23.

(15)Xu, S., Zhao, YC.*, Wang, M., Shi, X., 2018. Comparison of multivariate methods for estimating selected soil properties from intact soil cores of paddy fields by Vis–NIR spectroscopy. Geoderma 310, 29-43.

(16)Xu, S.X., Zhao, Y.C.*, Wang, M.Y., Shi, X.Z., 2018. Quantification of Different Forms of Iron from Intact Soil Cores of Paddy Fields with Vis-NIR Spectroscopy. Soil Science Society of America Journal 82, 1497-1511.

(17)Zhao YC*, Xu XX, Hai N, Huang B, Zheng HL, Deng WJ. 2015. Uncertainty assessment for mapping changes in soil organic matter using sparse legacy soil data and dense new-measured data in a typical black soil region of China. Environmental Earth Sciences. 73(1), 197-207.  

(18)Zhao YC*, Xu XH, Tian K, Huang B, Hai N. 2016 Comparison of sampling schemes for the spatial prediction of soil organic matter in a typical black soil region in China, Environmental Earth Sciences, 75(1), 1-14.

(19)Zhao YC, Wang ZG, Sun WX, Huang B, Shi XZ, Ji JF. 2010. Spatial interrelations and multi-scale sources of soil heavy metal variability in a typical urban-rural transition area in Yangtze River Delta region of China. Geoderma 156, Issues 3-4, Pages 216-227.

(20)Xu, S.X., X.Z. Shi, Y.C. Zhao*, D.S. Yu, C.S. Li, S.H. Wang, et al. 2011. Carbon sequestration potential of recommended management practices for paddy soils of China, 1980-2050. Geoderma 166: 206-213. doi:10.1016/j.geoderma.2011.08.002.

(21)Xu, S.X., X.Z. Shi, Y.C. Zhao*, D.S. Yu, S.H. Wang, L.M. Zhang, et al. 2011. Modeling Carbon Dynamics in Paddy Soils in Jiangsu Province of China with Soil Databases Differing in Spatial Resolution. Pedosphere 21: 696-705.

(22)Xu, S.X., S.Z. Xuezheng, Y.C. Zhao*, D.S. Yu, S.H. Wang, M.Z. Tan, et al. 2012. Spatially explicit simulation of soil organic carbon dynamics in China's paddy soils. Catena 92: 113-121.

(23)Xu, S.X., Y.C. Zhao*, S.Z. Xuezheng, D.S. Yu, C.S. Li, S.H. Wang, M.Z. Tan, W.X. Sun. 2013. Map scale effects of soil databases on modeling organic carbon dynamics for paddy soils of China. Catena. 104: 67-76.

(24)Qu, M., Li, W., Zhang, C., Zhao, YC*., Huang, B., Sun, W., Hu, W., 2013. Comparison of Three Methods for Soil Fertility Quality Spatial Simulation with Uncertainty Assessment. Soil Science Society of America Journal 77(6), 2182-2191.

(25)Kang Tian, Yongcun Zhao*, Xianghua Xu, Nan Hai, Biao Huang,Wenjing Deng. Effects of long-term fertilization and residue management on soil organic carbon changes in paddy soils of China: A meta-analysis. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment. 204 (2015) 40–50.

(26)Qin FL, Zhao YC*, Shi XZ, Xu SX, Yu DS. 2016. Sensitivity and uncertainty analysis for the DeNitrification–DeComposition model, a case study of modeling soil organic carbon dynamics at a long-term observation site with a rice–bean rotation. Computers and Electronics in Agriculture 124,263–272.

(27)Wang, S.H., X.Z. Shi, Y.C. Zhao*, D.C. Weindorf, D.S. Yu, S.X. Xu, et al. 2011. Regional Simulation of Soil Organic Carbon Dynamics for Dry Farmland in East China by Coupling a 1:500 000 Soil Database with the Century Model. Pedosphere 21: 277-287.

(28)Zhao YC, Shi XZ, Weindorf DC*, Yu DS, Sun WX, Wang HJ. 2006. Map scale effects on soil organic carbon stock estimation in north China. Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J. 70(4):1377-1386. 

(29)Zhao YC, Xu XH, Huang B, Sun WX, Shao XX, Shi XZ, Ruan XL. 2007. Using robust kriging and sequential Gaussian simulation to delineate the copper- and lead-contaminated areas of a rapidly industrialized city in Yangtze River Delta, China. Environmental Geology. 52(7); 1423-1433. 

(30)Zhao YC, Xu XH, Sun WX, Huang B, Darilek JL, Shi XZ. 2008. Uncertainty assessment of mapping mercury contaminated soils of a rapidly industrializing city in the Yangtze River Delta of China using sequential indicator co-simulation. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 138: 343-355. 

(31)Zhao YC, Xu XH, Darilek JL, Huang B, Sun WX, Shi XZ. 2009. Spatial variability assessment of soil nutrients in an intense agricultural area, a case study of Rugao County in Yangtze River Delta Region, China. Environmental Geology. 57:1089–1102. 

(32)Zhao YC, Shi XZ, Yu DS, Wang HJ, Sun WX. 2005. Uncertainty assessment for the spatial patterns of soil organic carbon density using sequential indicator simulation, a case study of Hebei Province, China. Chemosphere 59:1527-1535.

(33)Zhao YC, Shi XZ, Yu DS, Pagella TF, Sun WX, Xu XH. 2005. Soil organic carbon density in Hebei Province, China: estimates and uncertainty. Pedosphere, 15(3): 293-300.

(34)Zhang Y, Zhao YC*, Shi XZ, Lu XX, Yu DS, Wang HJ, Sun WX, Darilek JL. 2008. Variation of soil organic carbon estimates in mountain regions: A case study from Southwest China. Geoderma 146: 449–456 (* corresponding author)

(35)Wang, Z.G., J.L. Darilek, Y.C. Zhao*, B. Huang and W.X. Sun. 2011. Defining soil geochemical baselines at small scales using geochemical common factors and soil organic matter as normalizers. Journal of Soils and Sediments 11: 3-14. 

2021, The First Prize of Jiangsu Science and Technology Award (Certificate No. 2021-1-30-R4), Jiangsu Provincial Government, China