The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) recently awarded the 2012 Research Award for Young Scientists to Yijian Zeng, who is employed by the University of Twente’s Faculty of Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation (ITC). This prestigious award was conferred on him in recognition of a paper he published in the Journal of Geophysical Research, on the effects of air flow in soil models.
In his paper, Dr Zeng showed that Land Surface Models (models of the soil and the land surface) deliver better results if details of the airflow are included in the calculations. Measurements taken by Dr Zeng confirm that his models deliver more accurate predictions about the effects of soil moisture on the atmosphere. In October 2011, he published details of this work in the Journal of Geophysical Research, in a paper entitled “Numerical analysis of air-water-heat flow in unsaturated soil: Is it necessary to consider airflow in land surface models?”. His co-authors were Bob Su (who is also from ITC), Li Wan, and Jun Wen.
Yijian Zeng carried out his research at ITC, the University of Twente’s Faculty of Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation, and at the China University of Geosciences’ School of Water Resources and Environment in Beijing, China.
The World Meteorological Organization (which is part of the United Nations) is a leading authority in the field of climate, weather, and water. As such, its Research Award for Young Scientists carries great prestige, and is an impressive recognition of this study’s quality.
Further details about the allocation of the various WMO Awards can be found in the WMO’s press release. Copies of Zeng Yijian’s paper can be supplied on request.