I am a seismologist specializing in the use of seismic–acoustic waves to study the structure of Earth’s interior, monitor ocean environments, and better understand earthquake processes. Earthquakes generate seismic–acoustic waves that can travel long distances through the solid Earth and the ocean. My research focuses on how these waves propagate through complex Earth–ocean systems and what they reveal about the composition and dynamics of the solid Earth and time-varying ocean environments.
Assistant Scientist at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (2022 – 2025)
Postdoctoral Scholar at Caltech (2019 – 2021)
Ph.D. at Princeton University (2013 – 2019)
M.S. and B.S. at University of Science and Technology of China (2004 – 2013)
(1) Seismic Ocean Thermometry. The ocean, the largest heat reservoir of the climate system, absorbs more than 90% of the excess heat from accumulated greenhouse gases. Resolving long-term and large-scale ocean warming signals from strong transient variability is challenging. We are developing seismic ocean thermometry to provide improved constraints on global ocean temperature changes. Because sound travels faster in warmer water, this method uses acoustic waves generated by natural earthquakes to track changes in ocean temperature. By complementing existing observational tools, this approach aims to strengthen large-scale monitoring of ocean warming.
(2) Deep earth seismic imaging. Seismic waves that penetrate the deep Earth carry essential information about the Earth’s internal structure. Deciphering these signals reveals the thermal and chemical state of the planet, from subducted slabs in the upper mantle to the deepest inner core. I am particularly interested in imaging techniques that illuminate the thermochemical structure and dynamic processes of the deep Earth.
(3) Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS). DAS is a relatively new seismic observing technology that transforms tens of kilometers of fiber-optic cables into thousands of seismic sensors, offering a cost-effective approach to dense array observations. However, DAS data are often noisier than recordings from traditional seismometers and hydrophones. My research explores both the opportunities and challenges of DAS, particularly for seismic–acoustic wave observations in marine environments.
