Research Statement
Chia-Yu Yang's research bridges soil genesis and geochemistry to reveal how mineral weathering and pedogenic transformation shape the morphology, mineralogy, elemental distribution and soil fertility. Focusing on ultramafic and basaltic systems, she integrates magnetic, mineralogical, and geochemical approaches to decode how soils evolve and interact with the atmosphere. Ultimately, she seeks to deepen our understanding of soils as dynamic ecosystems that influence and respond to global environmental change.
Chia-Yu Yang studies how soils evolve through the interplay of climate, parent material, and time — integrating geochemistry, mineral magnetism and mineralogy to reveal how landscapes archive the Earth’s environmental and geochemical history, from ultramafic terrains to global ecosystems.
Research Areas
Pedology
Soil morphology and classification
Geochemistry
Elemental fractionation and chemical speciation
Magnetism
Mineral magnetism and magnetic properties of soils
Current Projects
Enhanced Rock Weathering in Paddy Soils
Investigation of enhanced weathering processes in temperate and tropical paddy soils and their role in mitigating climate change and agricultural productivity.
Field Site – Yosano Town, Kyoto
The field site is located in the Yosano town, Kyoto (Japan), serving as the primary location for our ERW paddy field experiments. It consists of replicated basalt-amended and control plots, allowing us to track short-term biogeochemical responses and evaluate how enhanced weathering influenced the greenhouse gas fluxes under field conditions.
Research Impact
Chia-Yu Yang's research focuses on the linkage bewtween geochemistry and pedology across ultramafic and serpentine landscapes. By integrating elemental mapping, fractionation and chemical speciation analyses, magnetic analyses, and mineralogical analyses, she uncovers how parent material, climate, time, and landscape interact to shape soil mineralogy and element behavior (e.g., Cr, Ni, and rare earth elements). This comprehensive approach not only deepens our understanding of how soils evolve in dynamic geological systems, but also provides a theory-based framework for evaluating nutrient cycling, potentially-toxic element mobility, and long-term ecosystem development.