Changxun Yu

Associate professor

Department of Biology and Environmental Science Faculty of Health and Life Sciences

changxun.yu@lnu.se

+46 480-44 64 05

+46 72-594 98 43

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I am an environmental geochemist with a particular interest in biogeochemical cycling of metals/macro-nutrients and their responses/feedbacks to human activities and climate/environmental changes.

Teaching

I teach courses in the Environmental Analyst and Environmental Science and Sustainability Programmes. Another important part of my teaching is to supervise Bachelor, Master, and PhD students.

Research

My research mainly focuses on biogeochemical processes and mineralogical transformation of Fe and Mn in the boreal and Arctic regions, as well as their impacts on and interactions with (i) the mobility, transport and environmental fate of potentially toxic or biologically critical trace elements (e.g., U, Ni, As, and REEs); (ii) organic carbon storage/turnover and macronutrient (e.g., Si, P, and N) cycling, and (iii) chemical remanent magnetization and paleomagnetic records in deep-sea sediments. To obtain a fundamental understanding of these processes and link them to the processes and phenomena at landscape scales, we combine conventional (bio)geochemical analyses with a wide range of state-of-the-art imaging, spectroscopy, and mass-spectrometry techniques (e.g., XAS, STXM, XPS, and LC/GC-MS), isotope characterizations, and modern theoretical simulations via collaborations with both national and international groups.

My research projects are funded by The Swedish Research Council Formas, Geological Survey of Sweden, EU Botnia Atlantica, and Interreg Aurora.

Some of my work has been featured by:

Greppa Näringen

Commissions

Editorial board member: Forests (section 'Forest Soil')

My research groups

Environmental Geochemistry We are a team of scientists exploring issues in environmental geochemistry. This field examines the chemical composition and processes of the Earth's surface environment,…

My ongoing research projects

Publications

Selected publications

Wasiljeff, J., Yu, C., Heikkilä, P., Lahaye, Y., Kurhila, M., et al. (2025). Mineral phases and growth conditions of morphologically diverse shelfal ferromanganese concretions. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta. 400. 227-247.
Status: Published
Yu, C., Luong, N.T., Hefni, M.E., Song, Z., Högfors-Rönnholm, E., et al. (2024). Storage and Distribution of Organic Carbon and Nutrients in Acidic Soils Developed on Sulfidic Sediments : The Roles of Reactive Iron and Macropores. Environmental Science and Technology. 58 (21). 9200-9212.
Status: Published
Yu, C., Turner, S., Huotari, S., Chen, N., Shchukarev, A., et al. (2024). Manganese cycling and transport in boreal estuaries impacted by acidic Mn-rich drainage. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta. 365. 136-157.
Status: Published
Yu, C., Johnson, A., Karlsson, A., Chernikov, R., Sjöberg, V., et al. (2024). Uranium Repartitioning during Microbial Driven Reductive Transformation of U(VI)-Sorbed Schwertmannite and Jarosite. Environmental Science and Technology. 58 (41). 18324-18334.
Status: Published
Yu, C., Xie, S., Song, Z., Xia, S., Åström, M.E. (2021). Biogeochemical cycling of iron (hydr-)oxides and its impact on organic carbon turnover in coastal wetlands : A global synthesis and perspective. Earth-Science Reviews. Elsevier. 218.
Status: Published
Yu, C., Drake, H., Dideriksen, K., Tillberg, M., Song, Z., et al. (2020). A Combined X-ray Absorption and Mössbauer Spectroscopy Study on Fe Valence and Secondary Mineralogy in Granitoid Fracture Networks : Implications for Geological Disposal of Spent Nuclear Fuels. Environmental Science and Technology. 54 (5). 2832-2842.
Status: Published

Article in journal (Refereed)

Liu, Y., Teng, Z., Li, Q., Zhou, J., Anwar, E., et al. (2025). Patterns and determinants of plant- and microbial-derived carbon in desert riparian ecosystems : Implications for organic C accumulation. Catena (Cremlingen. Print). 250.
Status: Published
Wasiljeff, J., Yu, C., Heikkilä, P., Lahaye, Y., Kurhila, M., et al. (2025). Mineral phases and growth conditions of morphologically diverse shelfal ferromanganese concretions. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta. 400. 227-247.
Status: Published
Wu, L., Song, Z., Zhang, X., Guo, Y., Wang, Y., et al. (2025). Patterns and drivers of soil organic carbon fractions and persistence in coastal wetlands of China. Catena (Cremlingen. Print). 257.
Status: Published
Chang, C., Augustsson, A., Yu, C., Mugwira, R., Carlon, S., et al. (2025). Baseline assessment of metal and microplastic pollution in sediments of a small‑sized harbor in western Baltic Sea (Kalmar, Sweden). Environmental Science and Pollution Research.
Status: Epub ahead of print
Zeng, X., Song, Z., Xing, Z., Meng, J., Wang, X., et al. (2025). Rock weathering characteristics and carbon sink in the Liujiang Basin, North China. Applied Geochemistry. 189.
Status: Published
Qin, J., Zhang, X., Dong, S., Yu, C., Yang, X., et al. (2025). Effects of nitrogen and phosphorus addition on phytolith carbon sequestration in alpine grassland. Catena (Cremlingen. Print). 260.
Status: Published
Kononova, L., Johnson, A., Engblom, S., Sten, P., Yu, C., et al. (2025). Geochemical and microbial responses to limestone and peat treatment of incubated hypermonosulfidic sediments. European Journal of Soil Science. 76 (1).
Status: Published
Yu, C., Luong, N.T., Hefni, M.E., Song, Z., Högfors-Rönnholm, E., et al. (2024). Storage and Distribution of Organic Carbon and Nutrients in Acidic Soils Developed on Sulfidic Sediments : The Roles of Reactive Iron and Macropores. Environmental Science and Technology. 58 (21). 9200-9212.
Status: Published
Hao, Q., Song, Z., Zhang, X., He, D., Guo, L., et al. (2024). Organic blue carbon sequestration in vegetated coastal wetlands : Processes and influencing factors. Earth-Science Reviews. 255.
Status: Published
Zhao, X., Song, Z., Wu, Y., Van Zwieten, L., Guo, L., et al. (2024). Biogenic silica dynamics in coastal wetland sediments : A key driver of silicon and carbon biogeochemical cycling. Limnology and Oceanography. 69 (12). 2896-2912.
Status: Published
Li, Q., Song, Z., Xia, S., Kuzyakov, Y., Yu, C., et al. (2024). Microbial Necromass, Lignin, and Glycoproteins for Determining and Optimizing Blue Carbon Formation. Environmental Science and Technology. 58. 468-479.
Status: Published
Wu, Y., Zhang, X., Lin, J., Wang, X., Sun, S., et al. (2024). Silicon promotes biomass accumulation in Phragmites australis under waterlogged conditions in coastal wetland. Plant and Soil. 503. 503-516.
Status: Published
Zheng, X., Han, G., Song, Z., Liang, B., Yang, X., et al. (2024). Biogeochemical cycle and isotope fractionation of copper in plant-soil systems : a review. Reviews in Environmental Science and Biotechnology. 23. 21-41.
Status: Published
Wu, L., Song, Z., Wu, Y., Xia, S., Kuzyakov, Y., et al. (2024). Organic matter composition and stability in estuarine wetlands depending on soil salinity. Science of the Total Environment. 945.
Status: Published
Yu, C., Turner, S., Huotari, S., Chen, N., Shchukarev, A., et al. (2024). Manganese cycling and transport in boreal estuaries impacted by acidic Mn-rich drainage. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta. 365. 136-157.
Status: Published
Yu, C., Johnson, A., Karlsson, A., Chernikov, R., Sjöberg, V., et al. (2024). Uranium Repartitioning during Microbial Driven Reductive Transformation of U(VI)-Sorbed Schwertmannite and Jarosite. Environmental Science and Technology. 58 (41). 18324-18334.
Status: Published
Zheng, X., Han, G., Zhang, Q., Liang, B., Liu, M., et al. (2023). Extreme Copper Isotope Fractionation Driven by Redox Oscillation During Gleysols Weathering in Mun River Basin, Northeast Thailand. Journal of Geophysical Research - Earth Surface. 128 (3).
Status: Published
Wu, Y., Zhang, X., Song, Z., Yu, C., Liu, M., et al. (2023). Climatic controls on stable carbon and nitrogen isotope compositions of temperate grasslands in northern China. Plant and Soil. 491. 133-144.
Status: Published
Nyman, A., Johnson, A., Yu, C., Dopson, M., Åström, M.E. (2023). Multi-element features of active acid sulfate soils across the Swedish coastal plains. Applied Geochemistry. 152.
Status: Published
Yu, C., Högfors-Rönnholm, E., Stén, P., Engblom, S., Åström, M.E. (2023). Iron‑sulfur geochemistry and acidity retention in hydrologically active macropores of boreal acid sulfate soils : Effects of mitigation suspensions of fine-grained calcite and peat. Science of the Total Environment. 856 (Part 2).
Status: Published
Nyman, A., Johnson, A., Yu, C., Sohlenius, G., Becher, M., et al. (2023). A nationwide acid sulfate soil study : A rapid and cost-efficient approach for characterizing large-scale features. Science of the Total Environment. 869.
Status: Published
Xie, S., Yu, C., Peng, B., Xiao, H., Zhang, W., et al. (2022). A re-assessment of metal pollution in the Dexing mining area in Jiangxi province, China : current status, hydro-geochemical controls, and effectiveness of remediation practices. International Journal of Environmental Science and Technology. 19. 10707-10722.
Status: Published
Shahabi-Ghahfarokhi, S., Rahmati-Abkenar, M., Matson, J.G., Karimi, H., Yu, C., et al. (2022). Removal and potential recovery of dissolved metals from acid sulfate soil drainage by spent coffee-grounds and dissolved organic carbon. Environmental Advances. 8.
Status: Published
Song, Z., Wu, Y., Yang, Y., Zhang, X., Van Zwieten, L., et al. (2022). High potential of stable carbon sequestration in phytoliths of China's grasslands. Global Change Biology. 28 (8). 2736-2750.
Status: Published
Xia, S., Song, Z., Van Zwieten, L., Guo, L., Yu, C., et al. (2022). Storage, patterns and influencing factors for soil organic carbon in coastal wetlands of China. Global Change Biology. 28 (20). 6065-6085.
Status: Published
Shahabi-Ghahfarokhi, S., Åström, M.E., Yu, C., Lindquist, T., Djerf, H., et al. (2022). Extensive dispersion of metals from hemiboreal acid sulfate soil into adjacent drain and wetland. Applied Geochemistry. 136.
Status: Published
Hao, Q., Ma, N., Song, Z., Zhang, X., Yang, X., et al. (2022). Soil silicon fractions along karst hillslopes of southwestern China. Journal of Soils and Sediments. 22. 1121-1134.
Status: Published
Shahabi-Ghahfarokhi, S., Rahmati-Abkenar, M., Jaeger, L., Josefson, S., Djerf, H., et al. (2022). The response of metal mobilization and redistribution to reoxygenation in Baltic Sea anoxic sediments. Science of the Total Environment. 837.
Status: Published
Hao, Q., Yang, S., Song, Z., Wang, Z., Yu, C., et al. (2021). Vegetation Determines Lake Sediment Carbon Accumulation during Holocene in the Forest-Steppe Ecotone in Northern China. Forests. 12 (6).
Status: Published
Xia, S., Song, Z., Li, Q., Guo, L., Yu, C., et al. (2021). Distribution, sources, and decomposition of soil organic matter along a salinity gradient in estuarine wetlands characterized by C:N ratio, δ13C-δ15N, and lignin biomarker. Global Change Biology. 27 (2). 417-434.
Status: Published
Yu, C., Xie, S., Song, Z., Xia, S., Åström, M.E. (2021). Reply to comments by Thilo Rennert on “Biogeochemical cycling of iron (hydr-)oxides and its impact on organic carbon turnover in coastal wetlands: A global synthesis and perspective”. Earth-Science Reviews (2021) 103658. Earth-Science Reviews. 221.
Status: Published
Yang, X., Song, Z., Van Zwieten, L., Sun, X., Yu, C., et al. (2021). Spatial distribution of plant-available silicon and its controlling factors in paddy fields of China. Geoderma. 401.
Status: Published
Sjöberg, S., Yu, C., Stairs, C.W., Allard, B., Hallberg, R., et al. (2021). Microbe-Mediated Mn Oxidation - A Proposed Model of Mineral Formation. Minerals. 11 (10).
Status: Published
Qin, Z., Yang, X., Song, Z., Peng, B., Van Zwieten, L., et al. (2021). Vertical distributions of organic carbon fractions under paddy and forest soils derived from black shales : Implications for potential of long-term carbon storage. Catena (Cremlingen. Print). 198. 1-8.
Status: Published
Hao, Q., Yang, S., Song, Z., Ran, X., Yu, C., et al. (2020). Holocene carbon accumulation in lakes of the current east Asian monsoonal margin: Implications under a changing climate. Science of the Total Environment. 737. 1-13.
Status: Published
Åström, M.E., Yu, C., Virtasalo, J.J., Österholm, P., Peltola, P., et al. (2020). Extensive accumulation of rare earth elements in estuarine sediments affected by leaching of acid sulfate soils. Boreal environment research. 25. 105-120.
Status: Published
Han, G., Yang, T., Man, L., Zwieten, L.V., Yang, X., et al. (2020). Carbon-nitrogen isotope coupling of soil organic matter in a karst region under land use change, Southwest China. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment. 301. 1-11.
Status: Published
Xia, S., Song, Z., Van Zwieten, L., Guo, L., Yu, C., et al. (2020). Silicon accumulation controls carbon cycle in wetlands through modifying nutrients stoichiometry and lignin synthesis of Phragmites australis. Environmental and Experimental Botany. 175. 1-11.
Status: Published
Liu, L., Song, Z., Yu, C., Yu, G., M. Ellam, R., et al. (2020). Silicon Effects on Biomass Carbon and Phytolith-Occluded Carbon in Grasslands Under High-Salinity Conditions. Frontiers in Plant Science. 11. 1-13.
Status: Published
Yu, C., Drake, H., Dideriksen, K., Tillberg, M., Song, Z., et al. (2020). A Combined X-ray Absorption and Mössbauer Spectroscopy Study on Fe Valence and Secondary Mineralogy in Granitoid Fracture Networks : Implications for Geological Disposal of Spent Nuclear Fuels. Environmental Science and Technology. 54 (5). 2832-2842.
Status: Published
Shilei, Y., Qian, H., Wang, H., Van Zwieten, L., Yu, C., et al. (2020). A review of carbon isotopes of phytoliths : implications for phytolith-occluded carbon sources. Journal of Soils and Sediments. 20 (4). 1811-1823.
Status: Published
Yang, X., Song, Z., Qin, Z., Wu, L., Yin, L., et al. (2020). Phytolith-rich straw application and groundwater table management over 36 years affect the soil-plant silicon cycle of a paddy field. Plant and Soil. 454. 343-358.
Status: Published
Yang, X., Song, Z., Yu, C., Ding, F. (2020). Quantification of different silicon fractions in broadleaf and conifer forests of northern China and consequent implications for biogeochemical Si cycling. Geoderma. 361. 1-10.
Status: Published
Zhang, X., Song, Z., Hao, Q., Yu, C., Liu, H., et al. (2020). Storage of soil phytoliths and phytolith-occluded carbon along aprecipitation gradient in grasslands of northern China. Geoderma. 364. 1-9.
Status: Published
Hao, Q., Yang, S., Song, Z., Li, Z., Ding, F., et al. (2020). Silicon Affects Plant Stoichiometry and Accumulation of C, N, and P in Grasslands. Frontiers in Plant Science. 11. 1-10.
Status: Published
Yang, S., Hao, Q., Liu, H., Xiaodong, Z., Yu, C., et al. (2019). Impact of grassland degradation on the distribution and bioavailability of soil silicon: Implications for the Si cycle in grasslands. Science of the Total Environment. 657. 811-818.
Status: Published
Yu, C., Drake, H., Lopez-Fernandez, M., Whitehouse, M., Dopson, M., et al. (2019). Micro-scale isotopic variability of low-temperature pyrite in fractured crystalline bedrock ― A large Fe isotope fractionation between Fe(II)aq/pyrite and absence of Fe-S isotope co-variation. Chemical Geology. 522. 192-207.
Status: Published
Christel, S., Yu, C., Wu, X., Josefsson, S., Lillhonga, T., et al. (2019). Comparison of Boreal Acid Sulfate Soil Microbial Communities in Oxidative and Reductive Environments. Research in Microbiology. 170 (6-7). 288-295.
Status: Published
Yu, C., Berger, T., Drake, H., Song, Z., Peltola, P., et al. (2019). Geochemical controls on dispersion of U and Th in Quaternary deposits, stream water, and aquatic plants in an area with a granite pluton. Science of the Total Environment. 663. 16-28.
Status: Published
Åström, M.E., Yu, C., Peltola, P., Reynolds, J.K., Österholm, P., et al. (2018). Sources, transport and sinks of beryllium in a coastal landscape affected by acidic soils. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta. 232. 288-302.
Status: Published
Yu, C., Boily, J., Shchukarev, A., Drake, H., Song, Z., et al. (2018). A cryogenic XPS study of Ce fixation on nanosized manganite and vernadite: Interfacial reactions and effects of fulvic acid complexation. Chemical Geology. 483. 304-311.
Status: Published
Yu, C., Drake, H., Mathurin, F.A., Åström, M.E. (2017). Cerium sequestration and accumulation in fractured crystalline bedrock : The role of Mn-Fe (hydr-)oxides and clay minerals. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta. 199. 370-389.
Status: Published
Yu, C., Peltola, P., Nystrand, M.I., Virtasalo, J.J., Österholm, P., et al. (2016). Arsenic removal from contaminated brackish sea water by sorption onto Al hydroxides and Fe phases mobilized by land-use. Science of the Total Environment. 542. 923-934.
Status: Published
Yu, C., Virtasalo, J.J., Österholm, P., Burton, E.D., Peltola, P., et al. (2016). Manganese accumulation and solid-phase speciation in a 3.5 m thick mud sequence from the estuary of an acidic and Mn-rich creek, northern Baltic Sea. Chemical Geology. 437. 56-66.
Status: Published
Nystrand, M.I., Österholm, P., Yu, C., Åström, M.E. (2016). Distribution and speciation of metals, phosphorus, sulfate and organic material in brackish estuary water affected by acid sulfate soils. Applied Geochemistry. 66. 264-274.
Status: Published
Berger, T., Yu, C., Drake, H., Peltola, P., Svensson, D., et al. (2016). Fluorine geochemistry of quaternary deposits in a nemo-boreal catchment with elevated dissolved fluoride in surface waters and groundwater. Journal of Geochemical Exploration. 170. 148-156.
Status: Published
Yu, C., Virtasalo, J.J., Karlsson, T., Peltola, P., Osterholm, P., et al. (2015). Iron behavior in a northern estuary : Large pools of non-sulfidized Fe(II) associated with organic matter. Chemical Geology. 413. 73-85.
Status: Published
Peng, B., Rate, A., Song, Z., Yu, C., Tang, X., et al. (2014). Geochemistry of major and trace elements and Pb-Sr isotopes of a weathering profile developed on the Lower Cambrian black shales in central Hunan, China. Applied Geochemistry. 51. 191-203.
Status: Published
Yu, C., Lavergren, U., Peltola, P., Drake, H., Bergbäck, B., et al. (2014). Retention and transport of arsenic, uranium and nickel in a black shale setting revealed by a long-term humidity cell test and sequential chemica extractions. Chemical Geology. 363. 134-144.
Status: Published
Xu, J., Peng, B., Yu, C., Yang, G., Tang, X., et al. (2013). Geochemistry of soils derived from black shales in the Ganziping mine area, western Hunan, China. Environmental Earth Sciences. 70 (1). 175-190.
Status: Published
Yu, C., Drake, H., Åström, M.E., Mathurin, F.A. (2013). Cerium Sequestration in Fractures in the Upper Kilometer of Granitoids, SE, Sweden. Mineralogical magazine. 77 (5). 2568-2568.
Status: Published
Yu, C., Peng, B., Peltola, P., Xiaoyan Tang, T., Shurong, X. (2012). Effect of weathering on abundance and release of potentially toxic elements in soils developed on Lower Cambrian black shales, P. R. China. Environmental Geochemistry and Health. 34 (3). 375-390.
Status: Published

Article, review/survey (Refereed)

Sun, S., Yang, X., Ding, H., He, Q., Wang, Y., et al. (2025). Improving our understanding of blue carbon with a net ecosystem carbon budget framework. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment. John Wiley & Sons. 23 (9).
Status: Published
Sandhi, A., Yu, C., Rahman, M.M., Amin, M.N. (2022). Arsenic in the water and agricultural crop production system : Bangladesh perspectives. Environmental Science and Pollution Research. Springer. 29. 51354-51366.
Status: Published
Yu, C., Xie, S., Song, Z., Xia, S., Åström, M.E. (2021). Biogeochemical cycling of iron (hydr-)oxides and its impact on organic carbon turnover in coastal wetlands : A global synthesis and perspective. Earth-Science Reviews. Elsevier. 218.
Status: Published
Li, Z., Song, Z., Yang, X., Song, A., Yu, C., et al. (2018). Impacts of silicon on biogeochemical cycles of carbon and nutrients in croplands. Journal of Integrative Agriculture. Elsevier. 17 (10). 2182-2195.
Status: Published

Doctoral thesis, comprehensive summary (Other academic)

Yu, C. (2014). Metal abundance and behavior in geo-materials affected by metal-sulfide oxidation. Doctoral Thesis. Linnaeus University Press. 46.

Conference paper (Refereed)

Ketzer, J.M., Stranne, C., Chang, C., Owari, S., Yu, C., et al. (2024). Discovery of a major seafloor methane release site in Europe : The Landsort deep, Baltic Sea.. EGU General Assembly 2024.
Yu, C., Drake, H., Dideriksen, K., Frandsen, C., Åström, M.E. (2017). Iron speciation and valence in the upper 1 km of fractured crystalline bedrock on the Baltic shield. Goldschmidt2017 Abstracts.
Yu, C., Åström, M.E., Peltola, P., Drake, H. (2011). Oxidative weathering of black shale: A long-term humidity cell test. Goldschmidt Conference Abstracts. 2231-2231.

Manuscript (preprint) (Other academic)

Berger, T., Yu, C., Drake, H., Peltola, P., Svensson, D., et al. Fluorine geochemistry of Quaternary deposits in a nemo-boreal catchment with elevated dissolved fluoride in surface waters and groundwater.