Dr. Zhang's research interests lie at the intersection of Earth and environmental sciences, focusing on the biogeochemical cycling of global contaminants. He combines mechanistic insight and observational data to develop Earth System Models for different environmental compartments and their interfaces. His studies elucidate key environmental processes, establish comprehensive budgets, assess the impact of human activities on environmental quality, and project the influences of climate change in both historical and future contexts. Current projects target mercury (Hg), (micro)plastics, PFAS, antibiotics, radionuclides, and other legacy and emerging pollutants. For more information visit https://ebmg.tulane.edu.

Selected Publications

Sun et al. 2024. Calcite carbonate sinks low-density plastic debris in open oceans. Nature Communications 15 (1), 4837.

Yuan et al. 2024. Potential decoupling of CO2 and Hg uptake process by global vegetation in the 21st century. Nature Communications 15 (1), 4490.

Fu et al. 2023. Modeling atmospheric microplastic cycle by GEOS-Chem: An optimized estimation by a global dataset suggests likely 50 times lower ocean emissions. One Earth 6, 705-714.

Wu and Zhang, 2023. Toward a Global Model of Methylmercury Biomagnification in Marine Food Webs: Trophic Dynamics and Implications for Human Exposure. Environmental Science & Technology 57(16) 6563-6572.

Zhang et al. 2023. An updated global mercury budget from a coupled atmosphere-land-ocean model: 40% more re-emissions buffer the effect of primary emission reductions. One Earth 6(3), 316-325.

Zhang et al. 2023. Plastic Waste Discharge to the Global Ocean Constrained by Seawater Observations. Nature Communications 14(1) 1372.

Wang et al. 2023. Climate-Driven Changes of Global Marine Mercury Cycles in 2100. PNAS 120(2) e2202488120.

Song et al. 2022. Modeling Mercury Isotopic Fractionation in the Atmosphere. Environmental Pollution 307,119588.

Peng et al. 2021. Plastic waste release caused by COVID-19 and its fate in the global ocean. PNAS 118(47) e2111530118.

Zhang et al. 2021. Global Health Effects of Future Atmospheric Mercury Emissions. Nature Communications 12, 3035.

Zhang et al. 2020. A global model for methylmercury formation and uptake at the base of marine food webs. Global Biogeochemical Cycles 34(2), e2019GB006348.

Wagner et al. 2019. A Global 3-D Ocean Model for PCBs: Benchmark Compounds for Understanding the Impacts of Global Change on Neutral Persistent Organic Pollutants. Global Biogeochemical Cycles 33(3) 469-481.

Wang et al. 2017. Trade-driven relocation of air pollution and health impacts in China. Nature Communications 8, 738.

Zhang et al. 2017. North Atlantic Deep Water formation inhibits high Arctic contamination by continental perfluorooctane sulfonate discharges. Global Biogeochemical Cycles 31(8) 1332-1343.

Zhang et al. 2016. Observed decrease in atmospheric mercury explained by global decline in anthropogenic emissions. PNAS 113(3) 526-531.

My research interests include coral reefs, anthropogenic climate change, ocean dynamics, coastal biogeochemistry, and ocean acidification.

Selected Publications

Henley B.J., McGregor H.V., King A.D., Hoegh-Guldberg O., Arzey A.K., Karoly D.J., Lough J., DeCarlo T.M., & B.K. Linsley (2024). Highest ocean heat in four centuries places Great Barrier Reef in danger. Nature 632, 320-326.

Whitaker H.V. & T.M. DeCarlo (2024). Re(de)fining Degree-Heating Week: Coral Bleaching Variability Necessitates Regional and Temporal Optimization of Global Forecast Model Stress Metrics. Coral Reefs.https://doi.org/10.1007/s00338-024-02512-w

Mantanona H.C. & T.M. DeCarlo (2023). Coral growth persistence amidst bleaching events. Limnology and Oceanography Letters 8, 734-741. https://doi.org/10.1002/lol2.10340

Chen W-H., Ren H., Chiang J.C.H., Wang Y-L., Cai-Li R-Y, Chen Y-C., Shen C-C., Taylor F.W., DeCarlo T.M., Wu C-R., Mii H-S., & X.T. Wang (2023). Increased tropical South Pacific western boundary current transport over the past century. Nature Geoscience 16, 590-596. 10.1038/s41561-023-01212-4

DeCarlo T.M., Carvalho S., Gajdzik L., Hardenstine R.S., Tanabe L.K., Villalobos R., & M.L. Berumen (2021). Patterns, drivers, and ecological implications of upwelling in coral reef habitats of the southern Red Sea. Journal of Geophysical Research – Oceans 126, e2020JC016493.

DeCarlo T.M. (2020). Treating coral bleaching as weather: a framework to validate and optimize prediction skill. PeerJ8, e9449.

DeCarlo T.M., Gajdzik L., Ellis J., Coker D.J., Roberts M.B., Hammerman N.M., Pandolfi J.M., Monroe A.A. & M.L. Berumen (2020). Nutrient-supplying ocean currents modulate coral bleaching susceptibility. Science Advances 6, eabc5493.

DeCarlo T.M. & H.B. Harrison (2019). An enigmatic decoupling between heat stress and coral bleaching on the Great Barrier Reef. PeerJ 7, e7473.

DeCarlo T.M., Harrison H.B., Gajdzik L., Alaguarda D., Rodolfo-Metalpa R., D’Olivo J., Liu G., Patalwala D., & M.T. McCulloch (2019). Acclimatization of massive reef-building corals to consecutive heatwaves. Proceedings of the Royal Society B 286, 20190235.