About

Yongsong Huang is a Professor in the Department of Earth, Environmental & Planetary Sciences at Brown University. He received his B.S. in Geochemistry from the University of Science and Technology of China in 1984, his M.S. in Analytical Chemistry from Sichuan University in 1987, a Ph.D. in Geochemistry from the Institute of Geochemistry/Chinese Academy of Sciences in 1990, and a Ph.D. in Environmental Organic Geochemistry from the University of Bristol, UK in 1997. Prior to his tenure at Brown, he worked as a Postdoctoral researcher at Penn State and served as a Guest Investigator at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute. His research interests include Earth History, Environmental Science, Geochemistry, Oceans, Ice and Atmospheres, and Planetary Geoscience. His recent work involves Organic Geochemistry, Stable Isotopes, Earth History, and Astrobiology, contributing to understanding the origins of life and planetary processes.

Research topics

• Ecology
• Climatology
• Oceanography
• Geology
• Biology

Selected publications

• Data report: Site U1448 leaf wax hydrogen isotopes, IODP Expedition 353, Andaman Sea

  Proceedings of the International Ocean Discovery Program. Expedition reports · 2025-10-01

  book-chapterOpen accessSenior author

  This data report presents the leaf wax hydrogen isotopic record from International Ocean Discovery Program Site U1448 in the Andaman Sea.The record includes 270 analyses spanning from the core top to 39.24 m core composite depth below the seafloor.This depth interval spans the past 638 ky with an average temporal resolution of ~2.37 ky (14 cm sample interval).Site U1448 has a published benthic isotope chronostratigraphy as well as previously published paired leaf wax carbon isotope data, enabling a better understanding of hydroclimate in the Andaman region.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Activated carbon fibers derived from waste textiles for the removal of lead ions from water

  Textile Research Journal · 2025-02-08

  article

  Activated carbon fibers (ACFs) demonstrate exceptional performance across a range of applications, including environmental remediation and energy storage. However, significant challenges, such as high production costs and low yield, hinder their widespread adoption. In light of the substantial global generation and inefficient recycling of textile waste, this study aimed to enhance resource valorization and promote environmental sustainability through the conversion of waste textiles into activated carbon fibers (W-ACFs). The research successfully synthesized W-ACFs, which exhibit physical and chemical properties comparable to those of commercial activated carbon fibers (C-ACFs). When applied to the adsorption removal of lead ions in water, W-ACFs showed similar lead ion adsorption efficiency to C-ACFs at low concentrations. Although the adsorption capacity of W-ACFs reached approximately 70% (adsorption capacity of nearly 62 mg g −1 ) of that of C-ACFs at high initial concentrations, it nonetheless exhibited significant application potential. The production efficiency and adsorption performance of W-ACFs were further enhanced by optimizing key preparation parameters, including pre-oxidation temperature, carbonization activation temperature, and the dosage of chemical activating agents. This research not only provides an effective adsorbent material for water treatment but also introduces a novel approach to waste recycling and environmental remediation, thereby achieving the dual objectives of economic efficiency and environmental protection.

  PublisherDOI

• Arctic‐Boreal Bryophyte Dynamics Since the Last Glacial Inferred From Ancient DNA Metabarcoding

  Journal of Biogeography · 2025-07-18 · 4 citations

  articleOpen access

  ABSTRACT Aim This study investigates the main changes in bryophyte diversity and composition during the last 30,000 years in arctic and boreal ecosystems. Turnover in biological and ecological trait compositions of recorded bryophytes is assessed to explore changes in dominant life‐strategies and habitats. Location The study area covers Siberia and Alaska (55°–90° N, 50°–150° E and 40°–90° N, 150° E‐140° W). Taxon Bryophytes. Methods We leveraged a dataset of plant DNA metabarcoding (chloroplast, trn L) of sedimentary ancient DNA from 26 lake sediment cores. Our statistical analyses only target DNA reads assigned to bryophytes. Results A total of 120 amplicon sequence variants were obtained, which could be assigned 100% to bryophyte taxa. Our results indicate that the dominant families in the palaeo‐record reflect well the dominant families observed in Siberia and Alaska, and compositional changes reflect mainly the modern latitudinal gradient. For example, Sphagnum shows a clear post‐glacial expansion pattern. Richness was high in times of high habitat diversity. Our data reveal a turnover from biological traits characteristic of an r‐strategy (colonists/short‐lived, small size, monoicous, long sporophyte season, small spores) during the glacial towards a K‐strategy (long‐lived, large size, dioicous, short sporophyte season, large spores) during the Holocene. The ecological traits indicate a shift towards taxa with a preference for high summer temperature, forested habitats, soil acidity and wetlands. Main Conclusions Our results indicated substantial changes in the diversity and taxonomic composition, and dominant biological and ecological traits of bryophyte communities along with past warming and related habitat changes at the transition from glacial period to Holocene. This may to some extent represent an analogue for ongoing ecological change in northern high latitudes. Leveraging bryophyte records in sedimentary ancient DNA reveals promising results which could be enhanced once bryophyte representation in biodiversity and genetic databases has increased and bryophyte‐specific ancient DNA methods become established.

  PublisherDOI

• Author response for "A Long‐Lasting, High‐Stability Reactor System for Compound‐Specific Carbon Isotope Analyses"

  2025-02-21

  peer-reviewSenior author
  PublisherDOI

• Dynamic connectivities of plant metacommunities at a millennial time-scale: the Beringia testbed

  bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) · 2025-08-23 · 1 citations

  preprintOpen access

  Abstract Ecological connectivity shapes ecosystem responses to climate change and is thought to underpin stability, yet its millennial-scale dynamics remain poorly resolved. We asked how spatial and temporal connectivity of plant metacommunities changed over the last 40 ka and which processes drove it. We analysed and compiled plant sedimentary DNA from 20 lake cores across Beringia (Siberia, Alaska) to investigate community dynamics and, for a high-resolution subset, applied beta- and zeta-diversity to track connectivity. Vegetation changed coherently across the glacial–Holocene transition, with trait shifts mirroring functional composition. Connectivity peaked during the late MIS3 and Last Glacial Maximum—likely aided by the Bering Land Bridge, mass effects and facilitation—collapsed during the Deglacial with rapid turnover, and rebounded in the Holocene as shrub and boreal communities expanded. Temporal zeta within sites exceeded spatial zeta, indicating strong local persistence and resilience. Tundra sites uninvaded by forest maintained continuous species pools. Overall, these patterns underscore the value of a metacommunity perspective for assessing millennial-scale connectivity changes.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Highly Efficient Compositional and Compound Specific Isotopic Analysis of Volatile Primary Amines and Ammonia in the Murchison Meteorite Using SPME On‐Fiber Derivatization: Optimization for Bennu Sample Analyses

  Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry · 2025-01-17 · 1 citations

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  RATIONALE: Extraterrestrial amines and ammonia are critical ingredients for the formation of astrobiologically important compounds such as amino acids and nucleobases. However, conventional methods for analyzing the composition and isotopic ratios of volatile amines suffer from lengthy derivatization and purification procedures, high sample mass consumption, and chromatographic interferences from derivatization reagents and non-target compounds. METHODS: amines as well as ammonia based on solid phase micro-extraction (SPME) on-fiber derivatization. 2,3,4,5,6-pentafluorobenzyl chloroformate (PFBCF) adsorbed on a solid phase SPME fiber is subsequently exposed to the headspace of the water extract of the Murchison meteorite to selectively extract, derivatize and concentrate volatile amines and ammonia. PFBCF does not directly contact the aqueous solution containing other soluble organics. RESULTS: An aliquot of volatile amines and ammonia in the headspace are selectively derivatized on the SPME fiber and subsequently thermally desorbed onto the GC injector for analysis. Only the amounts of amines required for either compositional or isotopic analysis are derivatized and consumed in the process, preserving the bulk fraction of amines and ammonia for other analyses, and the process does not affect other volatile compound classes. Carbon and hydrogen isotopic ratios of amines are obtained by isotopic mass balance. CONCLUSIONS: The exceptional selectivity and sensitivity of SPME on-fiber derivatization of volatile amines in carbonaceous chondrite extracts allow minimization of sample consumption. Carbon and hydrogen isotopic values of individual amines in the Murchison meteorite are consistent with their extraterrestrial origin, with a substantial fraction inherited from interstellar molecular clouds. SPME on-fiber derivatization is well suited for analyzing extraterrestrial materials, especially precious asteroid return samples.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Potential plant extinctions with the loss of the Pleistocene mammoth steppe

  Nature Communications · 2025-01-14 · 12 citations

  articleOpen access

  During the Pleistocene-Holocene transition, the dominant mammoth steppe ecosystem across northern Eurasia vanished, in parallel with megafauna extinctions. However, plant extinction patterns are rarely detected due to lack of identifiable fossil records. Here, we introduce a method for detection of plant taxa loss at regional (extirpation) to potentially global scale (extinction) and their causes, as determined from ancient plant DNA metabarcoding in sediment cores (sedaDNA) from lakes in Siberia and Alaska over the past 28,000 years. Overall, potential plant extinctions track changes in temperature, in vegetation, and in megafauna extinctions at the Pleistocene-Holocene transition. Estimated potential plant extinction rates were 1.7-5.9 extinctions per million species years (E/MSY), above background extinction rates but below modern estimates. Major potential plant extinction events were detected around 17,000 and 9000 years ago which lag maximum vegetation turnover. Our results indicate that herbaceous taxa and taxa contributing less to beta diversity are more vulnerable to extinction. While the robustness of the estimates will increase as DNA reference libraries and ancient sedaDNA data expand, the available data support that plants are more resilient to environmental changes than mammals.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• A Long‐Lasting, High‐Stability Reactor System for Compound‐Specific Carbon Isotope Analyses

  Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry · 2025-03-15

  articleOpen accessSenior authorCorresponding

  RATIONALE: Compound-specific carbon isotope analysis is an essential technique in environmental, geobiological, ecological, and forensic research. It involves the online conversion of organic compounds separated by gas chromatography (GC) into carbon dioxide before entering a gas source mass spectrometer for carbon isotopic analysis. However, current oxidation interfaces require frequent maintenance or reactor replacement, reducing efficiency and data quality and increasing costs. This study presents a modified oxidation interface to address these issues. METHODS: Our oxidation reactor system uses nickel and platinum wires as an oxidant with a constant oxygen flow controlled by an electronic pressure controller (EPC). This system eliminates the need for full-scale re-oxidation after initial activation and differs from systems using constant pressure control gauges that result in variable oxygen flow and carrier gas composition. We performed systematic comparisons of carbon isotope measurements for fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs) and n-alkanes between our modified system and a commercial reactor system, and betweem systems that use constant pressure and constant flow oxygen supplies. RESULTS: C values to below 0.3‰. Importantly, our system has undergone over 5000 injections extending over 9 months during our longest analytical cycle, with no maintenance or user intervention needed. CONCLUSION: Our novel reactor system with a constant flow supply of auxiliary oxygen gas to the reactor greatly outperforms the conventional reactor system in efficiency, precision, and accuracy. It is virtually maintenance-free and may be dubbed the "forever" reactor, resulting in greatly enhanced analytical efficiency and reduced cost. Our methodology can be implemented on commercial systems with straightforward modifications by users.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Precession and ice sheet control of hydroclimate in Arctic East Beringia over the past 240,000 years

  Research Square · 2025-07-22 · 1 citations

  preprintOpen access
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Abundant ammonia and nitrogen-rich soluble organic matter in samples from asteroid (101955) Bennu

  Nature Astronomy · 2025-01-29 · 112 citations

  articleOpen access

  Abstract Organic matter in meteorites reveals clues about early Solar System chemistry and the origin of molecules important to life, but terrestrial exposure complicates interpretation. Samples returned from the B-type asteroid Bennu by the Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, and Security–Regolith Explorer mission enabled us to study pristine carbonaceous astromaterial without uncontrolled exposure to Earth’s biosphere. Here we show that Bennu samples are volatile rich, with more carbon, nitrogen and ammonia than samples from asteroid Ryugu and most meteorites. Nitrogen-15 isotopic enrichments indicate that ammonia and other N-containing soluble molecules formed in a cold molecular cloud or the outer protoplanetary disk. We detected amino acids (including 14 of the 20 used in terrestrial biology), amines, formaldehyde, carboxylic acids, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and N-heterocycles (including all five nucleobases found in DNA and RNA), along with ~10,000 N-bearing chemical species. All chiral non-protein amino acids were racemic or nearly so, implying that terrestrial life’s left-handed chirality may not be due to bias in prebiotic molecules delivered by impacts. The relative abundances of amino acids and other soluble organics suggest formation and alteration by low-temperature reactions, possibly in NH 3 -rich fluids. Bennu’s parent asteroid developed in or accreted ices from a reservoir in the outer Solar System where ammonia ice was stable.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Recent grants

• Collaborative Research: Reconciling conflicting Arctic temperature and fire reconstructions using multi-proxy records from lake sediments north of the Brooks Range, Alaska

  NSF · $556k · 2015–2018

• Collaborative Research: Multiproxy Archives of Late Holocene Climate Variability from Ombrotrophic Peatlands in Eastern North America

  NSF · $71k · 2004–2007

• EAGER: Collaborative Research: A Critical Examination on the Climatic and Environmental Factors Controlling the H isotopic Fractionation Between Plant Leaf Waxes and Precipitation

  NSF · $32k · 2010–2012

• Beyond the unsaturation ratios (UK37' or UK37) of long chain alkenones: unlocking the hidden treasure trove of alkenone-producing haptophytes

  NSF · $401k · 2018–2023

• Collaborative Research: P2C2: Water Isotopes in Peat Mosses as Proxies for Understanding Climate and Atmospheric Circulation Changes in Southern Patagonia

  NSF · $116k · 2015–2017

Frequent coauthors

• Yuan Yao

  Zhejiang University of Technology

  164 shared

• James M. Russell

  Brown University

  106 shared

• Jiaju Zhao

  101 shared

• Linda Amaral‐Zettler

  University of Amsterdam

  97 shared

• Richard S. Vachula

  Auburn University

  84 shared

• W. M. Longo

  Macalester College

  69 shared

• Steven C. Clemens

  Brown University

  58 shared

• Juzhi Hou

  Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research

  58 shared

Labs

• Yongsong Huang LabPI

Education

• Ph.D., Organic Chemistry

  University of Bristol

  1997