Editors’ Vox is a blog from AGU’s Publications Department.
We are delighted to share that Qingyun Duan has just taken over as the Editor-in-Chief of Reviews of Geophysics. We asked him some questions about his own research interests and his vision for the journal.
What are your own areas of scientific interest?
I am a hydrologist with a keen interest in improving our ability to understand, model, and predict the hydrological cycle.
I am a hydrologist with a keen interest in improving our ability to understand, model, and predict the hydrological cycle. The crux of what I do is to develop theories and methods to reduce and quantify the uncertainties associated with modeling of hydrological processes and prediction of extreme hydrological events, such as floods and droughts. Uncertainties are omnipresent throughout the modeling-forecasting chain, from meteorological forcings required to drive the hydrological models (e.g., time series of precipitation and temperature observations and forecasts), to hydrological state variables (e.g., canopy and soil moisture states, snow cover and depth, river stages and lake levels, etc.), and to model structure and model parameters. The kind of approaches used to reduce and quantify uncertainties in hydrological modeling and forecasting require various mathematical and statistical tools.
When I was a graduate student at the University of Arizona in the 1980s and early 1990s, I developed a global optimization method known as the Shuffled Complex Evolution (SCE-UA), which still remains one of the most widely used methods for calibrating hydrological models today. As our understanding of the physical processes increases, however, hydrological models are becoming more and more complex. Models of today are usually physically-based distributed models with model parameters that vary in space or even in time and often simulate multiple physical processes such as water cycle, energy cycle and biogeochemical cycles. Many of the methods developed 20 or 30 years ago are often inadequate to handle the new generations of models.
When I returned to China in 2009 after spending 25 years in the United States, I shifted my focus to work on uncertainty quantification of large complex geophysical models, which are computationally expensive to run and usually have a large number of model parameters. To deal with these kinds of challenging problems, we have to take full advantage of new mathematical and technological advances including new methods in statistics, data science, and machine learning, and new and emerging technologies in observations and in computations.
I have been very fortunate to work with many motivated students, post-docs and young faculty members on my team to solve pressing real-world problems such as the predictions of disastrous floods and droughts, which are getting worse in recent years under the influences of climate changes and intensive human activities.
What does it mean to you to serve as Editor-in-Chief of Reviews of Geophysics, and what makes Reviews of Geophysics special?
Prior to assuming the role of Editor-in-Chief, I served as an editor with Reviews of Geophysics since 2018. I have been impressed by the impact of this journal in the Earth and space sciences, especially on early career scientists and graduate students. Because of the unique features of Reviews of Geophysics articles (i.e., invitation-only, open access, and no page limit), they are the most up-to-date must-read comprehensive references for scientists who would like to know the state-of-the-art advances of their respective fields.
As the Editor-in-Chief, I have the privilege to keep this ship sailing in the right direction and remain at the forefront of geophysical research.
As the Editor-in-Chief, I have the privilege to keep this ship sailing in the right direction and remain at the forefront of geophysical research. It is a great responsibility and an honor for me. I find it gratifying to be able to work with a group of esteemed scientists on our editorial board, the AGU staff, and a large army of dedicated, unselfish volunteer reviewers, from whom I have never stopped learning and who help me expand my own horizon.
What are some of the challenges of leading this journal, and how do you plan to take the journal forward in the coming years?
Maintaining high editorial standards and continuing to attract high-quality articles will be my highest priority throughout my term.
Reviews of Geophysics is a prestigious journal with a high impact factor (IF=25.2 in 2022) and attracts a lot of interest from potential authors who would like to contribute to this journal. Maintaining high editorial standards and continuing to attract high-quality articles will be my highest priority throughout my term.
Another key for me is to keep up with the latest trends and stay current with advancements in Earth and space sciences. To this end, promoting diversity and inclusivity in authorship, reviewer selection, and editorial board representation will be extremely important. I will actively work with our editorial board and AGU staff to ensure equitable opportunities for researchers from diverse backgrounds and perspectives to be authors, reviewers, and editors. I will make sure that the entire Reviews of Geophysics team will steadfastly adhere to and promote AGU values.
Other challenges I foresee as the Editor-in-Chief for Reviews of Geophysics are to ensure a balanced coverage of all disciplines within the entire AGU and manage a vigorous and impartial peer review process. There are close to thirty disciplinary areas within AGU. I will try to make sure that Reviews of Geophysics will cover as much of those different disciplines as possible while maintaining the high standard expected of Reviews of Geophysics. Ensuring timely reviews while maintaining the integrity and impartiality of the review process will also receive my full attention, particularly when dealing with complex or controversial topics. I will make sure Reviews of Geophysics will continue to adhere the strict ethical standards. Issues like plagiarism and conflicts of interest would be dealt with head on and with swiftness.
Finally, I would like to call on my Earth and space science colleagues in AGU and those who are not yet affiliated with AGU to consider submitting papers to Reviews of Geophysics, because your papers will help push our Earth and space sciences to new heights and serve our planet.
—Qingyun Duan (qyduan@hhu.edu.cn; 
0000-0001-9955-1512), Hohai University, China
Learn more about the outgoing Editor-in-Chief, Fabio Florindo.