Dr. Sai QU

Academic Qualifications

Ph.D. in Human Geography, Wuhan University, China

Visiting Ph.D. in Human Geography, Seoul National University, South Korea

BA in Tourism Management, Guizhou University, China

Research areas

Ecological Sustainability; Anthropogenic Disturbance; Climate Change; Remote Sensing

Research interests

Sai's research focuses on ecological change in vulnerable areas, particularly the dynamic adaptation and response of vegetation under anthropogenic and climate change perturbations. In addition, Sai is also engaged in interdisciplinary research that intersects social, economic, and ecological aspects, aiming to assess the ecological risks of cities and their efforts to mitigate climate change and achieve environmental and socio-economic synergistic benefits.

Biography

Sai is a Research Fellow at the Centre for Nature-based Climate Solutions (CNCS) at NUS. Her primary interest lies in understanding and exploring ecological changes in vulnerable areas, as these regions are more susceptible to disturbances and are at the forefront of implementing ecological protection policies.

Before joining CNCS, Sai's doctoral research focused on the vegetation dynamics in the Yangtze River Basin of China, a region sensitive to human activities and climate change. Additionally, she investigated the ecological roles of urban and rural areas in China against the backdrop of rapid urbanization. During her two-year exchange program as a visiting Ph.D. student at Seoul National University in South Korea, Sai focused on the differences in land use changes and vegetation dynamics between North and South Korea. She explored ecological changes and their driving mechanisms using remote sensing land use mapping, vegetation index reconstruction, and machine learning modeling.

In the future, Sai aims to focus on a broader range of ecological vulnerable areas, such as blue carbon ecosystems and tropical rainforests. She seeks to understand the ecological pressures in these regions and develop sustainable strategies that harmonize ecological conservation with social progress.

Selected publications:

• Sai Qu, Youngryel Ryu*, Jiangong Liu and Jonathan A Wang. Greening rate in North Korea doubles South Korea. Environmental Research Letters, 2023. DOI:10.1088/1748-9326/acdaad.
• Sai Qu, Jiangong Liu, Bolun Li, et al., Aiwen Lin*. Unveiling the driver behind China's greening trend: urban vs. rural areas. Environmental Research Letters, 2023. DOI: 10.1088/1748-9326/ace83d.
• Sai Qu, Aiwen Lin, Lunche Wang* and Chang’an Li. Distinguishing the impacts of climate change and anthropogenic factors on vegetation dynamics in the Yangtze River Basin, China, Ecological Indicators. 2020, 108, 105724. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2019.105724. (ESI Highly Cited Paper).
• Sai Qu, Aiwen Lin, Hongji Zhu and Lunche Wang*. What drives the vegetation restoration in Yangtze River basin, China: Climate change or anthropogenic factors?, Ecological Indicators, 2018, 438-450. DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolind.2018.03.029.
• Yorum Hwang, Youngryel Ryu*, Sai Qu. Expanding vegetated areas by human activities and strengthening vegetation growth concurrently explain the greening of Seoul, Landscape and Urban Planning. 2022, 227, 104518, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2022.104518.

Conference and presentations:

• Sai Qu, Aiwen Lin, Response of vegetation activity dynamic to climatic change and ecological restoration programs in Yangtze River basin from 2000 to 2015, The 1st LIESMARS International Graduate Workshop on Geo-Informatics, 2017, China. (Oral presentation)
• Sai Qu, Aiwen Lin, Quantitative assessment of the individual contribution of climatic changes and anthropogenic activities to vegetation dynamics in the Yangtze River basin, China, China National conference on physical geography, 2017, China. (Poster).