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Prof. Mengqian Lu

PhD, Columbia University in the City of New York, 2011-2014

MPhil, Columbia University in the City of New York, 2009-2011

BEng, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, 2005-2009 (First class honor & Academic Achievement Medal GPA>3.9/4)

mengqian.lu@ust.hk

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ORCID

Bio

Mengqian graduated with first-class honours and the Academic Achievement Medal from the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at HKUST in 2009. She then furthered her education at Columbia University in the City of New York, where she earned her PhD from the Department of Earth and Environmental Engineering in 2014. Her research, centered on hydrometeorology, water resources, and climate risk, has recently been directed towards understanding and predicting hydrometeorological extremes—such as heavy rainfall, floods, and tropical cyclones—due to their societal impact and the potential for scientific insights to drive innovative engineering solutions. She has delineated her research into five key areas: Atmospheric Rivers, Moisture Recycling Networks, the East Asian Monsoon, Extreme Weather Events, and Water Resources Management. Mengqian's research contributions have been featured in prestigious publications, including npj Climate and Atmospheric Science, Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, Earth's Future, Water Resources Research and more. Beyond academia, Mengqian is a serial entrepreneur whose innovations have garnered significant recognition, most recently receiving the Gold Award at the Asia International Innovation and Invention Exhibition in Hong Kong in 2023.

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Research Areas

Recent Projects (as the PI/PC)

  1. Collaborative Research Fund, The Hong Kong Research Grants Council, “Robust Infrastructure Planning for Sustainable Water Development in the Greater Bay Area under Demand Uncertainty and Climate Variability,” 2022/01 – 2024/12, HK$ 6,909,310.
  2. General Research Fund, The Hong Kong Research Grants Council, “Identification and Cataloguing of East Asia Atmospheric Rivers to Diagnose and Predict Summertime Heavy Rainfall in Southeast China,” 2021/01 – 2023/12, HK$ 714,675.
  3. General Research Fund, The Hong Kong Research Grants Council, “The Causal Dynamics of Atmospheric Moisture Transport – Convergence – Release for Flood-triggering Precipitation Sequences on the Southeast China coast,” 2019/01 – 2021/12, HK$ 632,421.
  4. General Research Fund/Early Career Scheme, The Hong Kong Research Grants Council, “Identification and diagnosis of spatiotemporal hydrometeorological structure of heavy precipitation induced floods in Southeast Asia,” 2018/01 – 2020/12, HK$617,070.
  5. Young Scientists Fund, National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC), “The Atmospheric River moisture transport mechanism for the spatiotemporal variations of the extreme precipitation in Southeast China coast,” 2018/01 – 2020/12, RMB$280,000.
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Selected Publications (for full list please check Google Scholar)

(*: Corresponding Author; #: Co-first Author)

  1. Lujia Zhang, Yang Zhao, Tat Fan Cheng, and Mengqian Lu* (2024), “Future Changes in Global Atmospheric Rivers by CMIP6”, Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, https://doi.org/10.1029/2023JD039359.
  2. Tat Fan Cheng, Mengqian Lu*, Lun Dai, and Bin Wang (2023), “A Fresh View of the Asian-Australian Monsoon Complexity: The Intertropical Convective Cell (ITCC) Framework”, Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, 129, e2023JD039498, https://doi.org/10.1029/2023JD039498.
  3. Lujia Zhang, Yurong Song, Tat Fan Cheng, and Mengqian Lu* (2023), “Advancing Understanding of Urgent Gaps and Needs in Atmospheric Science: Key Insights from the Climate Weather and Water Forum”, Bulletin of American Meteorological Society (BAMS), https://doi.org/10.1175/BAMS-D-23-0245.1.
  4. Lun Dai, Tat Fan Cheng, Bin Wang, and Mengqian Lu* (2023), “Subseasonal Features of Indian Monsoon”, Journal of Climate, 36, 7199–7211, https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI-D-23-0099.1.
  5. Lujia Zhang, Tat Fan Cheng, Mengqian Lu*, Rui Xiong, and Jianping Gan (2023), “Tropical Cyclone Stalling Shifts Northward and Brings Increasing Flood Risks to East Asian Coast”, Geophysical Research Letters, https://doi.org/10.1029/2022GL102509.
  6. Beijing Fang and Mengqian Lu* (2023), “Asia Faces a Growing Threat From Intraseasonal Compound Weather Whiplash", Earth's Future, 11, https://doi.org/10.1029/2022EF003111 Nature’s Research Highlights.
  7. Tat Fan Cheng and Mengqian Lu* (2023), “Global Lagrangian Tracking of Continental Precipitation Recycling Footprints and Cascades”, Journal of Climate, 36(6), 1923-1941, https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI-D-22-0185.1.
  8. Bin Wang, Ming-Ying Lee, Zhiling Xie, Mengqian Lu*, and Mengxin Pan (2022), “A new Asian/North American teleconnection linking clustered extreme precipitation from Indian to Canada”, npj climate and atmospheric science, 5, 90, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41612-022-00318-7.
  9. Lun Dai, Tat Fan Cheng and Mengqian Lu* (2022), “Anthropogenic warming disrupts intraseasonal monsoon stages and brings 'dry-get-wetter' climate in future East Asia”, npj climate and atmospheric science, 5, 11, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41612-022-00235-9, Featured by npj climate and atmospheric science.
  10. Mengxin Pan and Mengqian Lu* (2022). Long-lead predictability of western north Pacific subtropical high. Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, 127, e2021JD035967. https://doi.org/10.1029/2021JD035967.
  11. Tat Fan Cheng, Mengqian Lu* and Lun Dai (2021), “Moisture channels and pre-existing weather systems for East Asian rain belts”, npj Climate and Atmospheric Science, 4, 32, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41612-021-00187-6.
  12. Lun Dai, Tat Fan Cheng and Mengqian Lu* (2020), “Define East Asian Monsoon Annual Cycle via a Self‐Organizing Map‐Based Approach”. GeophysicalResearch Letters, 48, 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1029/2020gl089542
  13. Tat Fan Cheng and Mengqian Lu* (2020), “Moisture Source-Receptor Network for East Asian Summer Monsoon Land Regions”, Journal of Climate, https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI-D-19-0868.1 Zhu KeZhen Prize from Hong Kong Meteorological Society in 2021
  14. Mengxin Pan and Mengqian Lu* (2020), “East Asia Atmospheric River Catalog: Annual Cycle, Transition Mechanism and Precipitation”, Geophysical Research Letters, 47, e2020GL089477. https://doi.org/10.1029/2020GL089477
  15. Beijing Fang and Mengqian Lu* (2020), “Heatwave and Blocking in the Northeastern Asia: Occurrence, Variability and Association”, Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, 125, e2019JD031627. https://doi.org/10.1029/2019JD031627
  16. Lun Dai#, Tat Fan Cheng# and Mengqian Lu* (2020), “Summer Rainfall Predictability in Southeast China”, Water Resources Research, 56, e2019WR025515. https://doi.org/10.1029/2019WR025515
  17. Yingzhao Ma*, Mengqian Lu, Cameron Bracken, and Haonan Chen (2020), Spatially coherent clusters of summer precipitation extremes in the Tibetan Plateau: Where is the moisture from?, Atmospheric Research, 237, 104841, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosres.2020.104841
  18. Bingjun Liu, Xuezhi Tan*, Thian Yew Gan, Xiaohong Chen, Kairong Lin, Mengqian Lu and Zhiyong Liu (2020), “Global atmospheric moisture transport associated with precipitation extremes: Mechanisms and climate change impacts”, WIREs Water, e1412. https://doi.org/10.1002/wat2.1412
  19. Mengqian Lu#,* and Rui Xiong# (2019), “Spatiotemporal Profiling of Tropical Cyclones Genesis and Favorable Conditions in the Western Pacific Basin”, Geophysical Research Letters, https://doi.org/10.1029/2019GL084995
  20. Mengxin Pan and Mengqian Lu* (2019). “A Novel Atmospheric River Identification Algorithm”, Water Resources Research, 2019, 55: 6069-6087, https://doi.org/10.1029/2018WR024407 Top Downloaded Paper in 2018 - 2019 in Water Resources Research
  21. Nasser Najibi*, Naresh Devineni, Mengqian Lu and Rui A.P. Perdigão (2019) "Coupled flow accumulation and atmospheric blocking govern flood durations". npj Climate and Atmospheric Science, 2(1), 19, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41612-019-0076-6
  22. Rajarshi Das Bhowmik*, Bihu Suchetana, and Mengqian Lu (2019), Shower effect of a rainfall onset on the heat accumulated during a preceding dry spell, Scientific Reports, 9(1), 7011, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-43437-7
  23. Tat Fan Cheng, Mengqian Lu*, Lun Dai (2019), The Zonal Oscillation and the Driving Mechanisms of the Extreme western North Pacific Subtropical High and its impacts on East Asia Summer Precipitation, Journal of Climate, 32(10), 3025–3050, https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI-D-19-0076.1 Nominated by Hong Kong SAR and Hong Kong Observatory for the World Meteorological Organization Research Awards for Young Scientists 2020
  24. Yingzhao Ma*, Mengqian Lu, Haonan Chen, Mengxin Pan, and Yang Hong (2018), Atmospheric moisture transport versus precipitation across the Tibetan Plateau: A mini-review and current challenges, Atmospheric Research, 209, 50-58, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosres.2018.03.015
  25. Moon-Hwan Lee, Mengqian Lu, Eun-Soon IM* and Deg-Hyo Bae* (2018), Added value of dynamical downscaling for hydrological projections in the Chungju Basin, Korea. International Journal of Climatology, 39(1), 516–531, https://doi.org/10.1002/joc.5825 Top Downloaded Paper in 2018 - 2019 in International Journal of Climatology
  26. Liang Gao, Limin Zhang* and Mengqian Lu (2017), Characterizing the spatial variations and correlations of large rainstorms for landslide study, Hydrology and Earth System Sciences, 21(9), https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-21-4573-2017
  27. Mengqian Lu* and Xiaotian Hao (2017), Diagnosis of the Tropical Moisture Exports to the Mid-Latitudes and the Role of Atmospheric Steering in the Extreme Precipitation, Atmosphere (Basel)., 8(12), 256, https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos8120256
  28. Nasser Najibi, Naresh Devineni* and Mengqian Lu (2017), Hydroclimate drivers and atmospheric teleconnections of long duration floods: An application to large reservoirs in the Missouri River Basin, Advances in Water Resources, 100, 153-167, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.advwatres.2016.12.004
  29. Mengqian Lu* and Upmanu Lall (2017), Tropical Moisture Exports, Extreme Precipitation and Floods in Northeastern US, Earth Science Research, 6(2), https://doi.org/10.5539/esr.v6n2p91
  30. Mengqian Lu*, Upmanu Lall, Andrew W. Robertson and Edward Cook (2017), Optimizing Multiple Reliable Forward Contracts for Reservoir Allocation using Multi-time Scale Streamflow Forecasts, Water Resources Research, 53(3), https://doi.org/10.1002/2016WR019552
  31. Mengqian Lu*, Upmanu Lall, Jaya Kawale, Stefan Liess, and Vipin Kumar (2016), Exploring the Predictability of 30-Day Extreme Precipitation Occurrence Using a Global SST-SLP Correlation Network, Journal of Climate, 29(3), 1013-1029, https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI-D-14-00452.1 Nominated by Hong Kong SAR and Hong Kong Observatory for the World Meteorological Organization Research Awards for Young Scientists 2019
  32. Mengqian Lu*, Michael Tippett, and Upmanu Lall (2015), Changes in the seasonality of tornado and favorable genesis conditions in the central United States, Geophysical Research Letters, 42, 4224–4231, https://doi.org/10.1002/2015GL063968
  33. Mengqian Lu*, Upmanu Lall, Aurélien Schwartz and Hyun-Han Kwon (2013), Precipitation predictability associated with tropical moisture exports and circulation patterns for a major flood in France in 1995, Water Resources Research, 49(10), 6381-6392, https://doi.org/10.1002/wrcr.20512 (Featured Contribution in Water Resources Research of the Year 2013)