My research explores how environmental change and human activity shape one another, with a particular focus on climate extremes, hydrology, and social vulnerability. Using geospatial approaches, I aim to better understand how these interactions unfold across space and time, and how they contribute to both ecological transformation and human inequality.
Two central themes guide my work:
Human–environment interactions under climate extremes – I investigate how intensive human activities, climate change, and hydrological processes interact. Current projects examine how riparian vegetation responds to drought in river basins such as the Lower Mississippi and Upper Tennessee, and how repeated climate hazards—from flooding to heat waves—reshape patterns of poverty segregation across U.S. metropolitan areas.
Spatial analysis and quantitative methods – I apply and develop methods that integrate Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Remote Sensing (RS), and statistical modeling. These approaches include NDVI-based metrics of ecological resilience and resistance, multi-scalar analyses of the U.S. Climate Vulnerability Index (CVI), and the creation of a recalibrated Social Vulnerability Index (SVI) to capture regional risks.
By bridging ecological processes with social outcomes, my work highlights how compound climate extremes—such as the co-occurrence of drought and heat or the succession of repeated floods—intensify both environmental stress and social inequity. Collectively, these projects advance theoretical understanding of resilience and vulnerability, while also providing applied insights for climate adaptation and policy.
Over the past decade, my research has appeared in leading journals, including International Journal of Geographical Information Science, Land Use Policy, and Ecological Indicators.
If you are interested in learning more or exploring collaborations, please feel free to reach me at wangh4@appstate.edu. Any comments and suggestions are welcomed.