Dongfeng Li

GM Geomorphology

The 2026 Division Outstanding Early Career Scientist Award is awarded to Dongfeng Li for outstanding and extensive contributions to our understanding of high mountain and cold region erosional processes, and sediment dynamics.

Dongfeng Li developed impressive geomorphological approaches to improve our understanding of the processes that shape high mountain Asia. His research aims at understanding interactions between climate, erosion processes, and anthropic activities. A key aspect of his research is to use river sediment flux archives to highlight how erosion evolves under a warming climate, especially in mountain environments exposed to increasing glacier melt and permafrost thaw. He introduced the 'Active contributing drainage area' concept and developed the 'Sediment-Availability-Transport' model to simulate sediment transport in cold regions. Combined with satellite observations and modelling, he demonstrated that sediment fluxes of rivers draining the Tibetan plateau more or less doubled from the last 20 years of the 20th century, to the present time. He further analyzed the implications for various aspects such as carbon fluxes, risk, and stability of human infrastructure.

Dongfeng Li is also strongly involved in community activities, including extensive editorial service, and founding of the Chinese Geomorphology Club for Early Career Scientists. With about 40 publications and outstanding research achievements built with a large international network, Dongfeng Li is clearly amongst the most promising young geomorphologists internationally, and certainly deserves the 2026 EGU Outstanding Early Career Scientist Award for the Geomorphology Division.