Yuanlong Li
Associate Professor
Email: yuanlong@nju.edu.cn
Office: C514
Career Overview
Yuanlong Li is an Associate Professor at Nanjing University. His research focuses on tropical cyclones, vortex dynamics, and atmospheric convection. He has led projects funded by the NSFC including the Excellent Young Scientists Fund and Young Scientists Fund, as well as the First-Class General Program of the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation. He has been selected for the National Postdoctoral Innovative Talent Support Program and Nanjing University’s Yuxiu Young Scholar Program. He currently serves as an Associate Editor for the Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres. He teaches the senior undergraduate course Weather Diagnostic Analysis.
Employment
2025.11–current – Nanjing University Associate Professor
2024.10–2025.10 – Nanjing University Assistant Professor
2021.07–2024.09 – Nanjing University Postdoctor
Education
2016.09–2021.07 – Tsinghua University Ph.D. Ecology (Major in atmospheric science)
2018.09–2020.09 – University of Hawaii at Manoa (Visiting Scholar)
2012.09–2016.07 – Yunnan University B.Sc. Atmospheric science
Research Interests
Tropical cyclones: intensity, size, structure, precipitation, climate variability and change;
Vortex dynamics: tornadoes, mesoscale vortices, tropical and extratropical cyclones, polar lows, and polar vortices;
Atmospheric convection: MJO and convective organization;
Extreme weather: temperature, wind and precipitation extremes;
Climate dynamics: monsoons and atmospheric general circulation.
Professional Services
2026–present, Associate Editor, Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres.
2026, Session Co-Chair, 27th AMS Conference on Hurricanes and Tropical Meteorology, Session on “Tropical Cyclone Intensity and Structure.”
2025–present, Main Convener, AOGS Annual Meeting, Session on “Improve Understanding and Prediction of Atmospheric Vortices for Extreme Events.”
2019-present, Journal Reviewer for JGR-A, GRL, JAS, MWR, JC, QJ, CD, AAS, NC, SR, et al., Reviewer/Judge for AGU Student Presentation Award, and Grant Reviewer for NSFC, et al.
Major Research Projects
2026–2028, NSFC, Excellent Young Scientists Fund, Dynamics in Tropical Cyclone Wind Field Structure Changes, RMB 2.0 million, PI.
2025–2027, Nanjing University, Research Start-up Fund, Theory of Tropical Cyclone Intensity and Size Changes, RMB 1.2 million, PI.
2025–2026, Nanjing University, Innovative Talent Program, Mechanisms of Tropical Cyclone Intensity Changes under Complex Environmental Influences, RMB 0.2 million, PI.
2023–2025, NSFC, Young Scientists Fund, Toward Understanding the Dynamics of the Change of Radius of Maximum Wind in Tropical Cyclones, RMB 0.3 million, PI.
2022–2026, NSFC, Major Research Project, Theory of Tropical Cyclone Genesis and Development, and Technique of Fine Prediction, RMB 3.2 million, Co-Investigator.
2021–2024, Nanjing University, Yuxiu Young Scholar Program, Theory of Tropical Cyclone Intensity Changes, RMB 0.36 million/year, PI.
2021–2024, China Postdoctoral Science Foundation, General Program (First Class), Dynamic Relationship between Rapid Intensification and Rapid Eyewall Contraction of Tropical Cyclones, RMB 0.12 million, PI.
2021–2024, China Postdoctoral Science Foundation, Postdoctoral Innovation Talent Support Program, Internal Dynamical and Thermodynamical Mechanisms of Tropical Cyclone Intensification, RMB 0.63 million, PI.
Selected Publications
2025
(19) Li, Y., and Z.-M. Tan, 2025: A theoretical model for predicting tropical cyclone central pressure. J. Atmos. Sci., 82, 2021–2035.
(18) Li, Y., Z.-M. Tan, and Y. Wang, 2025: Effects of tropical cyclone size on its energy cycle and steady-state intensity in idealized numerical simulations. J. Atmos. Sci., 82, 641–656.
2024
(17) Li, Y., Y. Wang, and Z.-M. Tan, 2024: On the size dependence in the recent time-dependent theory of tropical cyclone intensification. J. Atmos. Sci., 81, 1669–1688.
(16) Wang, Y.-F., and Y. Li, 2024: Influences of background rotation on secondary eyewall formation of tropical cyclones in idealized f-plane simulations. J. Geophys. Res. Atmospheres, 129, e2024JD040788.
2023
(15) Li, Y., Y. Wang, and Z.-M. Tan, 2023: Is the outflow-layer inertial stability crucial to the energy cycle and development of tropical cyclones? J. Atmos. Sci., 80, 1605–1620.
(14) Wang, Y., Z.-M. Tan, and Y. Li, 2023: Some refinements to the most recent simple time-dependent theory of tropical cyclone intensification and sensitivity. J. Atmos. Sci., 80, 321–335.
2022
(13) Li, Y., Y. Wang, and Z.-M. Tan, 2022: How frequently does rapid intensification occur after rapid contraction of the radius of maximum wind in tropical cyclone over the North Atlantic and Eastern North Pacific? Mon. Wea. Rea., 150, 1747–1760.
(12) Li, Y., Z.-M. Tan, and Y. Wang, 2022: Relative timing of the ends of hurricane intensification and contraction of the radius of maximum wind in the North Atlantic and Eastern North Pacific. Geophys. Res. Lett., 49, e2022GL101027.
(11) Li, Y., Y. Wang, and Z.-M. Tan, 2022: Why does the initial wind profile inside radius of maximum wind matter to tropical cyclone development? J. Geophys. Res. Atmospheres, 127, e2022JD037039.
2021
(10) Li, Y., Y. Wang, Y. Lin, and X. Wang, 2021: Why does rapid contraction of the radius of maximum wind precede rapid intensification in tropical cyclones? J. Atmos. Sci., 78. 3441–3453.
(9) Wang, Y., Y. Li, J. Xu, Z.-M. Tan, and Y. Lin, 2021: The intensity-dependence of tropical cyclone intensification rate in a simplified energetically based dynamical system model. J. Atmos. Sci., 78, 2033–2045.
(8) Wang, Y., Y. Li, and J. Xu, 2021: A new time-dependent theory of tropical cyclone intensification. J. Atmos. Sci., 78, 3855–3865.
2020
(7)Li, Y., Y. Wang, and Y. Lin, 2020: How much does the upward advection of the supergradient component of boundary layer wind contribute to tropical cyclone intensification and maximum intensity? J. Atmos. Sci., 77, 2649–2664.
(6) Li, Y., Y. Wang, Y. Lin, and F. Rong, 2020: Dependence of superintensity of tropical cyclone on SST in axisymmetric numerical simulations. Mon. Wea. Rea., 148, 4767–4781.
(5) Li, Y., Y. Wang, Y. Lin, F. Rong, and J. Gao, 2020: Effects of terrain and landmass near Fujian Province of China on the structure and propagation of a long-lived rainband in Typhoon Longwang (2005): A numerical study. J. Geophys. Res. Atmospheres, 125, e2020JD033393.
2019
(4) Li, Y., Y. Wang, and Y. Lin, 2019: Revisiting the dynamics of eyewall contraction of tropical cyclones. J. Atmos. Sci., 76, 3229–3245.
(3) Li, Y., J.-I. Yano, and Y. Lin, 2019: Is atmospheric convection organized?: Information entropy analysis. Geophys. Astrophys. Fluid Dyn., 113, 553–573.
(2) Li, Y., Y. Lin, and Y. Wang, 2019: A numerical study on the formation and maintenance of a long‐lived rainband in Typhoon Longwang (2005). J. Geophys. Res. Atmospheres, 124, 10401–10426.
2018
(1) Lin, Y., Y. Li, Q. Li, M. Chen, F. Xu, Y. Wang, and B. Huang, 2018: A long lasting vortex Rossby wave induced rainband of Typhoon Longwang (2005). Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc., 99, 1127–1134.