Peer-reviewed Publications
Bold: Wang Lab Member
Submitted
41. Kong, T., et al., Coupled oceanic nitrogen losses and inputs over the past six million years.
40. Kong, T., et al., Ocean iron fertilization by sea-level enhanced mid-ocean ridge volcanism.
Published
39. Lueders-Dumont, J., A. O’Dea, E. Dillon, B. de Gracia, C. Lin, S. Oleynik, S. Finnegan, D. M. Sigman, X. T. Wang, Fossil isotope evidence for trophic simplification on modern Caribbean reefs. Nature, in press.
38. Kong, T., T. Lee, K. Landry, R. Zhai, S. Dong, X. T. Wang, Evaluating foraminifera-bound δ15N as an ocean deoxygenation proxy: The influence of oxygen-deficient zone depths. Frontiers in Marine Science (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-60055-2
37. Lu, M., S. Wang, A. Malhotra, S. J. Tumber-Dávila, S. Weintraub-Leff, M. L. McCormack, X. T. Wang, R. B. Jackson, A continental scale analysis reveals widespread root bimodality. Nature Communications (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-60055-2
36. Luu, V., Y. Ryu, W. Darling, S. Oleynik, S. De Putron, A. L. Cohen, X. T. Wang, D. M. Sigman, Nitrogen isotope ratios across the Bermuda coral reef: Implications for coral nitrogen sources and the coral-bound nitrogen isotope proxy. Frontiers in Marine Science (2025). https://doi: 10.3389/fmars.2025.1554418
35. Hoogakker, B. et al. (including X. T. Wang), Reviews and syntheses: Review of proxies for low-oxygen paleoceanographic reconstructions. Biogeosciences (2025). https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-863-2025
34. Chen, J., G. K. Li, M. Lin, J. A. Nghiem, Z. Yu, T. Kong, H. Donnelly, N. P. Snyder, H. Tian, M. P. Lamb, X. T. Wang, Isotopic evidence for preferential transport of fertilizer nitrogen into the northern Gulf of Mexico during high water discharge. Communications Earth & Environment (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-024-01873-y
In the news:
BC NEWS: Tracing nitrogen pollution in the Gulf
Earth.com: Nitrogen pollution in the Gulf of Mexico linked to heavy rainfall
Phys.org: Heavy rains deliver largest amounts of fertilizer-derived nitrogen pollution to the Gulf of Mexico
33. Yao, W., T. Kong, X. T. Wang, R. Zhai, R. Zhang, Y. Liu, Expanded subsurface ocean anoxia in the Atlantic during the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum. Nature Communications (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-53423-x
32. Donnelly, H., M. Ingersoll, M. Lin, H. E. Rivera, C. A. Tramonte, S. W. Davies, X. T. Wang, Groundtruthing nitrogen isotopes as a symbiosis proxy using the facultatively symbiotic coral Oculina arbuscula. Frontiers in Marine Science (2024). https://doi: 10.3389/fmars.2024.1433382
31. Chen, W-H., H. Ren, J. C.H. Chiang, Y-L. Wang, R-Y. Cai-Li, Y-C. Chen, C-C. Shen, F. W. Taylor, T. M. DeCarlo, C-R. Wu, H-S. Mii, X. T. Wang, Increased tropical South Pacific western boundary current transport over the past century. Nature Geoscience (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-023-01212-4
30. Wang, X. T., Y. Wang, A. Auderset, D. M. Sigman, H. Ren, A. Martinez-Garcia, G. H. Haug, Z. Su, Y. G. Zhang, B. Rasmussen, A. L. Sessions, W. W. Fischer, Oceanic nutrient rise and the late Miocene inception of Pacific oxygen deficient zones. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2022). https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2204986119
In the news:
BC News: The origins of ocean ‘dead zones’
Phys.org: Natural nutrient enrichment 8 million years ago caused today’s largest ocean ‘dead zone’
29. Auderset, A., S. Moretti, B. Taphorn, P. Eber, E. Kast, X. T. Wang, R. Schiebel, D. M. Sigman, G. H. Haug, A. Martinez-Garcia, Enhanced ocean oxygenation during Cenozoic warm periods. Nature (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-022-05017-0
28. Aronson, H., D. Monteverde, B. D. Barnes, B. R. Johnson, M. J. Zawaski, D. R. Speth, X. T. Wang, J. Johnson, S. Webb, J. S. Magyar, A. L. Sessions, V. J. Orphan, W. W. Fischer, Sulfur cycling at natural hydrocarbon and sulfur seeps in Santa Paula Creek, CA. Geobiology (2022). https://doi.org/10.1111/gbi.12512
27. Kast, E. R., M. L. Griffiths, S. L. Kim, Z. C. Rao, K. Shimada, M. A. Becker, H. A. Maisch, R. A. Eagle, C. A. Clarke, A. N. Neumann, M. E. Karnes, T. Ludecke, J. N. Leichliter, A. Martinez-Garcia, A. A. Akhtar, X. T. Wang, G. H. Haug, D. M. Sigman, Cenozoic megatooth sharks occupied extremely high trophic positions. Science Advances (2022). https://doi: 10.1126/sciadv.abl6529
26. Dong, S., X. T. Wang, A. V. Subhas, F. J. Pavia, J. F. Adkins, W. W. Berelson, Depth profiles of suspended carbon and nitrogen along a North Pacific transect: Concentrations, isotopes, and ratios. Limnology and Oceanography (2021). https://doi.org/10.1002/lno.11989
25. Hilkert, A., J. K. Böhlke, S. J. Mroczkowski, K. L. Fort, K. Aizikov, X. T. Wang, S. H. Kopf, C. Neubauer, Exploring the potential of Electrospray-Orbitrap for stable isotope analysis using nitrate as a model. Analytical Chemistry (2021). doi.org/10.1021/acs.analchem.1c00944
24. Li, G. K., W. W. Fischer, M. P. Lamb, A. J. West, T. Zhang, V. Galy, X. T. Wang, S. Li, H. Qiu, G. Li., L. Zhao, J. Chen, J. Ji, Coal fly ash is a major carbon flux in the Chang Jiang (Yangtze River) basin. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2021). doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1921544118
23. Phillips, A. A., D. R. Speth, L. G. Miller, X. T. Wang, F. Wu, P. M. Medeiros, D. R. Monteverde, M. R. Osburn, W. M. Berelson, H. L. Betts, R. S. Wijker, S. W. Mullin, H. A. Johnson, V. J. Orphan, W. F. Fischer, A. L. Sessions, Microbial succession and dynamics in meromictic Mono Lake, California. Geobiology (2021). doi.org/10.1111/gbi.12437
22. Sigman, D. M., F. Fripiat, A. S. Studer, P. C. Kemeny, A. Martínez-García, M. P. Hain, X. Ai, X. T. Wang, H. Ren, G. H. Haug, The Southern Ocean during the ice ages: A review of the Antarctic surface isolation hypothesis, with comparison to the North Pacific. Quaternary Science Reviews (2020). doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2020.106732.
21. Zhang, R, X. T. Wang, H. Ren, J. Huang, M. Chen, D. M. Sigman, Dissolved organic nitrogen cycling in the South China Sea from an isotopic perspective. Global Biogeochemical Cycles (2020). doi.org/10.1029/2020GB006551.
20. Li, T., L. F. Robinson, T. Chen, X. T. Wang, A. Burke, J. W. B. Rae, A. Pegrum-Haram, T. D. J. Knowles, G. Li, J. Chen, H. C. Ng, M. Prokopenko, G. Rowland, A. Samperiz, J. Stewart, J. Southon, P. Spooner, Rapid shifts in circulation and biogeochemistry of the Southern Ocean during deglacial carbon cycle events. Science Advances (2020). doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.abb3807.
19. Neubauer, C., A. Cremiere, X. T. Wang, N. Thiagarajan, A. L. Sessions, J. F. Adkins, N. F. Dalleska, A. V. Turchyn, J. A. Clegg, A. Moradian, M. J. Sweredoski, S. D. Garbis, J. M. Eiler, Stable Isotope Analysis of Intact Oxyanions Using Electrospray Quadrupole-Orbitrap Mass Spectrometry. Analytical Chemistry (2020). doi.org/10.1021/acs.analchem.9b04486.
18. Sims, Z. C., A. L. Cohen, V. H. Luu, X. T. Wang, D. M. Sigman, Uptake of groundwater nitrogen by a near-shore coral reef community on Bermuda. Coral Reefs (2020). doi.org/10.1007/s00338-019-01879-5.
17. Duprey, N. N., X. T. Wang, T. Kim, J. D. Cybulski, H. B. Vonhof, P. J. Crutzen, G. H. Haug, D. M. Sigman, A. Martínez-García, D. M. Baker, Megacity development and the demise of coastal coral communities: evidence from coral skeleton δ15N records in the Pearl River estuary. Global Change Biology (2020). doi.org/10.1111/gcb.14923.
As a postdoctoral scholar:
2019
16. Kast, E. R., D. A. Stolper, A. Auderset, J. A. Higgins, H. Ren, X. T. Wang, A. Martínez-García, G. H. Haug, D. M. Sigman, Nitrogen isotope evidence for expanded ocean suboxia in the early Cenozoic. Science (2019). doi: 10.1126/science.aau5784.
In the news:
Princeton News: Princeton geoscientists find new fallout from ‘the collision that changed the world’
2018
15. Wang, X. T., A. L. Cohen, V. Luu, H. Ren, Z. Su, G. H. Haug, D. M. Sigman, Natural forcing of the North Atlantic nitrogen cycle in the Anthropocene. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2018). doi: 10.1073/pnas.1801049115.
In the news:
Princeton News: 130-year-old brain coral reveals encouraging news for open ocean
MSN.com video: Scientists studied skeleton of 130-year-old brain coral to learn about nitrogen pollution
The University Network: 130-Year-Old Brain Coral Reveals Nitrogen Pollution Not As Bad as Previously Thought
14. Studer, A. S., D. M. Sigman, A. Martínez-García, L. M. Thole, E. Michel, S. L. Jaccard, J. Lippold, A. Mazaud, X. T. Wang, L. F. Robinson, J. F. Adkins, G. H. Haug, Increased nutrient supply to the Southern Ocean during the Holocene and its implications for the pre-industrial atmospheric CO2 rise. Nature Geoscience (2018). doi: 10.1038/s41561-018-0191-8
In the news:
Princeton News: Carbon ‘leak’ may have warmed the planet for 11,000 years, encouraging human civilization
13. Lueders-Dumont, J. A., X. T. Wang, O. P. Jensen, D. M. Sigman, B. B. Ward, Nitrogen isotopic analysis of otolith-bound organic matter in modern and fossil fish otoliths. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta (2018). doi: 10.1016/j.gca.2018.01.001
12. Meng, X, L. Liu, X. T. Wang, W. Balsam, J. Chen, J. Ji, Mineralogical evidence of reduced East Asian summer monsoon rainfall on the Chinese loess plateau during early Pleistocene interglacials. Earth and Planetary Science Letters (2018). doi: 10.1016/j.epsl.2017.12.048
2017
11. Tornabene, C., R. C. Martindale, X. T. Wang, M. F. Schaller, Detecting photosymbiosis in fossil Scleractinian corals. Scientific Reports (2017). doi: 10.1038/s41598-017-09008-4
10. Ren, H., Y. Chen, X. T. Wang, G. T. F. Wong, A. L. Cohen, T. M. DeCarlo, M. A. Weigand, H. S. Meng, D. M. Sigman, 21st century rise in anthropogenic nitrogen deposition on a remote coral reef. Science (2017). doi: 10.1126/science.aal3869
In the news:
Princeton News: Nitrogen contained in coral provides evidence of human impact on the open ocean
9. Duprey, N., X. T. Wang, P. D. Thompson, J. Pleadwell, L. J. Raymundo, K. Kim, D. M. Sigman, D. M. Baker, Life and death of a sewage treatment plant recorded in a coral skeleton δ15N record. Marine Pollution Bulletin (2017). doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2017.04.023
8. Wang, X. T., D. M. Sigman, M. G. Prokopenko, J. F. Adkins, L. F. Robinson, S. K. Hines, J. Chai, A. S. Studer, A. Martínez-García, T. Chen, G. H. Haug, Deep-sea coral evidence for lower Southern Ocean surface nitrate concentrations during the last ice age. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2017). doi: 10.1073/pnas.1615718114
In the news:
Caltech News: Cold Climates and Ocean Carbon Sequestration
Princeton Research: Deep-sea corals reveal why atmospheric carbon was lower during the ice ages
As a graduate student:
2016
7. Frankowiak, K., X. T. Wang, D. M. Sigman, A. M. Gothmann, M. V. Kitahara, M. Mazur, A. Meibom, and J. Stolarski, Photosymbiosis and the expansion of shallow-water corals. Science Advances (2016). doi: 10.1126/sciadv.1601122
In the news:
Princeton News: When corals met algae: Symbiotic relationship crucial to reef survival dates to the Triassic
Discover Magazine: Can an Ancient Friendship Help Save Corals?
Washington Post: Global warming could be breaking up this 200 million year old relationship
6. Wang, X. T., D. M. Sigman, A. L. Cohen, D. J. Sinclair, R. M. Sherrell, K. M. Cobb, D. V. Erler, J. Stolarski, M. V. Kitahara and H. Ren, Influence of open ocean nitrogen supply on the skeletal δ15N of modern shallow-water scleractinian corals. Earth and Planetary Science Letter (2016). doi: 10.1016/j.epsl.2016.02.032
5. Erler, D.V., X. T. Wang, D. M. Sigman, S. R. Scheffers, A. Martinez-Garcia, and G. H. Haug, Nitrogen isotopic composition of organic matter from a 168 year-old coral skeleton: Implications for coastal nutrient cycling in the Great Barrier Reef Lagoon. Earth and Planetary Science Letter (2016).doi: 10.1016/j.epsl.2015.11.023
2015
4. Li G., X. T. Wang, Z. Yang, A. J. West, C. Mao and J. Ji, Dam-triggered organic carbon sequestration makes the Changjiang (Yangtze) river basin (China) a significant carbon sink. Journal of Geophysical Research-Biogeosciences (2015). doi: 10.1002/2014JG002646
3. Erler, D.V., X. T. Wang, D. M. Sigman, S. R. Scheffers and B. O. Shepherd, Controls on the nitrogen isotopic composition of shallow water corals across a tropical reef flat transect. Coral Reefs (2015). doi: 10.1007/s00338-014-1215-5
2. Wang, X. T., D. M. Sigman, A. L. Cohen, D. J. Sinclair, R. M. Sherrell, M. A. Weigand, D. V. Erler and H. Ren, Isotopic composition of skeleton-bound organic nitrogen in reef-building symbiotic corals: A new method and proxy evaluation at Bermuda. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta (2015). doi: 10.1016/j.gca.2014.09.017
2014
1. Wang, X. T., M. G. Prokopenko, D. M. Sigman, J. F. Adkins, L. F. Robinson, H. Ren, S. Oleynik, B. Williams and G. H. Haug, Isotopic composition of carbonate-bound organic nitrogen in deep-sea scleractinian corals: A new window into past biogeochemical change. Earth and Planetary Science Letters (2014). doi: 10.1016/j.epsl.2014.05.048
Other Publications
1. Fusion Energy via Magnetic Confinement: An Energy Technology Distillate. Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment, Princeton University (2016). Website
Wang Stable Isotope Biogeochemistry Lab 