2026 James T. Randerson: Environmental Sciences Researcher – H-Index, Publications & Awards

Discipline name	D-Index	World Ranking	Current World Ranking	National Ranking	Current National Ranking	Publications	Citations
Environmental Sciences	125	91	88	40	38	504	83153

Research.com Recognitions

2026 - Research.com Environmental Sciences in United States Leader Award
2025 - Research.com Environmental Sciences in United States Leader Award
2017 - Member of the National Academy of Sciences
2006 - Fellow of American Geophysical Union (AGU)
2005 - James B. Macelwane Medal, American Geophysical Union (AGU)

Overview

James T. Randerson is affiliated with the University of California, Irvine in the United States. Their research primarily spans the fields of Environmental Science and Earth and Planetary Sciences. The main areas of study include Global and Planetary Change, Atmospheric Science, Ecology, Safety, Risk, Reliability and Quality, and Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law.

They have contributed extensively to topics such as Fire effects on ecosystems, Atmospheric and Environmental Gas Dynamics, Climate change and permafrost, Plant Water Relations and Carbon Dynamics, Atmospheric chemistry and aerosols, Climate variability and models, and Landslides and related hazards.

James T. Randerson's recent scholarly output includes papers published in highly regarded journals. Notable recent papers include:

Insights from Earth system model initial-condition large ensembles and future prospects (2020) published in Nature Climate Change
Climate-driven risks to the climate mitigation potential of forests (2020) published in Science
The age distribution of global soil carbon inferred from radiocarbon measurements (2020) published in Nature Geoscience
Future increases in Arctic lightning and fire risk for permafrost carbon (2021) published in Nature Climate Change
The COVID-19 lockdowns: a window into the Earth System (2020) published in Nature Reviews Earth & Environment

Frequent co-authors include Yang Chen, Douglas C. Morton, Michael L. Goulden, Jonathan Wang, and Sander Veraverbeke. These collaborations have supported a broad scope of research topics and contributed to a substantial body of work in the environmental and earth sciences.

Their research has been disseminated across several publication venues with high frequency in:

Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Nature Climate Change
Environmental Research Letters
SSRN Electronic Journal
Nature Communications

Award recognitions include being named Member of the National Academy of Sciences in 2017, Fellow of the American Geophysical Union (AGU) in 2006, and recipient of the James B. Macelwane Medal from AGU in 2005.

Best Publications

Primary Production of the Biosphere: Integrating Terrestrial and Oceanic Components

Christopher B. Field;Michael J. Behrenfeld;James T. Randerson;Paul Falkowski

7543
Citations
Terrestrial ecosystem production: A process model based on global satellite and surface data

Christopher S. Potter;James T. Randerson;Christopher B. Field;Pamela A. Matson

3676
Citations
Global fire emissions and the contribution of deforestation, savanna, forest, agricultural, and peat fires (1997-2009)

G. R. van der Werf;J. T. Randerson;L. Giglio;L. Giglio;G. J. Collatz

3225
Citations
Trends in the sources and sinks of carbon dioxide

Corinne Le Quéré;Corinne Le Quéré;Michael R. Raupach;Josep G. Canadell;Gregg Marland

2504
Citations
Global fire emissions estimates during 1997–2016

Guido R. van der Werf;James T. Randerson;Louis Giglio;Thijs T. van Leeuwen

2308
Citations
Technical Description of version 4.0 of the Community Land Model (CLM)

W. Oleson;M. Lawrence;B. Bonan;G. Flanner

2034
Citations
Interannual variability in global biomass burning emissions from 1997 to 2004

G. R. van der Werf;J. T. Randerson;L. Giglio;G. J. Collatz

1955
Citations
The Community Land Model version 5 : description of new features, benchmarking, and impact of forcing uncertainty

David M. Lawrence;Rosie A. Fisher;Charles D. Koven;Keith W. Oleson

1818
Citations
CO 2 emissions from forest loss

G. R. van der Werf;D. C. Morton;R. S. DeFries;J. G. J. Olivier

1777
Citations
Analysis of daily, monthly, and annual burned area using the fourth‐generation global fire emissions database (GFED4)

Louis Giglio;James T. Randerson;Guido R. van der Werf

1761
Citations
Global net primary production: Combining ecology and remote sensing

Christopher B. Field;James T. Randerson;Carolyn M. Malmström

1731
Citations
Present-day climate forcing and response from black carbon in snow

Mark G. Flanner;Charles S. Zender;James T. Randerson;Philip J. Rasch

1599
Citations
Towards robust regional estimates of CO2 sources and sinks using atmospheric transport models.

K. R. Gurney;R. M. Law;A. S. Denning;P. J. Rayner

1507
Citations
Reconciling carbon-cycle concepts, terminology, and methods

F. S. Chapin Iii;G. M. Woodwell;J. Randerson;E. B. Rastetter

1329
Citations
An atmospheric perspective on North American carbon dioxide exchange: CarbonTracker

Wouter Peters;A. R. Jacobson;C. Sweeney;A. E. Andrews

1195
Citations
A human-driven decline in global burned area

N. Andela;N. Andela;D. C. Morton;L. Giglio;Y Chen

1193
Citations
Global burned area and biomass burning emissions from small fires

J. T. Randerson;Y. Chen;G. R. van der Werf;B. M. Rogers

1094
Citations
The impact of boreal forest fire on climate warming.

J. T. Randerson;H. Liu;M. G. Flanner;S. D. Chambers

1038
Citations
Estimated Global Mortality Attributable to Smoke from Landscape Fires

Fay H. Johnston;Sarah B. Henderson;Yang Chen;James T. Randerson

966
Citations
Global covariation of carbon turnover times with climate in terrestrial ecosystems

Nuno Carvalhais;Matthias Forkel;Myroslava Khomik;Jessica Bellarby

943
Citations
Present day Climate Forcing and Response from Black Carbon in Snow

M. G. Flanner;C. S. Zender;J. T. Randerson;P. J. Rasch

113
Citations

Frequent Co-Authors

Louis Giglio University of Maryland, College Park

Prasad S. Kasibhatla Duke University

Forrest M. Hoffman Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Douglas C. Morton Goddard Space Flight Center

Yufang Jin University of California, Davis

Christopher B. Field Stanford University

Ruth S. DeFries Columbia University

Michael L. Goulden University of California, Irvine

Sander Veraverbeke Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

Natalie M. Mahowald Cornell University

External Links

Personal website of James T. Randerson

If you think any of the details on this page are incorrect, let us know.

Related Online Degrees & Career Pathways

Studying Environmental Sciences opens the door to diverse career opportunities, often supported by specialized online degrees. For those interested in understanding Earth's physical processes, pursuing a geologist degree online can provide essential skills in rock formations, soil science, and natural resource management.

Another growing field is Geographic Information Systems (GIS), which plays a crucial role in environmental mapping and spatial analysis. Students can explore the best gis programs to gain expertise in data visualization and geospatial technologies—skills highly valued in both public and private sectors.

Public administration is also linked to environmental policy and sustainability initiatives. Earning a Master of Public Administration through a one year mpa program can fast-track careers in environmental governance and community planning.

Lastly, environmental issues often relate closely to social dynamics and human behavior. An online sociology degree bachelors allows students to examine societal impacts and contribute to crafting socially responsible environmental solutions.