Researchers at The Education University of Hong Kong (EdUHK) have contributed to a ground-breaking study, revealing that conventional theories on the structure of black carbon particles – such as those emitted by wildfires – may have significantly underestimated their impact on global climate systems. 

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Traditionally, black carbon (BC) particles were represented as simple “core-shell” structure in global climate simulations, with a single carbon core located at the particle center surrounded by outer layers. However, an international inter-disciplinary research team, comprising scholars from Chinese Mainland, Hong Kong, China, the United States, the United Kingdom, Israel, Japan, and South Korea, has found that in long-range transported wildfire smoke, about one fifth (21%) of black carbon particles—especially those larger than 400nm in diameter, contain two or more cores. These “multi-core” aerosols, previously unaccounted for in global climate models, may hold the answer to the persistent underestimation of BC’s light absorption by approximately 50% compared to real-world measurements. 

Dr Joseph Ching, Assistant Professor in the Department of Science and Environmental Studies at EdUHK, is part of that international research team led by Professor Weijun Li from the School of Earth Sciences at Zhejiang University. The collaboration also includes experts in atmospheric science, global climate modeling, electron microscopy, atmospheric environment, air pollution, and earth system science. 

The findings were recently published in the prestigious journal Nature Communications.

Read the full study: 
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-65079-2  
https://www.eduhk.hk/en/press-releases/eduhk-scholar-co-authors-breakthrough-study-in-nature-communications-on-multi-core-black-carbon-aerosols-and-climate-impact

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The Education University of Hong Kong (EdUHK) recently welcomed to its Tai Po campus a delegation led by Professor Wang Enke, former President of South China Normal University (SCNU) and Director of the Guangdong Provincial Science Education Guidance Centre for Primary and Secondary Schools.  

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Professor May Cheng Mei-hung, Vice-President (Academic) of EdUHK, received the visitors. Both parties provided detailed introductions to the development of the STEAM Education Alliance at EdUHK and the Science Education Alliance at SCNU, followed by thematic sharing on science and STEAM education initiatives. In-depth discussions were held on exchange and cooperation initiatives, jointly assessing future directions for collaboration in science education.  

At the event, a plaque was presented to EdUHK, designating it as an Executive Council Member of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Science Education Alliance. Souvenirs were also exchanged.  

The visit marked a shared commitment to deepening cooperation in science education and jointly advancing the cultivation of innovation talent in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. 

The latest perspective paper of her study "Assessing Antimicrobial Resistance Connectivity Across One Health Sectors" has been published in Nature Water, one of the world’s leading scientific journals.

Dr. Li’s work demonstrates the innovative research happening at our university and its impact on global health solutions.

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