Michael W. Murray, Ph.D.BIOL 1102: Environmental Biology
MPHE 8904: Environmental Aquatic Sciences
MPHE 8900: Fundamentals of Air Pollution
B.S. Geological Engineering, Colorado School of Mines
M.S. Water Chemistry (now Environmental Chemistry and Technology Program), University
of Wisconsin-Madison
Ph.D. Water Chemistry, University of Wisconsin-Madison
20+ years as Staff Scientist with National Wildlife Federation Great Lakes Regional
Center, with leadership and other active involvement in multiple Great Lakes water
quality and related issues.
Though not “fun”, one likely underappreciated fact is that a 2016 World Health Organization report on global burden of disease estimated that 23 percent of all deaths (12.6 million people annually) were attributable to the environment.
I have been a longstanding member of multiple professional societies, including several addressing human health or ecological condition:
Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (including member of Science Committee)
American Public Health Association
International Association for Great Lakes Research
American Chemical Society
American Geophysical Union
American Association of University Professors
Association for Environmental Studies and Sciences
Factors influencing nutrient delivery to surface waters, in particular via agricultural practices, and approaches to reduce nutrient runoff
Broader aspects of factors influencing harmful algal bloom development, including climate-related, and approaches to integrate climate adaptation planning into nutrient management
Environmental indicator development in the Great Lakes region and beyond, in particular for toxic chemicals in biota and abiotic media
Development and use of conceptual models to link restoration and protection actions to improved ecological conditions and human health
Alternative approaches to chemicals management in the Great Lakes region and beyond, including through use of principles involving precaution, prevention, and approaches such as green chemistry and alternatives assessments, and application to chemical groups such as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)
(Peer-reviewed publications and reports since 2014)
Murray, M.W., Allan, J.D. and M. Child, 2018. Potential ecological impacts of crude oil transport in the Great Lakes Basin. Prepared by the Great Lakes Science Advisory Board for the International Joint Commission. Available at https://www.ijc.org/en/sab/SAB-SPC_CrudeOil_Transport_GreatLakes_Report.
Allan, J.D., Murray, M. and M. Child, 2018. Fertilizer application patterns and trends, and their implications for water quality in the western Lake Erie basin. Prepared by the Great Lakes Science Advisory Board for the International Joint Commission. Available at https://www.ijc.org/en/fertilizer-application-patterns-and-trends-and-their-implications-water-quality-western-lake-erie.
Collingsworth, P.D., Bunnell, D.B., Murray, M.W., Kao, Y-C., Feiner, Z.S., Claramunt, R.M., Lofgren, B.M., Höök, T.O., Ludsin, S.A., 2017, Climate change as a long-term stressor for the fisheries of the Laurentian Great Lakes of North America, Reviews in Fish Biology and Fisheries, 27(2):363-391.
Kalcic, M.M., Kirchhoff, C., Bosch, N., Muenich, R.L., Murray, M.W., Gardner, J.G., Scavia, D., 2016. Engaging stakeholders to define feasible and desirable agricultural conservation in Western Lake Erie watersheds, Environmental Science and Technology, 50:8135-8145.
Watson, S. B., Miller, C. J., Arhonditsis, G., Boyer, G.L., Carmichael, W., Charlton, M.N., Confessor, R., Depew, D.C., Höök, T.O., Ludsin, S.A., Matisoff, G., McElmurry, S. P., Murray, M.W., Richards, R.P., Rao, Y.R., Steffen, M.M., Wilhelm, S.W. 2016. The re-eutrophication of Lake Erie: Harmful algal blooms and hypoxia, Harmful Algae, 56:44-66.
Murray, M.W., Kirchhoff, C., Kalcic, M.M., Steiner, A., Bosch, N., Lopez, F., Scavia, D., 2016. Guidance addressing Lake Erie eutrophication in a changing climate based on a case study with agricultural and coastal managers.
Great Lakes Science Advisory Board, Science Priority Committee, Communication Indicator Workgroup, An assessment of the communicability of the International Joint Commission ecosystem indicators and metrics, June 2016. Available from https://ijc.org/en/assessment-communicability-international-joint-commission-ecosystem-indicators-and-metrics. (Contributor on PBTs in biota, and chemicals of mutual concern in water).
Abbasi, G., Buser, A.M., Soehl, A., Murray, M.W., Diamond, M.L. 2015. Stocks and flows of PBDEs in products from use to waste in the U.S. and Canada from 1970 to 2020, Environmental Science and Technology, 49:1521-1528.
Pebbles, V., Braun, H., Leduc-Lapierre, M., Murray, M., Koslow, M., Hoffman, J., 2014. Best practices for climate change adaptation: Spotlight on Michigan coastal wetlands. Great Lakes Commission and National Wildlife Federation. Available from https://www.glc.org/library/2014-best-practices-for-climate-change-adaptation-mi-wetlands.
Abbasi, G., Diamond, M., Soehl, A., Murray, M. 2014. Great Lakes PBDE reduction project, Summary paper no. 1, PBDE product inventory.
Murray, M., Soehl, A., Abbasi, G., Diamond, M. 2014. Great Lakes PBDE reduction project, Summary paper no. 2, PBDE alternatives assessment.
Diamond, M., Abbasi, G., Soehl, A., Murray, M. 2014. Great Lakes PBDE reduction project, Summary paper no. 3, PBDE reduction metrics.
Koslow, M., Berrio, J., Glick, P., Hoffman, J., Inkley, D., Kane, A., Murray, M., and Reeve, K. 2014. Restoring the Great Lakes’ coastal future: Technical guidance for the design and implementation of climate-smart restoration projects with seven case studies. National Wildlife Federation, Reston, VA and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Silver Spring, MD.
I have also given over 50 presentations at professional society and other conferences and workshops through the years, have served on over 30 technical, advisory, and meeting planning committees (including currently the International Joint Commission Science Advisory Board), served as peer reviewer for eight environmental science journals, and have mentored and advised multiple interns, undergraduate, and graduate students.
