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Lee Murray

Associate Professor

PhD, Harvard

Office Location
479 Hutchison Hall
Telephone
(585) 275-2077
Web Address
Website

Office Hours: By appointment

Research Overview

Dr. Murray leads the Atmospheric Chemistry and Climate Modeling Group at the University of Rochester. The group maintains high-performance computing resources dedicated to the development and application of cutting-edge models of atmospheric composition and climate. Group members develop and use a variety of global chemistry and climate models, employing both forward and inverse methods. Simulations are compared to satellite and other big data for interpretation and validation. Key tools include the GEOS-Chem chemistry-transport model and the NASA GISS ModelE coupled chemistry-climate model. Our research examines the various interplays between atmospheric chemistry, climate, and biogeochemical cycles. We are motivated by a desire to mitigate future environmental problems, but also a curiosity driven fascination with understanding past changes in Earth’s atmospheric composition.

 Particular focus to date has been to understand the factors that control the atmosphere’s ability to self-cleanse itself of the various air pollutants and reactive greenhouse gases injected into it by human activity and nature. Recent example topics include: (1) Exploring the potential for chemical feedbacks on major historical climate transitions such as Ice Age cycles; (2) Quantifying the impact of fugitive emissions from the recent rise in hydraulic fracturing on downwind air quality; and (3) Examining whether lightning will amplify or mitigate the impact of anthropogenic global warming in the coming century through its production of reactive nitrogen oxides and their subsequent impacts on Earth’s radiative balance.

 Please visit our research group website to learn more about our prior and ongoing research.

Research Interests

  • Application and development of 3-D global models of atmospheric chemistry and climate to examine various couplings between atmospheric chemistry and the climate system in the past, present and future.

Courses Offered (subject to change)

  • EES 218/418:  Atmospheric Geochemistry (alternate with Prof. Petrenko)
  • EES 234/434 :  Fundamentals of Atmospheric Modeling

Selected Publications

  • Yeung, L. Y., L. T. Murray, J. L. Ash, E. Young, K. A. Boering, D. R. Blake, E. L. Atlas, S. M. Schauffler, R. L. Langenfelds, P. B. Krummel, L. P. Steele, and S. D. Eastham (2016), Isotopic ordering in molecular oxygen as a tracer of atmospheric ozone, J. Geophys. Res., 121, doi:10.1002/2016JD025455.
  • Kort, E. A., M. L. Smith, L. T. Murray, A. Gvakharia, A. R. Brandt, J. Peischl, T. B. Ryerson, C. Sweeney, and K. Travis (2016), Fugitive emissions from the Bakken shale illustrate role of shale production in global ethane shift, Geophys. Res. Lett., 43(9), 4617–4623, doi:10.1002/2016GL068703.
  • Murray, L. T. (2016), Lightning NOx and Impacts on Air Quality, Curr. Poll. Rep., 1-19, doi:10.1007/s40726-016-0031-7.
  • Achakulwisut, P., L. J. Mickley, L. T. Murray, A. P. K. Tai, J. O. Kaplan, and B. Alexander (2015), Uncertainties in isoprene photochemistry and emissions: implications for the oxidative capacity of past and present atmospheres and for climate forcing agents, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 15(14), 7977–7998, doi:10.5194/acp-15-7977-2015.
  • Murray, L. T., L. J. Mickley, J. O. Kaplan, E. D. Sofen, M. Pfeiffer, and B. Alexander (2014), Factors controlling the oxidative capacity of the troposphere since the Last Glacial Maximum, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 14(7), 3589-3622, doi:10.5194/acp-14-3589-2014.
  • Murray, L. T., J. A. Logan, and D. J. Jacob (2013), Interannual variability in tropical tropospheric ozone and OH: the role of lightning, J. Geophys. Res., 118, 1-13, doi:10.1002/jgrd.50857.
  • Murray, L. T., D. J. Jacob, J. A. Logan, R. C. Hudman, and W. J. Koshak (2012), Optimized regional and interannual variability of lightning in a global chemical transport model constrained by LIS/OTD satellite data, J. Geophys. Res., 117, D20307, doi:10.1029/2012JD017934.
  • Hudman, R. C., L. T. Murray, D. J. Jacob, S Turquety, S. Wu, D. B. Millet, M. Avery, A. H. Goldstein, and J. Holloway (2009), North American influence on tropospheric ozone and the effects of recent emission reductions: Constraints from ICARTT observations, J. Geophys. Res., 114, D07302, doi:10.1029/2008JD010126.
  • Hudman, R. C., L. T. Murray, D. J. Jacob, D.B. Millet, S. Turquety, S. Wu,D. R. Blake, A. H. Goldstein, J. Holloway, and G. W. Sachse (2008), Biogenic versus anthropogenic sources of CO over the United States, Geophys. Res. Lett., 35, L04801, doi:10.1029/2007GL032393.
  • Hudman, R. C., D. J. Jacob, S. Turquety, E. M. Leibensperger, L. T. Murray, S. Wu, A. B. Gilliland, M. Avery, T. H. Bertram, W. Brune, R. C. Cohen, J. E. Dibb, F. M. Flocke, A. Fried, J. Holloway, J. A. Neuman, R. Orville, A. Perring, X. Ren, T. B. Ryerson, G. W. Sachse, H. B. Singh, A. Swanson, and P. J. Wooldridge (2007), Surface and lightning sources of nitrogen oxides over the United States: magnitudes, chemical evolution, and outflow, J. Geophys. Res., 112, D12S05, doi:10.1029/2006JD007912.