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Michael B. McElroy

Faculty

Gilbert Butler Professor of Environmental Studies

Contact Information

Nickname:	Mike
Office:	Pierce 100E
Email:	mbm [ AT ] seas [ DOT ] harvard [ DOT ] edu
Office Phone:	(617) 495-4359
Office Fax:	(617) 495-4551

Websites

Education

B.A., A.M., Applied Mathematics, Queens University, Belfast
Ph.D., Applied Mathematics, Queens University, Belfast

Research Interests

- Energy & Environmental Systems
- Atmospheric and Climate Modeling
- Engineering, Economic Development, and Resource Management
- Oceans and Geophysics
- Science, Technology, & Public Policy
- Energy, Environment, and Sustainability

Primary Teaching Area

Environmental Science & Engineering

Profile

The atmosphere is an important resource, an indispensable component of the global life support system. Human activity can change its composition, altering climate, air quality, and radiation reaching us from the sun.

Michael McElroy studies changes in the composition of the atmosphere with an emphasis on the impact of human activity. His research includes investigations of processes affecting the abundance of ozone in the stratosphere and factors influencing the chemical composition of the troposphere. It explores the manner in which changes in the composition of the atmosphere affect climate.

It seeks to place the impact of contemporary human activity in a larger context by studying large-scale changes in the environment that occurred in the past. His research addresses also challenges for public policy posed by the rapid pace of industrialization in developing countries such as China and India while exploring alternative strategies for more sustainable development in mature economies such as the United States.

Positions & Employment

Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Scineces

1996-Present: Gilbert Butler Professor of Environmental Studies

Harvard University Center for the Environment

2001-2004: Director

MEDEA, Task Force appointed by Vice-President Gore to advise on environmental aspects of U.S. Intelligence

1995: Chairman

Committee to Establish Undergraduate Concentration in Environmental Science and Public Policy, Harvard University,

1993: Chairman

Harvard University Committee on Environment

1991-2001: Chairman

Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Harvard University

1986-2000: Chairman

Atmospheric and Environmental Research Inc., Cambridge, MA

1977-2008: Director
1977: Co-founder and Chairman of the Board

Center for Earth and Planetary Physics, Harvard University

1975-1978: Director
1970-1986: Member

Division of Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA

1970-1996: Abbott Lawrence Rotch Professor of Atmospheric Sciences

Planetary Sciences Division, Kitt Peak National Observatory, Tucson, AZ

1967-1970: Physicist
1965-1967: Associate Physicist
1963-1965: Assistant Physicist

Theoretical Chemistry Institute, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI

1962-1963: Postdoctoral Appointment

Other Experience

Fellow and former Councillor, American Academy of Arts and Sciences
American Astronomical Society
Fellow, American Geophysical Union
Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science
Fellow, International Academy of Astronautics

Honors

Elected Honorary Fellow, Royal Irish Academy, 2008
Honorary DSc., Queen's University of Belfast, N. Ireland, 1991
Research and Development Award, National Energy Resources Organization, 1989
George Ledlie Prize. For the person at Harvard University who "since the last awarding of said prize, has by research, discovery, or otherwise made the most valuable contribution to science, or in any way for the benefit of mankind," 1989
Eire Society Gold Medal Award, 1987
NASA Public Service Medal, 1978
The American Association for the Advancement of Science Newcomb Cleveland Prize. Awarded collectively to all the participants in the Viking mission, 1977
James B. Macelwane Award by the American Geophysical Union for "outstanding contributions in the field of planetary atmospheres," 1968

Selected Publications

Lin, Jin-Tai, Michael B. McElroy, and K. Folkert Boersma. 2010. Constraint of anthropogenic NOx emissions in China from different sectors: A new methodology using separate satellite retrievals. Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics 10(1): 63-78.
Lin, Jin-Tai., and Michael B. McElroy. In press (2010). Impacts of boundary layer mixing on pollutant vertical profiles in the lower troposphere: Implications to satellite remote sensing. Atmospheric Environment.
McElroy, Michael B. 2010. Challenge of global climate change: Prospects for a new energy paradigm. Frontiers of Environmental Science & Engineering in China, DOI 10.1007/s11783-010-0005-8.
McElroy, Michael B., Xi Lu, Chris P. Nielsen, and Yuxuan Wang. 2009. Potential for wind generated electricity in China. Science 325(5946): 1378-1380.
McElroy, Michael B. In press (October 2009). Energy: Perspectives, Problems and Prospects. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Wang, Y.X., J.M. Hao, M.B. McElroy, J.W. Munger, H. Ma, D. Chen, and C.P. Nielsen. 2009. Ozone air quality during the 2008 Beijing Olympics: Effectiveness of emission restrictions. Atmos. Chem. Phys. 9(14): 5237-5251.
Lu, Xi, Michael B. McElroy, and Juha Kiviluoma. 2009. Global potential for wind generated electricity. P. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 106(27): 10933-10938s.
Chen, D., Y.X. Wang, M.B. McElroy, K.B. He, R.M. Yantosca, and P. Le Sager. 2009. Regional CO pollution in China simulated by the high-resolution nested-grid GEOS-Chem model. Atmos. Chem. Phys. 9(11): 3825-3839.
McElroy, M.B. 2008. Saving Money, Oil, and the Climate: Using Non-Fossil Energy Sources to Power Our Vehicles. Harvard Magazine, Volume 110, Number 4 (March-April).
Wang, Y.X., M. B. McElroy, J. W. Munger, J. Hao, H. Ma, C. P. Nielsen, and Y. Chen. 2008. Variations of O3 and CO in summertime at a rural site near Beijing. Atmos. Chem. Phys. 8(21): 6355-6363.