School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
I am a research associate in the
Atmospheric Chemistry Modeling Group at Harvard.
My work focuses on the interactions of tropospheric ozone, aerosol, and climate change.
In the troposphere, ozone is produced in the complex mix of gases
emitted by industry, automobiles, the biosphere, and the burning of forests and cropland.
At high concentrations, ozone harms vegetation and human health, and
like other greenhouse gases, ozone contributes to climate change.
Tropospheric aerosol, on the other hand, is composed of a large range
of materials, including soot, sulfate, ammonium nitrate, and organic matter.
Like ozone, aerosol (also known as particulate matter or PM) is harmful
to human health and can influence climate.
A changing climate, in turn, will affect the production or loss rates
of tropospheric ozone and aerosol, as well as the transport of these species
through the atmosphere.
In my research, I examine both the influence of changing
ozone and aerosol on climate, and the influence of changing climate
on these pollutants.
I am especially interested in how climate change affects the frequency
and intensity of air pollution episodes.
Other research interests include the effect of 20th century trends in aerosol
and ozone on climate, the impact of changing land cover and wildfire
frequency on atmospheric chemistry, and the composition of the atmosphere
during the last ice age.
To learn more, please see my
Current research,
Publications, and
Curriculum vitae pages.
Here are some of the students I have mentored
at Harvard:
Eric Leibensperger,
Shiliang Wu
(now a postdoc at Harvard), Moeko Yoshitomi, and Julie Sygiel.
This summer (2008), I began working with grad students
Lee Murray
and Amos P.K. Tai.
I work closely with
Daniel Jacob,
Jennifer Logan, and in recent years,
Rynda Hudman and
Dominick Spracklen.
I am lucky to have these collaborators and many others around the globe.
Harvard University, 109A Pierce Hall
29 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA 02138
phone: 617-496-5635
fax: 617-495-9837
mickley at fas dot harvard dot edu
ljm at io dot harvard dot edu
