Murray D. MacKay
Current research and/or projects
Contributing to Environment Canada’s regional climate and land-surface modelling research and development
- Developing dynamic mixed layer model for boreal lakes; Small lake research at the Experimental Lakes Area
- Impact of land-surface heterogeneity, including lakes, on regional climate system
- Snow pack physics and snow cover – atmosphere interaction
- Great Lakes water levels, and regional climate modelling of the Great Lakes region
Professional activities / interests
Theme lead for modelling component of the IPY research programme Variability and Change in the Canadian Cryosphere
Co-lead, International Upper Great Lakes Study project on modeling Great Lakes water balance
Working Group Chair: Scaling and modeling the role of lakes and reservoirs in climate change in AGU Chapman Conference on Lakes as Sentinels, Integrators, and Regulators of Climate Change, Lake Tahoe, Nevada, 8 - 10 September, 2008
Education and awards
Ph.D. Atmospheric Physics, University of Toronto, 1996
Key publications
MacKay, M.D., P. Bartlett, E. Chan, C. Derksen, S. Guo and H. Leighton. 2006. On the Simulation of Regional Scale Sublimation over Boreal and Agricultural Landscapes. Atmosphere-Ocean. 44:289-304.
Bartlett, P.A., M.D. MacKay and D.L. Verseghy. 2006. Modified Snow Algorithms in the Canadian Land Surface Scheme: Model Runs and Sensitivity Analysis at Three Boreal Forest Stands. Atmosphere-Ocean. 44:207-222.
MacKay, M.D. and P.A. Bartlett. 2006. Estimating canopy snow unloading timescales from daily observations of albedo and precipitation. Geophys. Res. Lett. 33:L19405, doi:10.1029/2006GL027521.
MacKay, M.D., P. Bartlett, E. Chan, D. Verseghy, E.D. Soulis and F.R. Seglenieks. 2008. The MAGS Regional Climate Modeling System: CRCM-MAGS. In: Cold Region Atmospheric and Hydrologic Studies, Vol 1: Atmospheric Dynamics. Springer-Verlag, pp. 433-450.
MacKay, M.D., F. Seglenieks, D. Verseghy, E.D. Soulis, K.R. Snelgrove, A. Walker and K. Szeto. 2003. Modeling Mackenzie Basin Surface Water Balance During CAGES with the Canadian Regional Climate Model. J. Hydromet. 4:748-767.
MacKay, M.D., K. Szeto, D. Verseghy, E. Chan and N. Bussières. 2002. Mesoscale Circulations and Surface Energy Balance During Snowmelt in High Resolution Simulations of a Regional Climate Model. Nordic Hydrology. 34:91-106.
Contact
Research facility
Expertise
Affiliations
Adjunct Professor, University of Waterloo, Department of Civil Engineering