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Silvia Santa Maria Newell

Silvia Newell
Director of Michigan Sea Grant, Professor in SEAS
Ecosystem Science and Management
Water
[email protected]
734-647-8215
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400 North Ingalls
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About

Dr. Silvia Newell is the Director of Michigan Sea Grant and a Professor at the University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability. A nutrient biogeochemist and microbial ecologist, Silvia’s own research focuses on the effects of excess nutrients from fertilizer and wastewater on inland and coastal waters, particularly harmful algal blooms (HABs).

Publications

Despins, M.C., Mason, R.P., Aguilar-Islas, A.M., Hammerschmidt, C.R. and S.E. Newell. 2023. Linked mercury methylation and nitrification across oxic sub-polar regions. Frontiers in Inorganic Chemistry. Special Issue on Environmental Chemistry of Mercury: Sources, Pathways, Transformations and Impact.


Jacquemin, S.J., Doll, J.C., Johnson, L.T., and S.E. Newell. 2023. Exploring long-term trends in microcystin toxin values associated with persistent harmful algal blooms in Grand Lake St Marys. Harmful Algae, 122, 102374


Reed*, M.H., Strope*, E.K., J.A. Myers*, S.E. Newell, and M.J. McCarthy. 2022. Effects of filtration timing and pore size on measured nutrient concentrations in natural waters. Limnology and Oceanography Methods, https://doi.org/10.1002/lom3.10529


Jacquemin, S.J., Birt, J., Senger, Z., Axe, B., Strang, B., Ewing, C., and S.E. Newell. 2022. On the Potential for Reconstructed Wetlands to Remediate Fecal Coliform Loading in an Agricultural Watershed. Hydrobiologia, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-022-05078-2


Starr*, L.S., Mark J. McCarthy, M.J., Hammerschmidt, C.R, Subramaniam, A., Despins*, M.C., Montoya, J.P., and S.E. Newell. (2022) Mercury methylation linked to nitrification in the tropical North Atlantic Ocean. Marine Chemistry, 104174.


Hoffman*, D.K., McCarthy, M.J., Boedecker*, A.R., Myers*, J.A., and S.E. Newell. 2022 Internal nitrogen loading supports cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms in western Lake Erie. Limnology and Oceanography, 67(9), 2028-2041


Heiss, E.M., Reed*, M.H., and S.E. Newell. 2022 Ammonia oxidizing archaea and ammonium concentration as drivers of nitrification in a protected freshwater lake. Freshwater Science, 41(4)


Cremona, F., Öglü, B., McCarthy, M. J., Newell, S. E., Nõges, P., & Nõges, T. (2021). Nitrate as a predictor of cyanobacteria biomass in eutrophic lakes in a climate change context. Science of The Total Environment, 151807.


Pound, H.L., R.M. Martin, C.S. Sheik, M.M. Steffen, S.E. Newell, G.J. Dick, R.M.L. McKay, G.S. Bullerjahn, & S.W. Wilhelm (2021) Environmental studies of cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms should include interactions with the dynamic microbiome. Environmental Science & Technology, in press.


Sepp+, M., Kõiv, T., Nõges, P., Nõges, T., Newell, S., and M. McCarthy (2021) Catchment soil characteristics predict organic carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus levels in temperate lakes. Freshwater Science, 41(1)


Xu, H., McCarthy, M.J., Paerl, H.W., Brookes, J.D., Zhu, G., Hall, N.S., Qin, B., Zhang, Y., Zhu, M., Hampel, J.J., Newell, S.E., Gardener, W.S. (2021) Contributions of external nutrient loading and internal cycling to cyanobacterial bloom dynamics in Lake Taihu, China: Implications for nutrient management. Limnology & Oceanography, 1-18. doi: 10.1002/lno.11700


Hampel*, J.J., M.J. McCarthy, S.L. Aalto, and S.E. Newell. (2020) Hurricane disturbance increased nitrification and altered the ammonia oxidizer community in Lake Okeechobee and St. Lucie Estuary (Florida). Frontiers in microbiology, 11, 1541.


Vieillard*, A.M., Newell, S.E., and S. Thrush. (2020) Recovering from Bias: A call for further study of under-represented tropical and low-nutrient estuaries. Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences, 125(7), e2020JG005766


Boedecker*, A.R., Niewinski*, D.N., Newell, S.E., Chaffin, J.C., and M.J. McCarthy. (2020) Evaluating sediments as an ecosystem service in western Lake Erie via quantification of nutrient cycling pathways and selected gene abundances. ELLS-IAGLR special issue, Journal of Great Lakes Research, 46(4), 920-932.


Mullen*, K., Newell, S.E., McCarthy, M.J., and C.R. Hammerschmidt. (2020) External sources inhibit benthic phosphorus fluxes in the Lower Great Miami


River, southwest Ohio. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, https://doi.org/10.1002/etc.4746
Newell S.E., Wilhelm S.W., McCarthy M.J. (2020) Nutrient Cycling. In: Gargaud M. et al. (eds) Encyclopedia of Astrobiology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27833-4_5412-1 

Research

Silvia is currently conducting NSF-funded research on how nitrogen cycling in Lake Erie and Lake Superior supports HABs. One collaborative NSF DISES project in the Maumee River/Lake Erie watershed focuses on engaging stakeholders (farmers, managers, and policymakers) to develop goals and realistic pathways for nitrogen reduction. She is also investigating the possible link between nitrification and mercury methylation with the US NSF GEOTRACES program. Silvia currently supervises two PhD students, Berk Durutürk  and Ran Jin.

Silvia is also conducting research on the implications of the changing Lake Erie ecosystem on critical fish species through a Great Lakes Fisheries Commission funded project. She is supervising a Masters student, Monica Woodruff, on this project.

 

  • 2022-2025 NSF Chemical Oceanography: Collaborative Research: US GEOTRACES GP-17- OCE and -ANT Sections: External sources, cycling and processes affecting mercury speciation in the South Pacific and Southern Oceans, Lead PI Rob Mason (Newell/Hammerschmidt $378K)
  • 2022-2026 NSF DISES: Coproducing Actionable Science to Understand, Mitigate, and Adapt to Cyanobacterial Harmful Algal Blooms (CHABS), Lead PI Christine Kirchhoff (Newell $150K).
  • 2020-2023 ODNR, H2Ohio Wetland Monitoring Program, (Newell and Jacquemin: $500K)
  • 2022-2023 Ohio Water Resources Center, Modeling total microcystin concentrations in Grand Lake St Marys during a period of exceedingly low external runoff (Newell and Jacquemin: $28K)
  • 2022 International Joint Commission, CSMI planning workshop (Newell, $23K)
Accolades

STUDENT ADVISEE AWARDS

2022 Marissa Despins, NSF Graduate Research Fellowship
2020 Joe Davidson, College of Science & Math Honors Top Scholar
2019 Zak Schultz, College of Science & Math Honors Top Scholar
2018 Allison Savoie, NSF Graduate Research Fellowship
2018 Allison Savoie, WSU Honors Research Scholarship
2018 Allison Savoie, College of Science & Math Honors Top Scholar
2018 Justyna Hampel, Environmental Science Ph.D. Graduate Excellence Award
 

HONORS AWARDED

2022 “Excellence in Grantsmanship” for securing over $1,000,000.00 in funding for research over the last 5 years.
2021 AGU Top 10 Most Downloaded Paper of the Year (Vieillard et al. 2020)
2021 Limnology & Oceanography Outstanding Reviewer
2019-2020 ASTRA Fellow, Estonia

Education

Ph.D. in Geosciences, Princeton University
M.A. in Geosciences, Princeton University
A.B. in Biogeochemistry, Smith College

In the News
Michigan Sea Grant receives funding for new research projects
May 8, 2026

Michigan Sea Grant receives funding for new research projects

Michigan Sea Grant recently launched nine new research projects with funding of nearly $1.5 million to track seasonal movements and populations of smallmouth bass in...

As binational representatives convene for Great Lakes Day, U-M experts are available to comment
March 2, 2026

As binational representatives convene for Great Lakes Day, U-M experts are available to comment

EXPERTS ADVISORY In the decades since eight U.S. states and two Canadian provinces formed the Great Lakes Commission—or the GLC—protecting the lakes has been a unifying...

Region-wide summer sampling provides data to protect fisheries, biodiversity, water quality
August 19, 2025

Region-wide summer sampling provides data to protect fisheries, biodiversity, water quality

This summer’s annual “HABs Grab”—a region-wide, large-scale, collaborative research effort focused on understanding Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) in the Great Lakes—has...

SEAS Professor Silvia Newell: Researching how excess nutrients affect water quality
August 6, 2025

SEAS Professor Silvia Newell: Researching how excess nutrients affect water quality

As a middle schooler, Silvia Newell was a member of her school’s Science Olympiad team, which sparked her interest in science and chemistry. Newell reached out to a...

The state of the Great Lakes: SEAS experts available to comment
January 28, 2025

The state of the Great Lakes: SEAS experts available to comment

Ahead of a Feb. 4 congressional briefing on Great Lakes science, University of Michigan experts are available to speak on trends in policy, weather, water quality and...

Smoke from the Canadian wildfires created  hazy skies near the Mackinac Bridge in June 2023.
November 7, 2024

"The Great Lakes University"

U-M is a major convener of Great Lakes research thanks to its interdisciplinary efforts to address climate change and other problems. SEAS is a microcosm of that work because of its Great Lakes research centers and institutes; collaborations with other U-M units; and expansive partnerships with organizations within Ann Arbor, the region, and spanning the U.S., Canada and other countries. What this means, according to SEAS Dean Jonathan Overpeck, is that U-M is well-positioned to be “The Great Lakes University.”

In the Media
February 10, 2025

Research Brief: Phosphorous Binding Treatments in Grand Lake St. Marys (Lake Scientist)

Silvia Santa Maria Newell
January 27, 2025

Research Brief: Drivers and Mechanisms of Harmful Algal Blooms in Grand Lake St. Marys (Lake Scientist)

Silvia Santa Maria Newell
October 14, 2024

Opinion: Action to combat HABs will take time, cooperation (Crain's Cleveland Business)

Silvia Santa Maria Newell
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