Silvia Santa Maria Newell
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
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)
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
Ph.D. in Geosciences, Princeton University
M.A. in Geosciences, Princeton University
A.B. in Biogeochemistry, Smith College