Dr. Michael J. Newchurch is a Professor in the Atmospheric Science Department at The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) where he has been affiliated since 1988. He earned his B.S. degree in Industrial Sciences from Colorado State University in 1974 and his Ph.D. in Atmospheric Sciences from The Georgia Institute of Technology in 1986. He became an Adjunct Assistant Professor in 1988, Associate Research Professor in 1994, Associate Professor in 2000, tenured in 2003, and Professor in 2005. He was a visiting scientist at NCAR Atmospheric Chemistry Division in 1998 and an Affiliate Scientist from 1999-2002. He was appointed CEO of Air-Quality Remote-Sensing Consulting in 2007. He has taught Atmospheric Chemistry, Photochemical Modeling, Remote Sensing, Atmospheric Dynamics, and Environmental Science. He has proposed several research studies, with a total amount of $18.9 million awarded.
Dr. Newchurch's most significant achievements resulted from his publication with colleagues of the first stage of the recovery of the stratospheric ozone layer. This discovery confirmed the effectiveness of the Montreal Protocol and amendments. It received world-wide attention both in scientific circles and in the popular press. It was the most popular story on the AAAS website in 2003, the most popular story ever on the AGU site, and a top-10 NASA accomplishment in 2003. He was awarded the NASA group achievement award for his role as Assistant Mission Scientist on the ATLAS-2 and ATLAS-3 missions in 1992 and 1993. He is the founder and Chief Scientist for the Tropospheric Ozone Lidar Network.
Dr. Newchurch's current fields of interest include tropospheric ozone profile measurements with lidars and ozonesondes, retrievals from satellite instruments, atmospheric photochemical modeling, and ozone trend analyses. He conceived, designed, built, and now directs the Regional Atmospheric Profiling Center for Discovery (RAPCD), an active lidar and passive remote-sensing facility which includes the UAH/NOAA Ozonesonde station, a UV DIAL ozone lidar, Doppler wind lidar, elastic aerosol lidar, and several in situ aerosol and gas samplers. His past and current science team memberships include TEMPO, TOLNet, GEO-CAPE, NPP, OMI, TOMS, SAGE, HALOE, ATLAS, AIRS, ATMOS, POAM, and SBUV. He has served on the NOAA/CREST external advisory Board, the NASA Space Station Utilization Advisory Subcommittee (SSAUS), and numerous UAH committees. He has 7 Ph.D. graduates, 4 M.S. graduates, and has supported 28 undergraduate researchers. His professional organizations include the American Geophysical Union, American Meteorological Society, American Academy for the Advancement of Science, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Sigma Xi, and the Optical Society of America. He has been a science fair judge, a Cub Scout and Boy Scout leader, a baseball and soccer coach, and a science mentor in the NCAR SOARS program.
Acdan, J. J. M., and Coauthors, 2024: Evaluation of WRF-Chem air quality forecasts during the AEROMMA and STAQS 2023 field campaigns. J Air Waste Manag Assoc, 74, 783-803.
Kuang, S., and Coauthors, 2024: Mobile observations of ozone and aerosols in Alabama: Southeastern US summer Pollution and coastal variability. Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, 129, e2023JD039514.
McKinney, T., N. Perlaky, M. Newchurch, and B. Brown, 2023a: Insights on polar day Antarctica radio propagation using amateur radio beacons on circumnavigating balloons. Atmosphere, 14, 1118.