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IEHN member, Sarah Murnaghan

Network Member Profiles

Sarah Murnaghan, Trinity College Dublin.

Biography

Sarah Murnaghan profile photoSarah Murnaghan is currently completing her PhD, "Modelling ecological pressures and responses in a calcareous lake", with the Department of Geography, School of Natural Sciences, Trinity College, Dublin. Sarah obtained a BSc in Geology from University College Dublin (UCD) in 2005 and a MApplSc in Environmental Science in 2006, also from UCD. Sarah also obtained a Higher Diploma in Statistics from Trinity College Dublin in 2008. From 2008-2009 she was employed full-time as Assistant Lecturer with the Department of Geography, Mary Immaculate College, University of Limerick, where she taught modules in physical geography and environmental change. She is also an ordinary committee member of the Irish Quaternary Association (IQUA) and editor of the IQUA Newsletter since 2009. Sarah is a reviewer for the Journal of Postgraduate Research, Trinity College Dublin, since 2008.

Contact

murnaghs@tcd.ie

Research Interests

Environmental change - palaeolimnology - ecological modelling - catchment modelling - Lough Mask - climate change impacts on aquatic ecosystems - ecosystem stability - alternative stable states - Water Framework Directive - marl lakes - trophic stability - diatoms - dissolution.

Collaborative Interests

Sarah has been involved in two EPA-funded projects as researcher/postgraduate researcher including ILLUMINATE (EPA/ERDI project # 2005-W-MS-40-M1), 2006-2009, and a small-scale study "Modelling ecological pressures and responses in a calcareous lake" (SSS: 2005-SS-68), 2007-2008.

Themes

Water, Earth, Air.

Selected Publications

Murnaghan, S., Taylor, D., Jennings, E., Dalton, C., Olaya-Bosch, K. And O’Dwyer, B. (in press) Mid-late Holocene environmental changes and variations in preservation of sedimentary biological proxies. Journal of Palaeolimnology.

Murnaghan, S., Taylor, D. and Jennings, E (submitted) Evidence of climate-enhanced eutrophication in a west of Ireland lake, Global Change Biology.

Murnaghan, S., Taylor, D. and Jennings, E (in prep) Long term catchment ecological pressure-response relationships: integrating mathematical modelling and palaeolimnological techniques, Water Research.

Murnaghan, S., Taylor, D. and Jennings, E (in prep). Scenario-based ecological pressure-response modelling: determining effective measures for achieving Water Framework Directive objectives, Journal of Applied Ecology.

Donohue, I., Bosch, K., Chen, G., Dalton, C., Leira, M., Murnaghan, S., O’Dwyer, B. and Taylor, D. (submitted). Landscape characteristics regulate the relationship between nutrient enrichment and the stability of ecosystems, Journal of Applied Ecology.

Dalton, C., Jennings, E., Taylor, D., O’Dwyer, B., Murnaghan, S., Bosch, K., de Eyto, E. & Sparber, K. (2010) Past, current and future interactions between pressures, chemical status and biological quality elements for lakes in contrasting catchments in Ireland (ILLUMINATE). EPA/ERTDI Project # 2005-W-MS-40 Draft Report 290 pp.

Murnaghan (2009) Ecological modelling in a calcareous lake. Small Scale Study - #2005-SS-68 - for EPA Belfield, Dublin 4.

Jennings, E., Dalton, C., Olas, M., de Eyto, E., Allott, N., Bosch, K., Murnaghan, S. and Taylor, D. (2008) Reconstruction of the recent past in a west of Ireland catchment. Verhandlungen - Internationale Vereinigung fuer Theoretische und Angewandte Limnologie.