D. Scott Mackay

Dr. Mackay holds a PhD in civil engineering from the University of Toronto. He is a hydrologist, focusing on the interactions between hydrology and vegetation (aka Ecohydrology). Prior to stepping into the Chair position, he held positions Associate Dean for Graduate Education and Senior Associate Dean in the College of Arts & Sciences, and for 10 years was an editor for Water Resources Research, the flagship journal in hydrology. His research has been supported by $11.8M as PI or co-PI from NSF, DOE, NASA, and EPA, and he has published more than 80 articles in peer-refereed journals.

Scott’s research examines how vegetation responds to climate warming, drought, and other environmental stressors, with an emphasis on linking observable data on biophysical processes with not easily observed processes that are instead represented in simulation models. By building models that simulate plant water transport, photosynthesis, and growth using physical equations and biological first principles, he seeks to understand the emergent responses of vegetation to environmental dynamics, such as drought-related mortality, enhanced or suppressed carbon cycling, and increased demand on water resources. The models are constrained with observational data inputs, such as weather and climate, phenomics and genomics (and other “-omics”) from empirical observations, and soil characteristics. He combines the models with Bayesian methods that enable him to make probabilistic statements about causal links between climate change and forest mortality, predict water requirements for future food production, test the reliability of data and information on vegetation responses to climate.

Related Publications:

Kim, D., C.R. Guadagno, B.E. Ewers, and D.S. Mackay. 2024. Combining PSII photochemistry and hydraulics improves predictions of photosynthesis and water use from mild to lethal drought. Plant, Cell & Environment, 47(4), 1255-1268, doi:10.1111/pce.14806.

Gleason, S.N., D.M. Barnard, T.R. Green, D.S. Mackay, D.R. Wang, E.A. Ainsworth, J. Altenhofen, T.J. Brodribb, H. Cochard, L.H. Comas, M. Cooper, D. Creek, K.C. DeJonge, S. Delzon, F.B. Fritschi, G. Hammer, C. Hunter, D. Lombardozzi, C.D. Messina, T. Ocheltree, B.M. Stevens, J.J. Stewart, V. Vadez, J. Wenz, I.J. Wright, K. Yemoto, and H. Zhang. 2022. Physiological trait networks enhance understanding of crop growth and water use in contrasting environments. Plant, Cell & Environment, 45(9), 2554-2572, doi:10.1111/pce.14382.

Tai, X., M.D. Venturas, D.S. Mackay, P.D. Brooks, and L.B. Flanagan. 2021. Lateral subsurface flow modulates forest mortality risk to future climate and elevated CO2. Environmental Research Letters, 16 (2021) 084015, https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ac1135.

Mackay, D.S., P.R. Savoy, C. Grossiord, X. Tai, J.R. Pleban, D.R. Wang, N.G. McDowell, H.D. Adams, and J.S. Sperry. 2020. Conifers depend on established roots during drought: results from a coupled model of carbon allocation and hydraulics. New Phytologist, 225(2), 679-692, doi:
10.1111/nph.16043.

Visit the Department of Geography website for Mackay's complete profile, including latest research and publications.