Toxic Cyanobacteria (blue-green algae)

My original research area was primarily concerned with computer simulation of the growth and movement of problem cyanobacterial blooms and strategies for their management. I was lucky to work with colleagues such as Colin Reynolds at the Institute of Freshwater Ecology in Windermere and mentors Pauline Kneale, Mike Kirkby and Adrian McDonald at Leeds. My PhD students including Basak Guven and Mark Easthope carried this work forward and have excelled in their own careers.

Selected publications

2012 Howard, A. Toxic Cyanobacteria in Bengstsson, L., Herschy, R. and Fairbridge, R. (eds) Encyclopedia of Lakes and Reservoirs. Springer. ISBN 9781402056161.

2011 Guven, B. and Howard, A. Sensitivity analysis of a cyanobacterial growth and movement model under two different flow regimes, Environmental Modeling and Assessment. 16:577-589.

2007 Guven, B. and Howard, A. Identifying the critical parameters of a cyanobacterial growth and movement model by using generalised sensitivity analysis Ecological Modelling, 207, 11-21.

2007 Guven, B. and Howard, A. Modelling the growth and movement of cyanobacteria in river systems Science of the Total Environment, 368, 898-908.

2006 Guven, B. and Howard, A. A review and classification of the existing models of cyanobacteria Progress in Physical Geography, 30, 1-24.

2003 Burton, L.R. Howard, A. & Goodall, B. Construction of a historical Water Pollution Index for the Mersey Basin, Area, 35:4.

2002 Howard, A. & Easthope, M.P. Application of a model to predict cyanobacterial growth patterns in response to climatic change at Farmoor Reservoir, Oxfordshire, UK, The Science of the Total Environment, 282-283, 459-469.

2001 Howard, A. Modelling movement patterns of the cyanobacterium, Microcystis, Ecological Applications: the journal of the Ecological Society of America, 11, 304-310.

1999 Howard, A. Algal Modelling: Processes and Management: An Introduction, Hydrobiologia, 414, 35-37

1999 Howard, A. (ed) Algal Modelling: Processes & Management, Hydrobiologia, 414.

1999 Easthope, M.P. & Howard, A. Modelling algal dynamics in a lowland impoundment, Science of the Total Environment. 241, 17-25.

1999 Easthope, M.P. & Howard, A. Implementation and sensitivity analysis of a model of cyanobacterial movement and growth, Hydrobiologia, 414, 53-58.

1997 Whitehead, P.G. Howard, A. & Arulmani, C. Modelling algal growth and transport in rivers: a comparison of time series analysis, dynamic mass balance, and neural network techniques, Hydrobiologia, 347: 39-46.

1997 Kneale, P.E. & Howard, A. Statistical analysis of algal and water quality data, Hydrobiologia, 347: 59-63.

1997 Howard, A. Computer simulation modelling of buoyancy change in Microcystis, Hydrobiologia, 349: 111-117.

1997 Howard, A. Algal Modelling: Processes & Management. Editorial Preface. Hydrobiologia, 349:vii-ix.

1996 Howard, A. McDonald, A.T. Kneale, P.E. & Whitehead, P.G. Cyanobacterial (blue-green algal) blooms in the UK: A review of the current situation and potential management options, Progress in Physical Geography, 20, 63-81.

1996 Howard, A. Irish, A.E. & Reynolds, C.S. SCUM ’96: A new simulation of cyanobacterial underwater movement, Journal of Plankton Research, 18, 1375-1385.

1995 Howard, A. Kirkby, M.J., Kneale, P.E. & McDonald, A.T. Modelling the growth of cyanobacteria (GrowSCUM), Hydrological Processes, 9, 809-820.

1994 Howard, A. Problem cyanobacterial blooms – explanation and simulation modelling, Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers, 19, 213-224.

1993 Howard, A. SCUM – simulation of cyanobacterial underwater movement, Computer Applications in the Biosciences, 9, 413-419.

• Lake Erie produces 'forbidden soup' of rotating potential toxins
  Municipalities and federal agencies monitor U.S. waters for microcystins, a toxin produced by harmful algal blooms in Lake Erie, but a University of Michigan study shows that the blooms produce a greater range of potentially toxic compounds than previously known.
• Mars fungi could make red planet regolith fertile for crops
  You're on the fourth human mission to Mars, and you've been tasked with establishing the first self-sustaining food crop on a Martian settlement. You're nervous because you're using a new type of fungi called beneficial fungi, which you're told will help enhance the Martian regolith, enabling it to be used for growing crops.
• Asteroid impact site reveals possible traces of early life
  A discovery by a South Korean research team suggests that impact-generated lakes may have fostered early oxygen-producing life. A team of South Korean scientists has uncovered new evidence that could help explain how Earth's atmosphere became rich in oxygen, one of the most transformative events in the planet's history.
• Hidden algae diversity emerges in wheat fields across spring, summer and autumn
  Intensive agriculture poses a significant threat to global biodiversity. However, one aspect of biodiversity in farmland is little studied: algae. Most people have seen algae growing in streams, lakes or the sea. However, algae have also adapted to survive in drier, harsher conditions on land. In fact, soil algae are thought to be responsible for […]
• Newly discovered myxobacterium in a cyanobacterial community performs photosynthesis
  Researchers at the Leibniz Institute DSMZ-German Collection of Microorganisms and Cell Cultures have conducted high-resolution investigations of the so-called cyanosphere, the "housing community" of cyanobacteria. The focus was on identifying previously unknown associated bacteria that play a crucial role in the vitality of the cyanobacteria. Particular attention was paid to a newly discovered myxobacterium capable […]
• A deep‑ocean climate plan wins rare EPA approval, but is sinking plants in the sea the answer?
  Innovators who are working on ways to pull carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere to fight climate change are having a tough time lately.
• Brazilian microfossils interpreted as animal traces are actually algae and bacteria, research reveals
  A reexamination of microfossils found in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso do Sul shows that the marks previously interpreted as traces of worms or other small oceanic animals are actually communities of fossilized microscopic bacteria and algae.
• Lab-evolved cyanobacteria survive minute-by-minute light swings, offering clues to hardier crops
  Plant scientist Dario Leister and his team are investigating how cyanobacteria adapt to rapidly changing light intensities. This could help optimize photosynthesis in crops. Photosynthesis is one of the most complex processes in nature. However, plants use only a fraction of the available light spectrum and are highly sensitive to environmental stressors such as changing […]
• Membrane complex aids rock-eating microbes in converting carbon dioxide to biomass
  So-called rock-eating microorganisms obtain their energy to convert carbon dioxide (CO2) from inorganic sources and make up the vast majority of biomass producers. Using electron microscopy and infrared spectroscopy, a research team from the universities of Potsdam and Marburg has investigated the structure of DAB2 in the sulfur bacterium Halothiobacillus neapolitanus. Their findings have been […]
• Nutrient imbalance may drive coral disease more than heat stress
  Scientists led by the University of Southampton have revealed that an imbalance of nutrients in seawater can cause coral disease—possibly to a greater extent than that from heat stress of warming oceans. New research conducted at Southampton's Coral Reef Laboratory, and with colleagues at the University of Derby, shows disruption of the delicate nutrient balance […]