A long-standing research area primarily concerned with computer simulation of the growth and movement of problem cyanobacterial blooms and strategies for their management.
I have been interviewed several times for ITV and BBC news following outbreaks of toxic blue-green algae affecting waterbodies, such as lakes and rivers used for recreation and/or fishing.
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.
- NOAA and its research partners are forecasting that western Lake Erie will experience a smaller-than-average harmful algal bloom (HAB) this summer, which would make it less severe than 2021 and more akin to what was seen in the lake in 2020.
- In a recent study published online in The Plant Cell, Prof. Yang Wenqiang's research team from the Institute of Botany of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (IBCAS) has reported the critical role of the largest protein Orf2971 encoded by the Chlamydomonas reinhardtii plastid genome in protein translocation and quality control.
- The oceans are teeming with countless forms of life, from the world's largest creature—the blue whale—to miniscule microorganisms. In addition to their vast numbers, these microorganisms are also crucial for ensuring that the entire eco- and climate system work properly. For instance, there are photosynthetically active varieties such as cyanobacteria that produce around 50 percent […]
- As greenhouse effects become increasingly prominent, soil carbon has been a major focus of research on climate change. Soil microorganisms are the key groups that drive soil carbon transformation. Due to the complexity of factors such as microbial physiology, the composition of organic compounds in soils, and variation among redox forms, the pattern and process […]
- Research by Oregon State University has shed new light on the hazards associated with harmful algal blooms such as one four years ago that fouled drinking water in Oregon's capital city of Salem.
- Plants use the "lotus effect" to self-clean—water droplets simply roll off and clean the surface to reduce infestation with fungal spores, for example, as Professor Wilhelm Barthlott of the University of Bonn discovered four decades ago. But it's not just plants that use the lotus effect—land living cyanobacteria (Hassallia byssoidea) also use extreme water repellency […]
- Microorganisms may provide hope that peatlands can withstand hotter temperatures in a changing climate, according to a study recently published in the New Phytologist.
- Marine cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) are major contributors to the global carbon cycle and are the basis of the food web in many of the world's oceans. They only require sunlight, carbon dioxide, plus a panel of essential elements, including metals, to sustain life. However, little is known about whether and how cyanobacteria utilize or regulate […]
- In 2020, a group of researchers in Fay-Wei Li's lab at the Boyce Thompson Institute (BTI) had done what many scientists dream of doing: They discovered a new species. But as they discussed what to name this green alga from Central New York State, nothing seemed quite right.
- Reducing levels of the nutrient phosphorus to control harmful algal blooms in places like Lake Erie is actually advantageous to toxic cyanobacteria strains, which can lead to an increase in toxins in the water, according to a new modeling study.
