Our lab works broadly on biogeochemistry and ecosystem science, applied to a wide variety of both theoretical and practical questions. We enjoy trying to understand some of nature's complexity, and we believe strongly in applying objective science to sustaining the biosphere and human society. Our research encompasses a wide range of spatial scales, from microbial to ecosystem, regional, and global. Our research includes a broad range of inter-connected topical areas, illustrated below. Note that much of our research and many of our papers fall into two or more of these categories. Click on a topic to further explore research in the Howarth-Marino lab.
Recent News
2016
Howarth briefs White House Staff
On May 27, Bob briefed senior staff and scientists of the White House's Office of Science and Technology Policy in a 90-minute briefing titled "Natural Gas and Methane After COP21". You can read the Cornell news article about the talk here.
2016
Public talk on natural gas expansion
Bob discussed the climate and economic impacts of natural gas expansion in a series of three public events co-sponsored by the Duke Environmental Law and Policy Clinic, The Climate Times, and NC Warn. Videos and information about the event can be viewed here.
2016
Howarth letter to Pres. Garrett
Click here to view a pdf of Bob's letter to Cornell's President, Elizabeth Garrett.
2015
Howarth interviewed on WCNY
Bob was interviewed on the Capital Pressroom segment of WCNY, discussing the climate meeting in Paris and the role of methane in global climate change. The interview is available to listen to online at this link.
2015
Howarth represents Cornell at COP 21 climate negotiations in Paris
Howarth was one of four delegates who represented Cornell University at the United Nations' COP21 climate negotiations in Paris. For his blogs on his experience, see howarthlab.org. The 21st Conference of the Parties in Paris brought representatives from 190 countries together to address climate change, with the goal of achieving a universal agreement on actions necessary to limit global climate change.
2015
Article on Methane Emissions and Climatic Warming Risk Published
Bob's article "Methane emissions and climatic warming risk from hydraulic fracturing and shale gas development: implications for policy" has just been published in Energy and Emission
Control Technologies.
View the video abstract on YouTube
Download the article
Visit the publisher's website
2015
Summary of methane emissions papers
A double-sided handout summary is now available of the key points and figures from the 2015 publication "Methane emissions and climatic warming risk from hydraulic fracturing and shale gas development: implications for policy" and the 2014 publication "A bridge to nowhere: methane emissions and the greenhouse gas footprint of natural gas".
View archived news stories.
Recent Publications
Hong and Howarth, 2016. Greenhouse gas emissions from domestic hot water: heat pumps compared to most commonly used systems. Energy Science & Engineering
Howarth, 2015. Methane emissions and climatic warming risk from hydraulic fracturing and shale gas development: implications for policy. Energy and Emission Control Technologies
Gao et al, 2015. Evaluating anthoropogenic N inputs to diverse lake basins: A case study of three Chinese lakes. Ambio.
Lyon et al, 2015. Seasonal and regional patterns in performance for a Baltic Sea drainage basin hydrologic model. Journal of the American Water Resources Association.
Zhang et al, 2015. Anthropogenic point and non-point nitrogen inputs into Huai River Basin and their impacts on riverine ammonia-nitrogen flux. Biogeosciences Discussions.
Gao et al, 2015. Enhanced N input to Lake Dianchi Basin from 1980 to 2010: Drivers and consequences. Science of the Total Environment.
Sha et al, 2014. Estimation of watershed hydrologic processes in arid conditions with a modified watershed model. Journal of Hydrology.
Swaney et al, 2014. Net Anthropogenic Nitrogen Inputs and Nitrogen Fluxes from Indian Watersheds: An Initial Assessment. Journal of Marine Systems.
Howarth 2014. A bridge to nowhere: Methane emissions and the greenhouse gas footprint of natural gas. Energy Science & Engineering.
2014 Report by the International Panel for Sustainable Resource Management, United Nations Environment Program (UNEP). Assessing global land use: Balancing consumption with sustainable supply. You can also download the summary here or visit the UNEP website for other related documents.