
Dr Ana Castro-Castellon
BSc, MSc, MSc, DPhil
Expertise
Freshwater ecosystem health is essential to life and at the heart of my professional and academic background. My aim is to improve water quality by identifying, preventing and treating pollution.
Current positions
Research Associate
School of Geographical Sciences
Contact
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Research interests
My research is interdisciplinary with a focus on freshwater ecosystem health and how human disturbances, such as nutrients or microplastic pollution, affect lentic and lotic ecosystems. My experimental research is conducted at a range of physical scales: in the field where hydrology and water chemistry are key to biological processes; and in the laboratory to disentangle observed processes. A fundamental aspect of my research involves the use of sensors for monitoring, the ecological and metabolical study of aquatic microorganisms, and the application or development of inorganic and organic analytical techniques.
My main areas of interest include:
- Pollutants and pathways to assess environmental impact and mitigation on freshwaters.
- Passive (nature-based) and active (chemical) treatment of waters.
- Understanding metabolical reponses of freshwater microorganisms to environmental stressors.
Publications
Selected publications
10/04/2022Ecotoxicity of microplastics to freshwater biota
Science of The Total Environment
The role of rhizofiltration and allelopathy on the removal of cyanobacteria in a continuous flow system
Environmental Science and Pollution Research
Lessons from the “Living-Filter”: An in-reservoir floating treatment wetland for phytoplankton reduction prior to a water treatment works intake
Ecological Engineering
Recent publications
12/11/2024Hormesis and Antagonism in Low-Dose Phalaris Allelochemicals during Microcystis Control
Inland Waters
Blue-space availability, environmental quality and amenity use across contrasting socioeconomic contexts
Applied Geography
Organic-matter decomposition in urban stream and pond habitats
Ecological Indicators
Ecotoxicity of microplastics to freshwater biota
Science of The Total Environment
Modelling microplastics in the river thames
Water (Switzerland)