By Ryan Smazal, Wisconsin Historical Society; and Sara Fox, University of Wisconsin-Extension As many might know, the Great Lakes house about a fifth of the freshwater supply for the entire world. A less commonly known fact is that the Great Lakes contain more than 700 shipwrecks. Among those shipwrecks live over 3,500 plant and animal …
While we were knee-deep in stories about algae problems in Wisconsin’s lakes this summer, a serious outbreak of blooms has been unfolding in Florida where a massive “red tide” is swirling in the waters off both its Atlantic and Gulf coasts. Here in Wisconsin, our potentially toxic bluegreen blooms are caused by cyanobacteria like Microcystis aeruginosa, anabeana and …
This is Part 3 of a 3-Part series on an ambitious summer research project exploring how trees manage their water supplies and respond to drought. You can read Part 1 here and Part 2 here. by Sydney Widell – When Brian Schlaff and I park our car on Birch Tree Lane, a quiet road that …
This is Part 2 of a 3-Part series on an ambitious summer research project exploring how trees manage their water supplies and respond to drought. Part 1 is here and Part 3 is coming soon! by Sydney Widell – “The thought of this breakfast is what’s kept me going,” said Brian Schlaff, when we arrive …
by Sydney Widell – Kevin Gauthier glances behind him and to both sides before he loads his shotgun and raises it carefully to his shoulder. His gaze follows the steel line of the barrel up into the treetops. Exhaling, he squeezes back gently on the trigger. After the sound of the explosion fades, the forest …
by Meghan Chua With a background in engineering and environmental science, alumnus Paul Schramm had the perfect mix of skills to work on a water quality measurement project that brought new possibilities into the field of limnology. Schramm first started working on a prototype of Fast Limnology Automated Measurement (FLAMe) platform in 2014 as an …
by Sydney Widell As Dan Benson was enjoying the view of Upper Buckatabon Lake from his dock one morning, he noticed something in the water he’d never seen in the 20 years he’s lived on the water. The morning was calm and the lake was glassy. But some 250 feet off shore, a stretch of …
BOULDER JUNCTION, WI – On Friday, August 3rd, the UW-Madison Center for Limnology will host its 8th annual Open House at Trout Lake Station, our research facility in Wisconsin’s beautiful Northwoods. Join us from 1 to 5 pm for a chance to get a first-hand look at what research is going on at the station this summer, …
by Sydney Widell Mike Smale, Kevin Gauthier and I have been driving through Wisconsin’s northern forests for nearly an hour when Kevin rolls to a stop in a clearing. Ahead of us, blocking the road, is a gated checkpoint. Kevin rummages in his wallet for his access card. When he finds it, the gate swings upward, …
A new study says that, despite dozens of locks and dams and backwater habitats that slow it’s flow, the Upper Mississippi River isn’t good at retaining the nitrates that run into its waters from intensively farmed states like Minnesota, Illinois and Iowa. Published July 12th in Environmental Research Letters, the study finds that only12.5% of …