Subnivium is a word you’ve probably never heard of, but it refers to a vast ecosystem across much of the world. Specifically, the small pocket of open space that develops each winter between the surface of the ground and the blanket of snow that covers it. That small space is critically important to all sorts …
by Adam Rexroade For Madison residents, the summer of 2018 was a summer of heavy rain, ongoing flooding and inaccessible lakes. Pictures of kayakers floating down flooded streets and sandbags holding back floodwaters littered newspapers all summer long. These dramatic photos earned those front cover pages—Madison received almost 20 inches of rain from June through August. Much …
Hornyhead chub, Fishes of Wisconsin poster. Photo: A. Hinterthuer Happy Valentine’s Day! Considering we’re still talking about a certain wall two years after we first published this, we thought it was time to reshare the tale of a fish that builds walls – for love! (originally posted Jan. 27, 2017) — Maybe it’s too soon …
by Eric Hamilton, University Communications – For 166 years, observers from the University of Wisconsin–Madison and the Wisconsin State Climatology Office have recorded a central aspect of life in the city — the dates when Lake Mendota freezes and thaws. Those dates mark the transition from fishing to ice fishing, from canoeing to snow shoeing. …
The above picture shows CFL assistant professor Hilary Dugan and a giant pile of rock salt. It is so much salt. How much? Well, this particular pile belongs to the Jefferson County Highway Department and it’s not uncommon for them to dump literal tons of salt onto county roads and Interstate 94 during an extended …