University of Wisconsin–Madison

Month: March 2020

Why Did These Freshwater Scientists Spend Their Winter Plowing a Bog?

As March gives way to April, spring is springing throughout Wisconsin. Boats are again braving the waves of lakes down south, while ice is slowly melting away in the half-frozen lakes of the Northwoods. As we all shelter in place, awaiting an end to this horrible pandemic, a lone sentinel sits atop the slushy ice …

Madison Lakes Now Ice-Free, Open for Spring

Another year, another ice-off for Madison’s lakes. Yesterday, the Wisconsin State Climatology office – specifically Ed Hopkins (you should read this great write-up in the Wisconsin State Journal) – officially declared the surface of Lake Mendota to be more open water than solid ice – so the date of March 22nd, 2020 will go down …

CFL Scientist Helped Discover ‘Star of the Sea’ – one of 2019’s ‘Top Ten’ New Species

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Along the coastline of Belize and other Caribbean nations nearly every night, a spectacular light show takes place just beneath the waves. Millions upon millions of tiny crustaceans called ostracods (or, to non-science folk, ‘seed shrimp’) congregate around the nearshore coral reefs and put on a dazzling display of bioluminescence – flashing …

Stuck at Home Because of Coronavirus Concerns? Here are 5 Lake Webcams to Pass the Time.

As the U.S. and other parts of the world grapple with the abundance of caution needed to reduce the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, many folks are finding themselves working from home – or on an unexpectedly extended Spring Break. Before you roll your eyes and mumble about “overreactions” to the novel coronavirus, this momentary …