by Steven Awve – Most people work a 9-to-5 job. But for some of the smallest creatures in our lakes, the workday begins at sundown. Their shift is still 9-to-5, but the AM’s and PM’s …
Ecological Processes
Crazy-Clear Water in Madison’s Lakes? Thank a Tiny, Voracious Critter Called Daphnia
This may sound unusual, since Lake Mendota is not known for its clear water. In fact, in late summer, a Secchi disk usually only drops one meter into the green, murky water before it disappears. …
Researchers Identify Five “Phases of Recovery” for a Nutrient Polluted Lake
by Adam Hinterthuer – When it comes to easing a lake’s water quality woes, there’s no such thing as a quick fix. Lakes and reservoirs across the U.S. suffer from problems like excessive algal growth …
Monitoring Manoomin: A Collaborative Study on Wild Rice Lake
When you think of science what comes to mind? Is it data or measurements? Research? What about people? Science is so much more than research and numbers–it’s about people and places, too. Our wild rice project here on station is a testimony to that.
Summer Snapshot: Studying Small Ponds’ Impact on Madison’s Biggest Lake
by Anna Mueller – A team at the Center for Limnology is spending the summer monitoring urban ponds in Middleton, a city of roughly 20,000 people nestled on the western end of Lake Mendota. Urban …
Big Fish, Little Fish: Decades’ Worth of Basic Measurements Tell a Complex Tale in One Wisconsin Lake
A new study is highlighting the power of long-term research when it comes to helping scientists understand ecological processes. In one Wisconsin lake, researchers at the UW-Madison’s Center for Limnology were able to both interpret …
What a Difference a Day Makes: Lake Mendota Goes From Blue-Green to Crystal Clear
by Anna Mueller – I showed up at the Center for Limnology’s Hasler Lab a few hours after the sun had risen and it was already getting hot. I was sweaty from biking to work …
Beyond The Bloom: Report Finds Some Surprising Fates in “Life Cycle” of Algal Toxins
Harmful algal blooms often seem to spring up out of nowhere, forcing public health officials scrambling to issue water quality advisories, while people headed out to recreate on a lake, river or reservoir are met …
Study of “Annual Life Cycle” in Wisconsin Lakes Finds Unpredictable Fate “Up North,” While Southern Waters Routinely Run Out of Air
A new study has found that, despite relatively similar climate conditions, there is a big difference in how lakes in northern and southern Wisconsin are responding to a warmer, wetter world. Using data collected on …
Tiny Invertebrates and The Great Aquatic Migration
by Christina Weatherford When looking at the lakes near Boulder Junction, Wisconsin, you might appreciate how scenic they are, or how many trophy fish they contain. However, UW Center for Limnology scientists at Trout Lake …