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.
Ecological Processes
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 …
Beneath the Surface, Long-Term Lake Monitoring Reveals the Drama of a Food Web in Flux
Seen from shore, it doesn’t look like a lot is going on in Trout Lake in northern Wisconsin. Aside from windy days that shove waves against its mostly wooded shoreline, the lake presents, more often …
Out of Sight, But Not Out of Mind: How Will Zooplankton Fare in Warmer Lakes?
by Cassie Gauthier — When I walked out of my cabin, it was pouring. It was my first week on station and had been raining almost every day. I went to the station and layered …
Scientists Turn to Satellites to Study Lakes of Many Colors
by Hilary Dugan – Why are lakes blue? Or green? Or brown? The color of a lake reflects what’s in the water. Pure water appears blue, lakes with a lot of algae appear green, and …