When the tiny and invasive spiny water flea began appearing in University of Wisconsin–Madison researchers’ nets in 2009, scientists began to wonder how Lake Mendota, one of the most-studied lakes in the world, went from …
Global Change & Long-Term Ecology
Updated: When Will Our Lakes Freeze? Time for Annual CFL “Ice On” Pool
Note, post was originally published 11/28/16 and has been updated to include current conditions. After a rather balmy Thanksgiving, where nighttime lows still hovered above freezing, our forecast calls for highs in the 30s (Fahrenheit) and …
“David Buoy” Wraps Up 11th Year Monitoring Lake Mendota
Yesterday we caught a slight break in our string of cold, windy days and researchers here from the UW- Madison Center for Limnology and Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences were able to head out …
Guest Post: Healthy Lakes Have Real, Calculable Value for Humans
Yesterday, the folks at Fondriest Environmental published a great article on how science is proving the value of lakes to humans. We just had to share! By Karla Lant on October 11, 2018 Do you have a …
Editorial: Help Lakes Drain to Prevent Future Floods
In case you missed his editorial in Sunday’s Wisconsin State Journal, Dick Lathrop (who spent four decades with the Wisconsin DNR studying the Yahara lakes and holds an honorary appointment with the Center for Limnology) …
After the Flood – “Doomsday” Climate Change Scenario Looks a Little Less Alarmist
In 2014, the Water, Sustainability and Climate Project at the University of Wisconsin-Madison published “Yahara 2070” a series of stories about potential futures for the Madison area and the Yahara watershed. Using a combination of …
How A 30-Year Rain Event Became a 100-Year Flood
In case you’ve somehow missed the news, let’s just say that it’s been wet in Wisconsin over the last week. Really, really wet. Here in Madison we’re still holding our breath, filling up sandbags and …
Record Rain in Madison is What Climate Change Looks Like – Especially in Midwest
It’s been more than 24 hours since a severe weather system stalled out over Dane County and dumped anywhere from 3.92 (Dane County Airport), to 11.63 (National Weather Service in Middleton) to an unconfirmed 15.33 …
Florida’s Red Tide Shows Algae Blooms Aren’t Just a Wisconsin Problem
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 …
Study Finds “Hidden Harvest” in World’s Inland Fisheries
A new study published today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences says we are dramatically underestimating the role inland fisheries play in global food security. While it’s widely known that people across …