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 …
Global Change & Long-Term Ecology
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 …
Running Diary of Flux Chambers, Mini Me and a Marathon Day in the Field
Necessity, of course, is the mother of invention. And scientific fieldwork is often the mother of necessity. Researchers are constantly having to invent new ways to collect data in challenging environments. What follows is a …
What’s Tipping the Scales Toward More Bass, Fewer Walleye in Wisconsin Waters?
by Sydney Widell For walleye and other northern Wisconsin fish, a warming climate may mean smaller populations and shrinking ranges, said Center for Limnology Director, Jake Vander Zanden, in a lecture Wednesday. Addressing a crowd …
Blog Redux: Can Rare Floods Bring the Colorado River Delta Back?
In a couple of weeks, your trusty blogger will be traipsing across the desert Southwest, helping lead a group of journalists on a “learning expedition” down the Colorado River. This Wednesday, Science on Tap-Minocqua will …
Coming Soon: Science on Ice, Urban Foxes and Aldo Leopold’s Legacy
We’ve got a busy week ahead of sharing science to the wider world. Check out what’s on tap! Science on Ice at the Frozen Assets Festival – Saturday, February 3rd (11am to 3pm) Ever wonder …
According to Science, We’re Losing Something Magical.
Two weeks ago, I walked down the hill from my house to do something I’d never done before. On the shoreline of Lake Monona, in the time it took my wife to get herself and …