This is Part 2 of a 3-Part series on an ambitious summer research project exploring how trees manage their water supplies and respond to drought. Part 1 is here and Part 3 is coming soon! …
Graduate Student Research
Shotgun Sampling: Researchers Bag Leaves to Better Understand Trees’ Response to Drought
by Sydney Widell – Kevin Gauthier glances behind him and to both sides before he loads his shotgun and raises it carefully to his shoulder. His gaze follows the steel line of the barrel up …
Guest Post: Building a Better Water Quality Measurement Platform
by Meghan Chua With a background in engineering and environmental science, alumnus Paul Schramm had the perfect mix of skills to work on a water quality measurement project that brought new possibilities into the field …
Big River Keeps on Rollin’ – Study Finds Little Nitrate Retention in the Upper Mississippi
A new study says that, despite dozens of locks and dams and backwater habitats that slow it’s flow, the Upper Mississippi River isn’t good at retaining the nitrates that run into its waters from intensively …
Diatoms Prove That Not All Algae Are Ugly
Think algae are gross? A new website will make you take a closer look. Dedicated to Lake Mendota’s diatoms – single-celled members of the brown algae classification – the website serves as a field guide …
Storing Carbon and Slowing Floods in Your Own Backyard
(FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE) MADISON – For many ecologists, fieldwork involves majestic mountains or rushing rivers or large tracts of wilderness. At the very least, it means exploring natural areas that aren’t defined by human development. …
Guest Post: Rural Communities in Thailand Conserve Vulnerable Fishes
CFL graduate student, Aaron Koning, spends a lot of time in Thailand, where he is studying fish conservation zones in rural communities to see if these efforts help protect fish biodiversity at a larger scale. …
Lake Is a Rainbow: Weird, Warm Fall Makes “Three-Layer Lake Cake”
by Luke Loken Autumn is typically associated with fall colors, pumpkin spice lattes, and cool temperatures. However this year, much of the Midwest has been stuck in summer-like conditions. And these record temperatures come with …
Trout Lake Research Rewind: Tricking the Turf & Sampling the Surf
by Riley Steinbrenner Tree Skirts? Ever since Dom got stuck between a hand drill and a hard place the first time I ventured out with him and Patrick, this whole “tree skirt” situation had just …
Trout Lake Research Rewind: Mega Buoy & Mini Mammals
by Riley Steinbrenner Week Eight Launching Mega Buoy If you ever walked up to the station’s main lab at any time during the beginning of summer, a giant conglomerate of solar panels, wires, metal framing …