The health of U.S. waters are often steered in whichever way the political winds are blowing. In 2015, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, under leadership appointed by the Obama administration, expanded the definition of what …
Water Quality, Hydrology & Nutrients
Why Wetlands Matter
I couldn’t have timed my commute worse this morning. The wind picked up just as I was stepping on the bus. Halfway to work, the lightning and thunder started up. And, just in time for …
Want to Reduce Road Salt Impacts on Ecosystems and Infrastructure? Just Add Water.
The above picture shows CFL assistant professor Hilary Dugan and a giant pile of rock salt. It is so much salt. How much? Well, this particular pile belongs to the Jefferson County Highway Department and …
In The News: Federal shutdown threatens environmental research, resource management up and down Mississippi River
As the government shutdown drags on with no end in sight, we’d planned to write about how it’s impacting the freshwater sciences as researchers are sidelined at the National Science Foundation, U.S. Fish and Wildlife …
“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 …
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 …
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 …
FLAMe On! High-Tech, High-Speed Collaboration on Northwoods Lakes
by Sydney Widell Mike Smale, Kevin Gauthier and I have been driving through Wisconsin’s northern forests for nearly an hour when Kevin rolls to a stop in a clearing. Ahead of us, blocking the road, …
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 …
Checking in on Madison Lakes Ahead of the Fishing Opener
If you’ve ever had the pleasure of catching a walleye or musky or pretty much any fish in Wisconsin, you might want to thank someone from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR). They’re the …