Originally Published October, 2014 – Earlier this month, anyone down on the shores of Madison’s lakes may have noticed the water tinged the green hue of an algae bloom, something we normally associate with the warmer …
Water Quality, Hydrology & Nutrients
Toxic Algae, Drinking Water and Why Madison Won’t Be Toledo
In case you missed the news the last couple of days, around 400,000 residents of the city of Toledo, Ohio were advised to completely avoid the city’s drinking water thanks to a bloom of a …
Past Post: Early “Spring Cleaning” for Lake Mendota
Obviously Lake Mendota is still frozen over here in the Spring of 2014. But, two years ago, Madison lakes had officially opened up (i.e. thawed) on March 10th and, by early April, we were writing …
Scenarios: Using Science Fiction to Think About the Future
by Jenny Seifert Change is constant and inevitable—in jobs, in relationships, in business, and in nature. It can make us feel downright powerless to realize that nothing is certain. So why even bother trying to …
Study IDs 10-year Water Level Cycle in Great Lakes, Says Current Lows Buck Trend
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Contact Carl Watras, 715-356-9494, cjwatras@facstaff.wisc.edu BOULDER JUNCTION, WI – For at least the last seventy years, lakes and aquifers in northern Wisconsin have followed the same pattern – after higher than average …
Yahara Pride Tackles Runoff at Its Source
The latest issue of Madison’s Capital Times has an excellent cover story exploring a new effort to reduce the amount of phosphorus that ends up in Madison lakes. As the article points out – each …
Limnology in the Lab: Rolling Carbon Burritos
Limnologists aren’t always out in boats on calm, sunny days. (But sometimes we are!) While fieldwork is an essential part of collecting data, it’s often not the only step needed to turn that information into …
Muckraking Mendota: What Do We Mean By “Clean?”
by Emily Hilts When I worked at Trout Lake Station, I usually went running after a day in the field and then jumped in the lake – not only to cool off but to get clean. …
Limnology in Action: Big Adventure on Small Lakes
by Aisha Liebenow It’s not every day that you get to say you went on an adventure; unless your name is Samantha Oliver or Andy Muench. Sam is a PhD student in the Center for …
Lake Life Ramping Back Up, Clear Water Phase on Its Way
A trip out sampling on Lake Mendota this morning yielded a robust catch of the zooplankton (tiny animal), Daphnia, a miniscule, yet voracious crustacean that goes to town on phytoplankton (tiny plant) populations that are …