By Adam Hinterthuer – A new study has found that, when it comes to our freshwater fisheries, recreational anglers currently have a greater impact on fish populations than climate change. And that may be good news, says the study’s lead author, Luoliang Xu, because, faced with warming waters around the world, “local fishery management becomes …
Freshwater ecosystems account for half of global emissions of methane, a potent greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming. Rivers and streams, especially, are thought to emit a substantial amount of that methane but the rates and patterns of these emissions at global scales remain largely undocumented. Now, thanks to an international effort to better …
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – by Adam Hinterthuer As lakes across the upper Midwest warm, cool-water species of fish are finding it harder to thrive. In Wisconsin, that trend is especially noticeable in struggling walleye populations. Walleye are important to many Indigenous communities, a top target in the state’s sport fishery, and a popular item on …
By Lori Balster. Originally published in Environmental Monitor, October 12, 2021 While researchers all over the globe have been studying greenhouse gases, there are still some areas in the field that have not received as much attention as they deserve. Emily Stanley, professor in the department of integrative biology at the University of Wisconsin and …
As Earth’s average temperature rises, climate change impacts are being felt across the globe. Hurricanes and wildfires are bigger and more destructive. Extreme rain events are more common. Droughts last longer. But, surprisingly, one big problem with a climate connection isn’t getting universally worse. According to a scientific study published online October 5th in Frontiers …
Another year, another ice-off for Madison’s lakes. Yesterday, the Wisconsin State Climatology office – specifically Ed Hopkins (you should read this great write-up in the Wisconsin State Journal) – officially declared the surface of Lake Mendota to be more open water than solid ice – so the date of March 22nd, 2020 will go down …
by Eric Hamilton, University Communications – For 166 years, observers from the University of Wisconsin–Madison and the Wisconsin State Climatology Office have recorded a central aspect of life in the city — the dates when Lake Mendota freezes and thaws. Those dates mark the transition from fishing to ice fishing, from canoeing to snow shoeing. …
MADISON – In many parts of the Northern Hemisphere, frozen lakes define the winter experience and create an indelible sense of place. From ice fishing and hockey to skating, skiing and snowmobiling, icy lakes enable communities to engage in activities that aren’t possible in warmer seasons or climates. But these iconic cold-weather past-times could become …
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 hoping no new major rain event pushes water-levels even higher. Already, our lakes have hit near-record water levels, causing floods …
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 of homeowners and area fisherman at the Nicolet Area Technical College, Vander Zanden illustrated the way warming lakes, among other …