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 …
lake ice
Winter is Coming? Tens of Thousands of Lakes May Spend Winters Ice Free as Climate Warms
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 …
Can Water Look Cold?
Right now, Lake Mendota is mostly frozen over – its only open water way out in the middle of the lake where winds are keeping the surface too riled up to freeze. But, yesterday morning …
Freeze, Then Thaw, Then Freeze? Lake Ice A Result of More Than Just Cold Weather
On the morning of Wednesday, December 19th, I got off the bus at University Avenue and began my walk north on Park Street – under the pedestrian bridge proclaiming “University of Wisconsin – Madison,” past …
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 …
Lake Mendota’s Spring Thaw Ties for 2nd Earliest on Record
Yesterday morning I brought breakfast to my daughters at our dining room table, glanced out the window and did a double take. The waters of Lake Monona were a churning mass of brownish bluish green. …
Blog Redux: What Less Lake Ice Means for Ecology, Economy and Ourselves
NOTE: This post originally ran on January 17, 2012. In the four of the five years since this post, Lake Mendota has frozen over well after its “median” freeze date, and in three of the …
What Two Frozen Lakes Taught Me About Perception Versus Data
by Samantha Oliver Today, I woke up at my favorite place on earth – Ten Mile Lake, in Hackensack, Minnesota. On the coldest day of the winter thus far, the frozen lake is so bright, …
Science on Ice at the Frozen Assets Festival
We here at the Center for Limnology are dedicated to outreach. The more everyone knows about our lakes, the better off we’ll all be. That’s why we love events like the Clean Lakes Alliance’s Frozen …
Researchers Get to the Bottom (& Beyond) of Lake Mendota Invasive Species
It looks like ice-off is only a couple days away on Madison’s lakes. Before we hit the completely open water season, though, here’s a look back at some semi-frozen fieldwork from early March. Graduate student, Jake …