It’s been more than 24 hours since a severe weather system stalled out over Dane County and dumped anywhere from 3.92 (Dane County Airport), to 11.63 (National Weather Service in Middleton) to an unconfirmed 15.33 inches of rain in Cross Plains. Initially, all of that water couldn’t get off the land fast enough, causing extreme …
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 its Atlantic and Gulf coasts. Here in Wisconsin, our potentially toxic bluegreen blooms are caused by cyanobacteria like Microcystis aeruginosa, anabeana and …
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 of sorts to the beautiful, microscopic organisms in the picture above. Diatoms are quite amazing. They produce around 20% of …
After last week’s massive cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) bloom in Lake Mendota and smaller (but no less unpleasant) blooms reported in Lake Monona and Waubesa, we received all sorts of questions on what causes these blooms, if they are dangerous and how to stop them. Here are some answers to a few of the frequently asked …
A couple of weeks ago, after yet another round of intense rain in the Madison area, we headed over to the website of the Wisconsin State Climatology office, curious if we were seeing more rain than normal. The answer was, yes, yes we were. In fact, our little corner of Dane County had received anywhere …
Necessity, of course, is the mother of invention. And scientific fieldwork is often the mother of necessity. Researchers are constantly having to invent new ways to collect data in challenging environments. What follows is a running diary of a marathon day of monitoring carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and testing new equipment on Lake Mendota. But, …
Earlier this week, Center for Limnology director, Jake Vander Zanden, noted a startling difference in Madison’s two largest lakes, Mendota and Monona. The waters of Lake Monona, near where he lives, were crystal clear, while the waters along the shoreline of Lake Mendota, where he works, were green and murky. The two lakes are connected …
by Angela Baldocchi Every spring, when I spot the first buds on a tree, I always think I might actually get to see them open if I pay close enough attention. But then – as if overnight – the leaves just seem to appear. On Lake Mendota, this springtime magic is one of disappearing ice. …
Ever since Hasler Lab Coordinator, Kelly O’Ferrell, launched our “Art @ Hasler” series, beautiful exhibitions of aquatic-themed art have graced our walls. The current series of photographs by Stuart Deets is especially profound, as is his essay on their creation and their meaning. Pictures & words by Stuart Deets (originally posted at Medium.com) Part One …
by Mason Muerhoff, @UWMadScience It is winter in the Northern Hemisphere. The vicious cold has transformed the scattered blue lakes of the North Woods into white disks — barren wastelands of ice. The harsh winds rushing across the icy plains combined with average air temperatures that are just above freezing seem to offer a less-than-hospitable …