Humanity Crosses 4 of 9 ‘Planetary Boundaries,’ Q&A with Steve Carpenter

The journal Science published an article online today that says civilization has crossed four of nine “planetary boundaries” due to human activity.  According to an international team of 18 researchers, climate change, the loss of biosphere integrity, land-system change, …

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 …

Fish Forced into “Hunger Games” When Lakes Lose Trees

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:  In attempts to predict what climate change will mean for life in lakes, scientists have mainly focused on two things: the temperature of the water and the amount of oxygen dissolved in …

Early Warning Indicators Predict Ecological “Cliff”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Day after day, the buoy bobbed at the surface of Peter Lake. Every five minutes, 288 times a day, instruments in the water silently recorded samples without creating so much as a …

A Look at Our Lakes on Earth Day

Happy Earth Day! Wisconsin, of course, is where it all began, thanks to former U.S. senator Gaylord Nelson’s vision. As we here at the blog mulled over an appropriate topic for an Earth Day post, …

The Impact of Ag: More Than Half of U.S. Rivers in ‘Poor’ Condition

Last Tuesday, the United States’ Environmental Protection Agency released the results of a comprehensive study that measured the vital signs of 1.2 million miles of American rivers and streams. The prognosis wasn’t great. Measuring things …