Tag Limnology
Testing the waters for a new kind of graduate teaching
A UW–Madison engineering professor has designed a three-credit graduate course in a virtual university format, with live online lectures delivered to remote audiences.
All hands on deck to understand, predict, prevent abrupt ecological change
“It’s a generally thorny problem and we are often scrambling to react,” says lead principal investigator Monica Turner. “In fact, understanding abrupt change in ecological systems is among the biggest challenges in contemporary ecology.”
New Faculty Focus: Hilary Dugan
New Integrative Biology Professor Hilary Dugan once worked as a research assistant in the Canadian Arctic and fell in love with fieldwork and studying global change. At some point, her interests narrowed to water, and eventually lakes.
Amid environmental change, lakes surprisingly static
Researchers found that over recent decades, water quality of lakes in the Midwest and Northeast has not overwhelmingly degraded or improved. But the meaning of these results depends on your perspective.
First, but not last, algae bloom spells danger for Madison swimmers, fish
Steve Carpenter couldn’t believe the view from his second-floor office on the shoreline of Lake Mendota. As far as he could see, the still water looked just like teal-blue paint.
Road salt is making North America’s freshwater lakes, well, saltier
Road salt is making North America’s freshwater lakes saltier, according to a new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
When it comes to biological populations, expect the unexpected
More than three decades of data on the physical, chemical and biological variables in 11 Midwestern lakes show that while lake temperatures and nutrient concentrations rise within relatively expected ranges, biological organisms achieve high population extremes.
Study quantifies role of ‘legacy phosphorus’ in reduced water quality
Though farmers have taken steps to reduce the quantity of phosphorus applied to and running off their fields, researchers say an abundance of the nutrient has a long-lasting impact on lakes and rivers.
Study shows many lakes getting murkier, but gives hope for improvement
While water clarity in most Wisconsin lakes has not changed in 20 years, researchers say the fact that more lakes are getting worse signals there is work to be done.
Zebra mussels invade Lake Mendota
In the last four months, UW–Madison researchers have started to find zebra mussels congregating in large numbers all over Lake Mendota.
Rare ice data collected by early ‘citizen scientists’ confirms warming since Industrial Revolution
Data reveals increasing trends toward later ice cover formation and earlier spring breakup.
UW scientists say invasive species impacts much worse than thought
According to UW researchers, a single non-native species in a single inland lake has racked up $80 million to $163 million in damage.
Greenhouse gas emissions from freshwater higher than thought
Do not underestimate the babbling brook. When it comes to greenhouse gases, these bucolic water bodies have the potential to create a lot of hot air.
UW-Madison students find zebra mussels in Lake Mendota
An undergraduate class at the University of Wisconsin–Madison has discovered another invasive species in Lake Mendota.
Embrace the chaos: Predictable ecosystems may be more fragile
A new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences says managing our environment for predictable outcomes is risky. In fact, more often than not, it backfires.
All aboard for Center for Limnology’s 4th annual Hasler Open House
The state of Wisconsin is defined by lakes and so is the University of Wisconsin. In fact, the UW–Madison campus runs along the shoreline of Lake Mendota, the "birthplace" of limnology (the scientific study of lakes) in North America.
Bigger bang for your buck: Restoring fish habitat by removing barriers
A few years ago, researchers at the University of Wisconsin–Madison Center for Limnology created the first map of all the road crossings and dams blocking the tributary rivers that feed the five Great Lakes. These tributaries serve as migratory highways, providing fish like walleye and lake sturgeon access to headwater breeding grounds.
Changes in land use, climate and agriculture undermine efforts to clean up Madison lakes
Efforts to clean up the Madison lakes are being hampered by more asphalt, row crops and intense rainstorms and higher manure concentrations on the landscape, according to a new study from the Water Sustainability and Climate project at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.
Humanity has exceeded 4 of 9 ‘planetary boundaries,’ according to researchers
An international team of researchers says climate change, the loss of biosphere integrity, land-system change, and altered biogeochemical cycles like phosphorus and nitrogen runoff have all passed beyond levels that put humanity in a “safe operating space.” Civilization has crossed four of nine so-called planetary boundaries as the result of human activity, according to a report published today in Science by the 18-member research team. Among them is Steve Carpenter, director of the University of Wisconsin–Madison Center for Limnology and the only U.S.-based researcher on the study.
Science in the Northwoods: Trout Lake Station open house
The first of August was a gorgeous day in northern Wisconsin: temperatures were in the mid-70s, the waters of Trout Lake were remarkably calm and clear, and the mosquitoes, for the first time this summer, were nowhere to be found. It was the perfect day for Trout Lake Station's 4th annual open house.