Water

On July 16, 2012, one of several signs posted along Lake Mendota near the Memorial Union Terrace at the University of Wisconsin-Madison warn against swimming during the presence of toxic blue-green algae in the water. Known as cyanobacteria, the algae are photosynthetic bacteria that live in colonies, typically in lakes with excess fertility. (Photo by Jeff Miller/UW-Madison)
On June 7, the summer’s first blue-green algae bloom turned much of Lake Mendota a thick, putrid green color. Researchers at the University of Wisconsin–Madison Center for Limnology concluded that several factors — including run-off from local farms, multiple days with hot temperatures, and low winds — created near-perfect conditions […]

Zebra mussels in Lake Mendota: the new kid in town

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According to a recently published study, invasive quagga mussels in Lake Michigan, paired with decreasing nutrient availability, could explain an observed decline in food chain productivity in Lake Michigan. Currently, Lake Michigan is in the midst of a decade-long decline in food chain productivity, or the lake’s ability to produce […]

Going hungry in Lake Michigan

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Last Wednesday, the Center for Limnology at UW-Madison shared the following tweet from a graduate student in the department: If you’re near @WiscLimnology or @LakeMendota today – stop by the shoreline to witness carp spawning. Hundreds of carp + clear water phase! — Samantha Oliver (@limnoliver) May 25, 2016 We wasted […]

Clear water in Lake Mendota is a chance to watch ...

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A side view of the Edmund Fitzgerald
For some under a certain age, the name Edmund Fitzgerald may conjure a Midwestern craft brew, or a haunting song their parents used to listen to by Gordon Lightfoot. But both pay homage to the Great Lakes freighter named Edmund Fitzgerald, which, 40-years-ago today (10 November 1975), disappeared on Lake Superior with all […]

Did a freak wave sink the Edmund Fitzgerald?

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An aerial view of the Yahara watershed
Minnesota may be called the Land of 10,000 Lakes, but Wisconsin probably has more. Likely, it has more. Or maybe it doesn’t. It’s a matter of opinion. Or, definition. Apparently, the exact number isn’t well known. What is known is that many places in Wisconsin are defined by their lakes, from Rock […]

Modeling the future of a watershed

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