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Tag Limnology

Mercury levels in fish fluctuate along with water levels in lakes

December 20, 2018

A new study has found that when droughts cause water levels to drop, the levels of mercury found in fish also plummet. In wetter weather, water levels rise and levels of mercury in fish increase.

Forget ‘needle in a haystack.’ Try finding an invasive species in a lake.

December 4, 2018

A new study may explain why the tiny and invasive spiny water flea passed undetected in Lake Mendota, one of the most-studied lakes in the world, for a decade.

Campus situated between two lakes means beauty, but also high waters sometimes

August 24, 2018

Rising waters from Lake Mendota area are affecting some parts of the UW–Madison campus, including the Hasler limnology building and Picnic Point.

Study finds “hidden harvest” in world’s inland fisheries

June 18, 2018

A new study published today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences says we are dramatically underestimating the role inland fisheries play in global food security.

Testing the waters for a new kind of graduate teaching

February 26, 2018

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

October 25, 2017

“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

October 9, 2017

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.

First, but not last, algae bloom spells danger for Madison swimmers, fish

June 26, 2017

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

April 10, 2017

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

March 30, 2017

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 shows many lakes getting murkier, but gives hope for improvement

November 30, 2016

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

November 7, 2016

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

April 26, 2016

Data reveals increasing trends toward later ice cover formation and earlier spring breakup.

UW scientists say invasive species impacts much worse than thought

March 21, 2016

According to UW researchers, a single non-native species in a single inland lake has racked up $80 million to $163 million in damage.