Lake science network has roots in Wisconsin

From UW Madison:

Inspired and led by freshwater scientists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, researchers eager to understand global ecosystems from end to end are now monitoring a series of buoys in lakes on every continent except Africa. Each buoy carries instruments to measure fundamental data on the weather above the water and the temperature and chemistry below it.

The buoys are linked through GLEON — the Global Lake Ecological Observatory Network — but the motivation is mainly local, says UW-Madison limnologist Timothy Kratz, who chairs the network's advisory board.

The network represents a grassroots approach to large-scale science, says Kratz. "We have these large, top-down initiatives, where all the instruments are as similar as possible, but this network is very much bottom-up. Each site already has its own local reasons for getting measurements. Banding together in the network makes the process more efficient, so we don't repeat each other's mistakes."

Read full press release.

Visit GLEON website.

New research on climate change

From a recently published article:

Background

Climate change is taking a toll on human health, and some leaders in the public health community have urged their colleagues to give voice to its health implications. Previous research has shown that Americans are only dimly aware of the health implications of climate change, yet the literature on issue framing suggests that providing a novel frame - such as human health - may be potentially useful in enhancing public engagement. We conducted an exploratory study in the United States of people's reactions to a public health-framed short essay on climate change.


Read more here in the full text article.

23 Wisconsin Watersheds Get Health Checks

Great news for Wisconsin’s water lovers: The DNR, in collaboration with local partners including the UW-Madison Extension, has released plans to improve 23 watersheds across the state. These plans are available for viewing online, and are meant to improve both the health and the condition of the named watersheds. They are part of the recently released 2010 Water Quality Report to Congress and are required under the federal Clean Water Act. The DNR is interested in your feedback, and is also seeking volunteers to help carry out these plans. Check out their website for a map and more information about the plans, or to find out how you can get involved.

Educators Chart Course for Great Lakes Curricula

From Wisconsin Sea Grant:

Milwaukee (7/7/2010) -- Two Sheboygan-area teachers are joining 13 others from around the Great Lakes region July 6-12 as part of an educational workshop cruising Lake Michigan aboard the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) research vessel, R/V Lake Guardian. The group will conduct research alongside scientists while learning about ecological processes and lake systems. Their goal is to integrate current Great Lakes research into their curricula and programs.

"Understanding Great Lakes and ocean sciences is key to making informed decisions on coastal and ocean management and personal stewardship issues," said James Lubner, education coordinator for the University of Wisconsin Sea Grant Institute, who co-leads the workshop. "COSEE Great Lakes is engaging educators, both formal and informal, in ways that will enable them to more effectively give their students a deeper understanding of our inland sea —the Great Lakes—and their influence on our quality of life and our national prosperity."

Philip Knier, a teacher at Riverview Academy in Sheboygan, and Mary Kultgen, who teaches at Lakeshore Technical College in Sheboygan, are the two Wisconsin educators participating in the workshop. Stephanie Crook, a high school teacher from Portage, Ind., is keeping a blog of daily activities aboard the 180-foot-long research vessel. The vessel is the only self-contained, nonpolluting vessel on the Great Lakes. Find Crook’s blog at http://coseegreatlakes.net/weblog/category/shipboard-and-shoreline-science-on-lake-michigan/.

Read full press release.....

Recent acquisitions in the Water Library

Wisconsin's Water Library invites you to browse our list of new books introduced into the library during May and June 2010. The library is very appreciative of the grant from the Friends of UW Madison Libraries to purchase several climate change titles included here.

Library staff enjoyed offering Frog Story Hour at Black Earth and Cambridge Public Libraries, and is looking forward to offering this program at Cross Plains, Monona and Mount Horeb Public Libraries in the upcoming weeks. For more information about our children’s services, check out our blog.

Recently, there was an amazing discovery of a Lake Michigan shipwreck. You can read more about the L.R. Doty that was discovered and other shipwrecks on our blog here, and if you’re interested in further reading, check out our Recommended Reading List on shipwrecks!

Happy reading!

Happy Birthday, Jean Craighead George!

July 2nd is the birthday of beloved children books author, Jean Craighead George. In her own words, she describes her writing:

I write for children. Children are still in love with the wonders of nature, and I am too. So I tell them stories about a boy and a falcon, a girl and an elegant wolf pack, about owls, weasels, foxes, prairie dogs, the alpine tundra, the tropical rain forest. And when the telling is done, I hope they will want to protect all the beautiful creatures and places.

To read more about the author, visit her web site.

The Water Library has some her wonderful books in its collection. Please contact askwater at aqua.wisc.edu to borrow any of them:

One day in the desert / by Jean Craighead George; illustrated by Fred Brenner. New York : Crowell, c1983.
Explains how the animal and human inhabitants of the Sonoran Desert of Arizona, including a mountain lion, a roadrunner, a coyote, a tortoise, and members of the Papago Indian tribe, adapt to and survive the desert's merciless heat.

One day in the tropical rain forest / by Jean Craighead George ; illustrated by Gary Allen. New York : Crowell, c1990.
Explains how the animal and human inhabitants of the Sonoran Desert of Arizona, including a mountain lion, a roadrunner, a coyote, a tortoise, and members of the Papago Indian tribe, adapt to and survive the desert's merciless heat.

The case of the missing cutthroats : an ecological mystery / Jean Craighead George. New York : HarperCollinsPublishers, 1996.
After Spinner Shafter catches a cutthroat trout in the Snake River, she and her cousin Alligator search the nearby mountains to determine where the endangered fish came from and how it survived.

Everglades / Jean Craighead George ; paintings by Wendell Minor. [New York] : HarperCollinsPublishers, c1995.
Describes the Florida Everglades, the evolution of this unique area, and the impact humans have had on its once-abundant life forms.

Julie's wolf pack / Jean Craighead George ; illustrated by Wendell Minor. New York : HarperCollins, c1997.
Continues the story of Julie and her wolves in which Kapu must protect his pack from famine and disease while uniting it under his new leadership.

The missing 'gator of Gumbo Limbo : an ecological mystery / Jean Craighead George. New York, NY : HarperCollins, 1992.
Sixth-grader Liza K., one of five homeless people living in an unspoiled forest in southern Florida, searches for a missing alligator destined for official extermination and studies the delicate ecological balance keeping her outdoor home beautiful.

'My Environment' from US EPA

While it is not totally water-related, this web site from US EPA shows the federal government working hard to put information on the environment into consumer's hands. Put in your zip or town and out comes many indicators of your area's health and welfare. The Water Library found it to be quite interesting, especially because EPA has a depth of data and it is interesting to see that data on a micro level.

Check our your area.....