A Winter's Tale of a Midwest Lake

Historically, limnologists have dedicated their efforts to studying lakes in the summer, while overlooking winter. Winter field work is challenging. Most lakes in the United States, however, freeze over for at least part of the winter. A bias for summer research has left gaps in knowledge on lake chemistry and biology under ice. More pressingly, with anticipated changes in environmental conditions, there is a need for information on how lakes and reservoirs function in the winter for a more complete understanding of lakes. This knowledge is also critical to future management of freshwater resources in a future with shorter winters and less lake ice. Here, I will present results from a a whole-lake manipulation where we removed all of the snow from the surface of a north temperate bog lake in northern Wisconsin. Over three winters, samples were collected under ice in the study lake, South Sparkling Bog. The first winter, 2018-2019, served as a reference year during which snow was not removed from the lake and was followed by two subsequent winters of snow removal during 2019-2020 and 2020-2021.

Bio: Hilary Dugan is an assistant professor at the Center for Limnology at the University of Wisconsin – Madison. As a limnologist, Hilary studies how terrestrial and atmospheric changes, such as warming air temperatures or land use patterns, alter biogeochemical fluxes and aquatic processes in lakes. Her research balances field-based programs, which rely heavily on sensor networks, with the use and development of analytical models, and the application of geophysical and geospatial tools. Her research focus is on temperate and polar lakes, with sites spanning from Wisconsin to Antarctica.