Grace Wilkinson says there are a lot of reasons to suspect algal blooms might be getting worse.
The UW Madison associate professor says things like climate change and increased human activity in lakes and along lake shores can influence blooms on lakes.
Despite this, Wilkinson says her research shows it’s actually getting better.
“That's good news. Now we need to really get down to business, to figuring out why that is, and how we can help that happen in more places,” said Wilkinson.
Algal blooms are often described as pea soup floating on a lake surface. It can make people and animals sick if ingested.
Wilkinson says it’s a health concern and can ruin enjoyment of the lakes.
“In my research group, we focus a lot on understanding what causes these blooms to happen. Can we predict before they happen, and what steps or measures can we take to try to manage or prevent these blooms from being really severe,” said Wilkinson.
Wilkinson will be talking about that research at this week’s Science on Tap Minocqua.
It’s this Thursday, March 6 at Rocky Reef Brewing Company starting at 6:30 p.m.
Wilkinson hopes people walk away from the talk with a better understanding of how they can protect lakes from Algal Blooms.
“We have 1000s of lakes here in Wisconsin, which is just an amazing resource,” she said. “It's our job to do our part, to be really good stewards of those lakes.”
You can also stream Science on Tap Minocqua online.
