University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota is a university that is part of the pulse of the water sector. Here we bring together everything it publishes on Smart Water Magazine: its news, its blogs and the events it takes part in.
Scientists identify cyanobacteria behind toxins in St. Louis river estuary
Minnesota Sea Grant-supported researchers studying harmful algal blooms in the St. Louis River Estuary that separates Minnesota and Wisconsin have made a breakthrough discovery: for the first time, they’ve linked a known cyanotoxin directly to a specific cyanobacteria species, Microcystis aeruginosa, in the Duluth-Superior harbor. Cyanobacteria, also known as blue-green algae, can produce toxins, called […]
First-of-its-kind study uses remote sensing to monitor plastic debris in rivers and lakes
A first-of-its-kind study from researchers at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities shows how remote sensing can help monitor and remove plastic debris from freshwater environments like the Mississippi River. The research, published in Nature, a peer-reviewed scientific journal, helps to increase the understanding of plastic debris behavior in freshwater environments. Plastic pollution in oceans continues […]
Organic matter accumulation in oxygenated lakes
When we burn fossil fuels, it not only produces carbon dioxide, a driver of climate change, but it also consumes the oxygen we breathe. However, the amount of oxygen in our atmosphere produced by plants is nearly balanced by the amount consumed by animals, keeping it at around 21% of the atmosphere. This raises a […]
Conserving critical habitat in the face of climate change in Midwestern lakes by managing land use
Lakes across the Midwest are losing cold, oxygenated habitat as a result of climate change and nutrient pollution. This loss of critical habitat has negative consequences for water quality, fish, and the production of greenhouse gases. While data show that effectively managing watershed land use at a local scale can protect coldwater, oxygen-rich habitats and […]
Data scientists use new techniques to identify lakes and reservoirs around the world
First-of-its-kind dataset will provide new insights into land and water use and climate change.
How wolf personalities can alter wetlands
Can wolf personalities change ecosystems? According to the latest research from the Voyageurs Wolf Project, published in Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, they can. Previous work by the Voyageurs Wolf Project demonstrates that wolves can alter the creation of wetlands by killing beavers. Observations from the field indicated that some wolves were much better at […]
Study finds that landslides can have a major impact on glacier melt and movement
A team led by University of Minnesota Twin Cities researchers has revealed, for the first time, that landslides can have a major impact on the movement of glaciers. Using satellite imagery to study the effects of a 2019 landslide that occurred on the Amalia Glacier in the Patagonia region of Chile, the researchers found that […]
Beavers support freshwater conservation and ecosystem stability
One of the most comprehensive studies conducted on beavers has conclusively demonstrated that beavers are essential for freshwater conservation and ecosystem stability by creating and preserving aquatic and wetland environments in Minnesota. This new research from the Natural Resources Research Institute (NRRI) at the University of Minnesota Duluth was recently published in the journal Ecography. “Although there are […]
Protecting local water has global benefits
A new paper in the May 11, 2021 online issue of Nature Communications demonstrates why keeping local lakes and other waterbodies clean produces cost-effective benefits locally and globally. A single season of a lake or water body with a harmful algal bloom that results in public do-not-drink orders, damages to fishing activity, lost recreational opportunities, […]