Adapting to a Changing World: Summer 2024 Meeting in Madison, Wisconsin

Abstract

As winter has settled over Lake Mendota outside our office windows, we are focusing on warmer days ahead and welcoming you to the Summer 2024 ASLO Meeting here in Madison, Wisconsin (2–7 June 2024). The meeting will be held at the Monona Terrace Convention Center on the shores of Lake Monona (Fig. 1), right in the middle of downtown Madison. Located on the isthmus between Lakes Mendota and Monona, the state's capital city is interwoven among five lakes in total and is considered the birthplace of limnology in North America and the original home of ASLO. But the human connection to these lakes goes back to time immemorial, as Madison occupies ancestral Ho-Chunk land, a place their nation calls Teejop.

Like lakes worldwide, Mendota and Monona are subject to many interacting pressures. Ice is forming later and coming off the lakes earlier. Non-native species such as zebra mussels have relocated to Madison's waters. Extreme precipitation events are becoming more common. Rapid urbanization is altering the cocktail of chemicals moving off the landscape and into the lakes. The timing and magnitude of harmful algal blooms is becoming more variable. And the complex mosaic of land use in the watershed is continuing to change.

The accelerating tempo of climate change, eutrophication, altered hydrological regimes, overharvest, and biodiversity loss are threatening aquatic ecosystems worldwide and as a result, human well-being. As a society, effectively adapting to meet these challenges will require major transitions in both our thinking and how we manage aquatic ecosystems to build resilience. Sustainable and equitable solutions—those that work across sectors, nations, and generations—will emerge from a foundation of actionable aquatic science.

We selected the ASLO 2024 meeting theme of “Adapting to a Changing World” to highlight emerging science on the causes and consequences of global change for aquatic ecosystems and work at the interface of science, policy, and society. Plenary speakers include Drs. Elena Bennett, Susie Wood, Stephanie Quinn-Davidson, Brooke Woods, Ariane Peralta, and author Dan Egan, who will present their cutting-edge research, policy, communication, and environmental justice work. Our hope is that learning from these leaders will spark thoughtful reflection as to how we can pursue actionable and equitable aquatic science that helps meet the global challenges we face.

Dozens of special sessions have been proposed that include topics such as abrupt ecological change, microbial dynamics, effects of extreme weather events, polar research, and harmful algal bloom mitigation. As aquatic ecosystems change, so have our approaches and technology for studying them. The meeting will feature special sessions on remote sensing, data science, and stable isotopes that will bring together scientists at the cutting edge of method development and discovery. Finally, there are several sessions aimed at bringing together communities of practice in areas such as education and building research networks.

The ASLO 2024 meeting will provide ample opportunities to catch up with colleagues and enjoy the city. There are several outdoor venues along the lakes for enjoying a beverage on a warm summer evening (e.g., the famous UW-Madison Memorial Union Terrace) and paths for walking and biking along their shores (Madison is one of the top bicycling cities in the United Sates). The lakes will provide the perfect backdrop for the science and socializing that will happen throughout the week. We hope you will join us here in Madison on 2–7 June 2024! For more information, go to the meeting website: https://www.aslo.org/madison-2024/.