Climate

Person standing beside a large black twin-propeller apparatus mounted on a floating platform, with an orange crane and wooded hillside in the background.

Future-forward energy

Andrew Walz grew up tinkering in a garage in La Crosse, Wisconsin. Today, he’s helping a German startup harness rivers for renewable energy.

an aerial perspective of the UMD campus, with fall colors and Lake Superior in the background

Did this year's drought steal our fall colors? We asked an expert.

Talking fall colors with Jessica Savage

A young man in a beanie and jacket stands at the railing of a boat, watching the sunrise over Lake Superior, with three others in the background.

UMD’s new maritime engineering track

How place-based learning puts Duluth students at the helm of marine innovation.

a group of educators pose for a group photo in front of a research ship.

What happens when educators spend a week aboard a research vessel on Lake Superior?

Meg Carney crouches in a green grove with her dog

Greenlighting sustainability in the outdoor industry

Alum Meg Carney champions outdoor sustainability through writing and audio journalism.

A triangle frame and scientists work on a frozen ice surface

Research Brief: 10,000 years of climate data retrieved from Minnesota’s deepest lake

Sediment layers from Lake LaSalle provide rare look into climate history for University of Minnesota researchers.

Panoramic view of Lake Mellomvatnet, mostly frozen and surrounded by snow-dusted, rocky, alpine hills under a blue sky.

New Research Shows Changing Winters Will Hit Northern Lakes the Hardest

In the world’s cold and snowy regions, shorter and warmer winters are one of the most conspicuous consequences of climate change. For freshwater lakes, this means later freezing, earlier thawing, and thinner ice.

Two people wearing protective gear on a boat in a lake with smoke rising, surrounded by a forest backdrop.

Freezing history

UMD researchers are reconstructing climate records from layers of sediment at the bottom of Minnesota and Wisconsin lakes.

People standing outside on a snowy day by a green house with solar panels on the roof.

Lessons in sustainable housing

UMD students tour a net zero home to learn more about sustainable housing.

A colorful sunrise photo showing the Duluth Lift Bridge and Canal Park as taken from Lake Superior.

Our Climate Futures: Participatory Science on a Great Lake

A conference at UMD to facilitate community conversations that lead to equitable participatory science projects resulting in impactful adaptation and mitigation action.