Midge Math

As if there were any doubt that complex ecosystems, once disrupted, often do not recover, scientists have drawn a connection between the abundance of hard-shelled algae known as diatoms and the midges that feed upon them. As reported in The New York Times, they even have a plausible link between dredge-mining operations and the disappearance of fish from an Icelandic lake.
“Midges, baseball fans recall, are the gnat-like insects that rose from Lake Erie last October and descended upon Chamberlain in the bottom of the eighth inning of a playoff game against the Cleveland Indians, distracting him into throwing two wild pitches. Cleveland scored the tying run without a hit. The Yankees eventually lost the game and eventually the series.” Article by Kenneth Chang. (Thanks to Tom Rosenbauer for this link.)