Dissolved Oxygen (DO) is an important water parameters for detecting pollutants. My question is, Where is the most dissolved oxygen (DO)? Is it in the sea or the river?
Rapidly moving water, such as in a mountain stream or large river, tends to contain a lot of dissolved oxygen, whereas stagnant water contains less. Bacteria in water can consume oxygen as organic matter decays. Thus, excess organic material in lakes and rivers can cause eutrophic conditions, which is an oxygen-deficient situation that can cause a water body to "die." Aquatic life can have a hard time in stagnant water that has a lot of rotting, organic material in it, especially in summer (the concentration of dissolved oxygen is inversely related to water temperature), when dissolved-oxygen levels are at a seasonal low. Water near the surface of the lake– the epilimnion– is too warm for them, while water near the bottom–the hypolimnion– has too little oxygen. Conditions may become especially serious during a period of hot, calm weather, resulting in the loss of many fish. You may have heard about summertime fish kills in local lakes that likely result from this problem.
Oxygen from atmosphere dissolves and mixes into the water's surface. Algae and underwater grasses release oxygen during photosynthesis. Water flows into the Bay from streams, rivers and the ocean. Ocean waters generally have more oxygen.
Oxygen content is highest at the surface for two main reasons; this is where oxygen dissolves into the ocean from the atmosphere, and the surface water is where oxygen is produced by phytoplankton through photosynthesis.
DO is dependent on temperature and the level of pollution. If the river is pure it will be near the river. Also sea water holds less oxygen.
- Badges
- Science topic
- Similar topics
- Engineering
- Modeling