Name: Rachel
Status: Student
Grade: 9-12
Location: DE
Country: United States
Date: September 2006
Question:
What is the significance of testing the dissolved
oxygen level in a body of water?
Replies:
Rachel,
Since many organisms rely on oxygen in order to live, testing the amount of
oxygen in a body of water can indicate the viability of that body of water
for life. We don't yet fully understand what controls the variations of
oxygen content of bodies of water (why some parts have high or low oxygen
content), measurement is an important step in gathering data so we can build
models as to why there are variations.
There was a recent report of a study of a body of water off the coast of
Oregon. This part of the ocean surprisingly has very low oxygen content and
the ocean floor is littered with dead crabs. An internet search should get
you more information on this very curious phenomenon.
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