DissolvingOxygenChangeswithVaryingDepth,Temperature,andSalinity

Partners:
MaddieGreen,ZachWolff,RachelMurdoch,RachelTumlin
Date:
8/28/15

Introduction:
Thepurposeofthislabistoseehowchemicalandphysicalfactorsaffect
dissolvedoxygeninwater.Dissolvedoxygen(DO)arethemicroscopicbubblesof
oxygen(gaseous)thatareinwaterandareavailabletoaquaticorganismsforrespiration.
Respirationistheprocessofbreathingandisneededforprimaryproduction.Manythingscan
haveaneffectonprimaryproductionsuchasnutrients,light,andhydrography.GPPandNPP
playaroleinprimaryproductivityaswell.GPPistheamountofenergyprimaryproducers
createinagivenamountoftime.NPPistheremainingenergyafterrespirationoccursandcanbe
foundbythefollowingequation:NPP=GPPrespiration.

Question:
Howdodifferentabioticfactorsimpactdissolvedoxygenlevelsinvariouswater
samples?

Hypothesis:
ExampleAAsthetemperaturedecreases,thedissolvedoxygenlevelswillincrease.
ExampleBAsthesalinityincreases,thedissolvedoxygenlevelswilldecrease.
ExampleCAsthelightintensityincreases,thedissolvedoxygenlevelswillincrease.

Independentvariables:
Temperature,Salinity,andLight.
Dependentvariables:
DissolvedOxygen
Control:
RoomTemperature
Constants:
DissolvedOxygenKit,TemperatureforSalinity

Safety:
Studentsmustweargogglesandclosetoedshoesatalltimes.Thestudentwhohandles
thechemicalsmustwearglovesduetotoxicchemicals.Afterthelabiscompletedallstudents
mustwashtheirhandsbeforetheytouchanythingelse.

MaterialsandProcedure:
SeeLabHandout.

Results:
DatachartsExerciseA:
Table1:Temperature/DODataChart

Temperature
(Celsius)

LabGroup
DO(PPM)

ClassMean
Dissolved
Oxygen(from
nomogram)

LabGroup%
Dissolved
Oxygen
Saturation
(from
nomogram)

ClassMean%
Dissolved
Oxygen
Saturation

20

6.4

83

65.5

14

7.1

6.1

65

69

Table2:Salinity/DODataChart

Salinity(PPM) labgroupDO

classmeanDO

labgroup%
DOsaturation

classmean%
saturation

6.45

70

32

4.6

61

DatachartsExerciseC:
Table3:RespirationDataChart

labgroupdata

classmeandata

initialDO

6.8

6.1

darkbottleDO

3.8

respirationrate
(initialdark)

2.8

2.3

Table4:Labgroupdatachart
Watersource:MeridianParkLake

%light

DO(ppm)

grossproductivity
(lightbottledark
bottle)

netproductivity
(lightbottleinitial
bottle)

100%

0.2

65%

6.4

2.4

0.4

25%

5.8

1.8

10%

5.4

1.4

1.4

2%

4.4

.4

2.4

Table5:Classmeandatachart

%light

grossproductivity
(lightbottledark
bottle)

netproductivity(lightbottleinitialbottle)

100%

2.65

0.1

65%

1.55

25%

1.15

1.4

10%

1.35

1.2

2%

1.285

1.4

GraphExerciseA:

GraphExerciseC:

Conclusion:

DiscussionQuestions:
1. Therateofcarbondioxideutilization,therateofformationoforganiccompounds,orthe
rateofoxygenproductioncanbeusedasabasisformeasuringprimaryproductivity.
2. Foreachmilliliterofoxygenproduced,approximately0.536milligramsofcarbonhas
beenassimilated.Bymeasuringtheoxygenproductionovertime,youcancalculatethe
amountofcarboninorganicmaterialsovertime.Ascarbondioxideisreleasedintheair,
producerstakeinthecompoundtobreakdownthroughphotosynthesis.Inreturnoxygen

isreleased.Theconversionunitisppm(partspermillion).WeusedDOasameasureto
figureouthowmuchcarbonisassimilatedorfixedwhichisglucose.
3. Asthetemperaturedecreasedthedissolvedoxygenlevelsincreased
4. Assalinityincreasedthedissolvedoxygenlevelsdecreased
5. At0%lightintensitythegrossproductivityiscloserto0.At100%lightintensitythenet
productivityiscloserto0.
6. Fishhavetoworktoobtainoxygenbyextractingtheoxygenthatisdissolvedinwater
usingtheirgills.Weinhaleairwhichcontains20timesmoreoxygenthanwater.Thefish
arecoldbloodedsotheydon'trequireasmuchoxygenbecauseit'stoodifficultforthem
togetoxygen.
7. IwouldexpecttheDOofthewaterfromthestreamtobelowerbecausethedisturbance
fromthewatermovementonthesurfaceandhowthesunaffectsthetemperatureofthe
water.Thismakesthewaterabsorbheatwhichmakesitholdlessoxygen.
8. IwouldexpecttheDOconcentrationofwatertobelowerat7:00amthan5:00pm
becauseat5:00pmthereismoresunlightwhichresultsinahigherDOconcentration
becauseatwarmertemperaturesthewatercan'tholdasmuchwater.
9. Eutrophicationisaprocesswherewaterbodiesreceiveexcessnutrientsthatstimulate
excessiveplantgrowth.Thesenutrientsarephosphorusandnitrogen.Thiscancausea
largeamountofplantgrowthinthewaterwhichleadstoanoverabundanceof
respirationatnightwithoutoxygenproductiontosupporttheotherorganisms.
10. Sinceoxygenexchangeisdependentonsurfacearearatherthanvolume,containerB
wouldhavethemostoxygenavailabletothefish.Thegreaterthesurfaceareaofthe
waterthemoretheoxygencandiffuseintoit.Theglassisshapedinawaythatthetopof
theglass'sdiameterissmallertothemiddleoftheglass'sdiameter.SincecontainerBis
onlyfilledtothecenterithasagreatersurfacearea.

Paragraph
:
Inthelab,wemeasuredtheamountofdissolvedoxygeninalakedependingonitsdepth,
temperature,andsalinity.Wefoundthatthelowerthelaketemperatureis,themoredissolved
oxygenithas.Intable1,thewaterat20degreesCelsiushad6.4ppmofdissolvedoxygenwhile
thewaterat14degreesCelsiushad6.1ppmofdissolvedoxygen,provingourtemperature
hypothesisincorrect.Thedecreaseofsalinitycausedanincreaseindissolvedoxygen.Intable2,
thewaterwithnosalinityhad6.45ppmofdissolvedoxygenwhilethewaterwith32ppmof
salinityhad4.6ppmofdissolvedoxygen,provingoursalinityhypothesiscorrect.Thedark
bottlesintheexperimentrepresenteddeeperpartsofalake,wherethereislesslight.These
bottlesshowedlessdissolvedoxygenthanthelightbottles,whichrepresentedshallowerpartsof
thelake.Intable3,theinitialdissolvedoxygenlevelof6.1ppmdecreasedto3.8ppmwhenit
wasinthedarkbottle.Therefore,ourdepthhypothesiswasprovencorrect.Asthepercentageof
lightdecreased,theamountofdissolvedoxygendecreased,asshowninthetable.Forexample,

thebottlewith65%lightyieldedagrossproductivityof1.55ppm,whilethebottlewith10%
lightyieldedagrossproductivityof1.35ppm.Deeperpartsofthelakehavelessdissolved
oxygenbecausetheyaredarker,meaningitismoredifficultforphotosynthesistooccur.Cell
respirationisnotaffected,sooxygenisbeingusedbutnotcreated.Theshallower,lighterparts
ofthelakehavemorephotosyntheticorganisms,sothereisoxygenbeingcreatedandused,
causingahigheramountofdissolvedoxygen.

Paragraph
:
Aswithanylab,therearesomeerrorsthatmayhaveoccurredandaffectedourresults.Many
ofthelabstationshadanairbubbleeitherinthebottlesofwaterorthesyringeusedtomeasure
thethiosulfate.Thismayhavecausedeitherthemisreadingofthesyringeorextraoxygeninthe
water.Anothererrorcouldhavebeennotexactlymeasuringwaterandchemicalsinthelab,
whichcouldaffectfinalresults.Thislabcouldbeappliedtotheconsumersinthelakeandhow
muchoxygentheyneedtosurvive.Anotherlabcouldbebasedoffofthequestion"Whatamount
ofdissolvedoxygenisbestforacertainspeciesoffish?".

References:
Campbell,Neil.APEditionBiologyEighthEdition.AssomeSt.,SanFrancisco,Ca:Pearson
BenjaminCummings,2008.Print