Introduction
In this activity, students learn about dissolved oxygen (DO) and its effects on life, with a focus on the chemistry. First, they are introduced to, and analyze data gathered from, water quality sensors in Narragansett Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, observing how DO and chlorophyll-a change from the surface to the bottom and considering the relationships between DO and temperature. Then, in the unique environment of Azevedo Pond in the Elkhorn Slough Research Reserve in California, they analyze DO data and speculate about how hydrodynamics, abiotic factors, and biological processes cause extreme fluctuations in DO in the pond.
This activity has two parts:
- Dissolved Oxygen in Narragansett Bay
- What’s Happening in Azevedo Pond?
Objectives
Students should understand that:
- Explain the relationships between dissolved oxygen and water depth, chlorophyll-a and water depth, and dissolved oxygen and temperature.
- Explain how these parameters interact during estuarine processes and in such phenomena as eutrophication, algal blooms, and supersaturation hypoxia fluctuations.