increased demand on dissolved oxygen levels.
In addition, living plants also consume oxygen during the hours of darkness.
Oxygen problems occur when this consumption exceeds the amount of oxygen produced through photosynthesis and diffusion from the air.
To compound the issue, lake and pond water responds in the most natural of ways, as greenery grows, water stratifies. Thermal stratification adds to an already growing problem. Dense algae blooms accumulate near the surface to absorb sunlight, with this dense living microscopic mass hording sunlight and shading the lower depths. The result is that most of the oxygen
produced is now located near the surface, leaving a larger volume of water underneath the fertile surface layer.
Deeper water is deficient in oxygen. As the sun warms the surface layers, the shady area underneath remains cool and, since warmer water is lighter, it floats on top of the cooler, heavier water. At some point, there is a well defined temperature separation called the ‘thermocline’. Oxygenated water from the surface cannot push through the thermocline. Water below the thermocline begins
to process the organic build up without oxygen. The result being an increase in toxic gases of hydrogen sulphide and carbon dioxide. Okay, so what does this have to do
with you? Well, plenty. This is life under water in your pond, my pond, everyone’s pond and, to understand how best to manage your water, you should know how things work so you can develop a thoughtful strategy to counter the processes.
The addition of dissolved oxygen in
lakes and ponds comes through both plant photosynthesis and diffusion from atmospheric air absorption. The amount of dissolved oxygen in a body of water can vary considerably from pond to pond and from hour to hour. However, oxygen concentrations are typically lowest at dawn and highest during the late afternoon, with the amount of oxygen water can hold being dependent on atmospheric pressure, salinity and temperature.
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