EAS 104 Lab 6: Dissolved Oxygen in Water Quality (17 points)

? Background

Water pollution occurs when harmful waste products, chemicals, and other substances are

introduced into a body of water. Most water pollution can be classified into four main types:

Thermal Pollution, Industrial or Chemical Pollution, Domestic Pollution, and Soil Pollution.

One of the most devastating effects of water pollution on ecosystems is a reduction in the amount

of dissolved oxygen (DO) in a body of water. Fish and other aquatic creatures extract DO from

water as they breathe. As pollution causes the amount of DO to decrease, aquatic animals must

move to cleaner waters or die from suffocation. However, while many species die from lack of

oxygen, there are fish, invertebrates, and microorganisms that thrive in polluted conditions.

Include Your NAME, Class Title (“EAS 104”), Lab Section, and Lab Number (“Lab 6”) for

your assignment title.

1. Why is dissolved oxygen important for a body of water? (1 point)

2. Go to the USGS website, generate a plot of Monthly Water Temperature vs DO concentration

in 2017 using data collected at the site of Passaic River below Pompton River at Two

Bridges NJ (6 points) 1

1. How do water temperature affect the DO level? (1 point)

3. What is the New York safe fishing and bathing standards for dissolved oxygen? (2 points)

1. Resources: http://www.nyc.gov/html/dep/pdf/hwqs2016.pdf (on page 5)