Comparison Between Surface and Depth Dissolved Oxygen Parameters at Long Beach Island

Sites
Olivia Takla

Abstract:
Dissolved oxygen is an important indicator of water quality and is essential for all aquatic
organisms. Students at the Marine Academy of Technology and Environmental Science (MATES)
collected surface and depth samples from various Long Beach Island locations. Using these samples,
dissolved oxygen tests were performed in both the surface and depth samples to quantitatively
determine the levels of dissolved oxygen in the water. Dissolved CO2 data in both surface and depth
samples were also collected. Meteorology parameters of wind speed and air temperature were obtained
as well as other water quality parameters of salinity (ppt), pH, water temperature (°C), conductivity
(μS), and a digital dissolved oxygen reading (ppm). Using a T-test, surface dissolved oxygen (mg/L)
values and depth dissolved oxygen (mg/L) values were compared to determine any statistical
difference between the two parameters. Regression tests were also run to measure the correlation of the
two variables.

Introduction:

Monitoring chemical parameters is important for learning about water quality and maintaining

healthy aquatic ecosystems. Dissolved oxygen (DO) is a measure of the amount of free oxygen

(diatomic O2 molecules) dispersed in the water; it is the only available source of oxygen for aquatic

organisms (Dissolved Oxygen and Water, 2020). A dissolved oxygen level that is too high or too low

can harm aquatic life and affect water quality. Fish and crustaceans obtain oxygen for respiration

through their gills, while plant life and phytoplankton require dissolved oxygen for respiration when

there is no light for photosynthesis. Dissolved oxygen is a major impactor on the types of species and

their abundance that are able to live in an estuary (Oram, 2020).

The amount of dissolved oxygen in water is influenced by a variety of factors including

salinity, temperature, and depth. Oxygen enters the water through diffusion from the atmosphere and

into the surface of the water, it can also be released into the water as a byproduct of photosynthesis

undergone by aquatic vegetation and plants through photosynthesis (US Department, 2004). Upwelling
and the increased movement of water translates into an increased rate for oxygen to dissolve into the

water. DO levels are typically lower in stagnant waters. Gases are more soluble at lower temperatures;

since deeper waters are typically colder, the solubility of oxygen gas is increased. In saline waters, the

dissolution of oxygen decreases because there are more particles that hinder oxygen from penetrating

into the water surface (“Ocean Circulation: Surface Water and Deep Water”, 2016). Depth (which can

also be considered as pressure) is another influencing factor on dissolved oxygen levels. At a higher

depth, pressure is also high which contributes to greater oxygen solubility. Colder, deeper waters

typically have a greater dissolved oxygen concentration than warmer shallow waters. However, it is

also important to consider that at the surface, aquatic plants can release oxygen through photosynthesis

and the water is in contact with air which is rich in its supply of oxygen. In an estuary, decomposition

of plants depletes the surrounding waters of oxygen. Constant mixing and upwelling can reduce the

susceptibility of this phenomenon in shallow estuaries (Biologist, 2016).

Dissolved oxygen levels increase at a lower depth (increased pressure). In deeper waters, DO

can remain below 100% saturation due to the respiration of aquatic organisms and microbial

decomposition. These deeper levels of water often do not reach 100% air saturation equilibrium

because they are not shallow enough to be affected by upwelling and photosynthesis at the surface.

100% air saturation means that the water is holding as many dissolved gas molecules as it can in

equilibrium― it contains the same amount of oxygen in the water as there is in the air (Fondriest

Environmental, 2013). This water is below an invisible boundary called the thermocline (the depth at

which water temperature begins to decline). Water at lower altitudes can hold more dissolved oxygen

than water at higher altitudes because at lower altitudes, water can hold more dissolved oxygen

without it escaping.
 Oxygen depletion in the water or high concentrations of dissolved oxygen can be harmful to

aquatic life. The primary cause of oxygen depletion in a water body is from excessive algae and

phytoplankton growth driven by high levels of phosphorus and nitrogen. Warm and stagnant waters

facilitate oxygen depletion. During the nighttime hours, these photosynthetic organisms consume

oxygen through respiration when engaging in active photosynthesis. Dissolved oxygen depletion is the

most common cause of fish kills (Fondriest , 2013). In the winter, a large number of fish can be killed

because of prolonged reduction in dissolved oxygen due to ice or snow cover on a lake or pond. An

anoxic environment occurs when respiration from fish, plants and other organisms is greater than the

oxygen production by photosynthesis. Supersaturated water can cause gas bubble disease in fish and

invertebrates (“Gas Bubble Disease (GBD)”, 2016). This disease causes the development of gases in a

fish's bloodstream (Bohl, 1997). Although high concentrations of DO are a rare occurrence in

comparison to low DO levels, it is important to monitor this in order to enable the wellbeing of aquatic

organisms in their habitats.

The purpose of this research was to analyze dissolved oxygen levels and its relationship to

depth. DO and CO2 data was collected on February 12 from three different sites in the Long Beach

Island vicinity. Statistical analyses were then performed to determine correlation and significance for

the purpose of examining the water quality status.

Methodology:

Study Sites

➢ Location 1: Surf City Marina (GPS coordinates: 39°39'25.03"N, 74°10'38.80"W)

➢ Location 2: Ship Bottom Bay Beach (GPS coordinates: 39°38'56.59"N, 74°11'7.93"W)

➢ Location 3: 25th Avenue Pier (GPS coordinates: 39°38'42.17"N, 74°11'8.33"W)

Procedures
On February 12, the class was divided into five groups in preparation for collecting data from the field.

Group 1 was the sampling team; they were responsible for gathering surface and depth samples from

the water. Group 5 was to collect meteorology data: wind speed and air temperature, and water quality

parameters: salinity (ppt), pH, water temperature (°C), conductivity (μS), and a digital dissolved

oxygen reading (ppm). Groups 2-5 were to test for dissolved oxygen levels (mg/L) and carbon dioxide

levels (mg/L). A bucket, LaMotte dissolved oxygen kit, LaMotte dissolved carbon dioxide kit, distilled

water, and waste container were brought to the site of where the sample was collected: Surf City

Marina (39°39'25.03"N, 74°10'38.80"W), Ship Bottom Bay Beach (39°38'56.59"N, 74°11'7.93"W),

and 25th Avenue Pier (39°38'42.17"N, 74°11'8.33"W). Meteorology equipment including a Kestrel

1000 anemometer (mph), Barnant thermocouple thermometer, and YSI 85 (Yellow Springs

Instrument), as well as sampling equipment: depth sampler, dissolved oxygen sampler, and a plastic

dipper for surface sampling were also taken to the site of sample collection.

Gathering Samples

At each location, the sampling team (Group 1) was responsible for gathering surface water using the

dipper pole. They collected depth samples for dissolved oxygen using the dissolved oxygen sampler

(Figure 3). To use the sampler, the DO sampling bottle was uncapped and placed into a compartment

in the DO sampler where a tube fit into the opening of the bottle, the sampler was then capped and

placed into the water, the sampler was removed from the water only when no bubbles appeared to be

emitted. The sampling team also used the depth sampler (Figure 4) to collect depth water for the depth

dissolved carbon dioxide tests. The sampler is lowered to the required depth with the lowering rope,

water passes through the open ends so that, at any depth, the water in the sampler is the water from that

depth. When the desired depth was reached, the weight was dropped down the rope, the latch was
tripped and the end flaps close. The sampler is brought to the surface and its contents are transferred to

a sample bottle.

Collecting Data

The four groups performed three trials of surface dissolved oxygen tests and three trials of depth

dissolved oxygen tests each using the LaMotte Dissolved Oxygen test kit using the Wrinkler titration

method. For surface dissolved oxygen tests, the water samples were provided by the sample team

through the dipper pole. For depth dissolved oxygen samples, the sampling team used the dissolved

oxygen sampler to obtain deep water. Each of the four groups also performed three trials of surface and

depth carbon dioxide tests using the LaMotte Dissolved CO2 kit. Group 1 provided surface water

samples using the dipper pole. Depth carbon dioxide samples were taken from the depth sampler.

Individual group raw data was recorded in a field notebook and afterwards all was compiled in a

Microsoft Excel spreadsheet.

Meteorology and Water Quality

Group 5 collected meteorology data of wind speed (mph) using the Kestrel 1000 anemometer and

measured air temperature (°C) with the Barnant Thermocouple. To collect water parameters, the YSI

85 meter was used to digitally measure the dissolved oxygen content (ppm), water temperature (°C),

pH, salinity (ppt), and water conductivity (μS). To use the kestrel, the holder found a clear area where

there are no trees or other potential wind blockers. For the thermocouple, the device was held away

from the tester (in order to prevent it from conducting body heat). The YSI 85 was used by placing the

probe below the surface of the water so that it was completely submerged.

Statistics

With the data collected, a T-test was done to determine whether there are any statistically significant

differences between the dissolved oxygen levels found in surface samples and dissolved oxygen found
in depth samples. To further analyze these two parameters, a regression was used to assess whether

there was any correlation between surface dissolved oxygen composition to depth dissolved oxygen

composition. A trendline could be evaluated to further identify any correlation between the data.

Results:
The surface dissolved oxygen levels for all the trials in all the sites ranged from 8.1 mg/L to

10.0 mg/L (Table 1). The depth dissolved oxygen compositions for all the trials in all three of the sites

ranged from 9.0 mg/L to 11.4 mg/L (Table 1). The average surface dissolved oxygen (Table 2)

measurement was 9.56 mg/L compared to the average depth dissolved oxygen (Table 3) measurement

9.79 mg/L. A two-tailed t-Test was performed to test the significance of this data. Alpha was set to

0.05 (α=0.05), and the p-value came to be 0.0418. Because, pVal<α, we reject the null hypothesis and

consider the data to be significant; there is a statistical difference between surface dissolved oxygen

and depth dissolved oxygen.

To analyze the correlation of the data, a regression test was run between the surface dissolved

oxygen measurements and the depth dissolved oxygen measurements (Figure 3). The data showed no

correlation with an R2 of 0.0044. Such a small R2 indicates that there is no correlation between surface

and depth dissolved oxygen. In regards to significance f values, the parameters exhibited an f-crit value

of less than 0.001, indicating trends toward greater significance and low variability in the data

collection.
Discussion:

From the results obtained, significance was established when comparing surface dissolved

oxygen to depth dissolved oxygen composition (Figure 3). It could be deduced that dissolved oxygen

increases with depth. Water at lower altitudes can hold more dissolved oxygen than water at higher

altitudes because of the increased water pressure and deeper waters tend to be colder, in effect

increasing the solubility of the gas. This relationship also explains the potential for "supersaturation" of

waters below the thermocline― at greater hydrostatic pressures, water can hold more dissolved oxygen

without it escaping. On average, gas saturation decreases by 10% per meter increase in depth due to

hydrostatic pressure (Figure 9). This means that if the concentration of dissolved oxygen is at 100%

air saturation at the surface, it would only be at 70% air saturation three meters below the surface

(Dissolved Oxygen, 2018).

When looking at the results of the regression test where there was no correlation, it indicates

that surface waters can contain just as much dissolved oxygen as that found in depth samples. Surface

waters have constant exposure to the air and are constantly being turned and churned by the wind. This

movement of water allows for oxygen gas to penetrate the water surfaces and become dissolved

oxygen. Depth waters are able to keep dissolved oxygen depending on the amount of oxygen the

surface water retrieved. The amount of dissolved oxygen in surface waters is dependent on the

surrounding atmosphere and temperature. On this particular day, the wind speeds were particularly low

with an average wind speed of 1.93 mph (measured by the Kestrel 1000). These low winds may

explain why there was not as much oxygen entering into the surface waters compared to at higher

wind speeds.

Conclusion:
 Based on the results of the t-Test, significance can be established between the parameters of

depth dissolved oxygen and surface dissolved oxygen. This statistical difference is inclined to show

that depth waters are typically higher in dissolved oxygen in comparison to the surface waters.

According to the regression test, because the R2 is negligible, there is no correlation between these two

parameters.

Acknowledgements:

I would like to thank all my fellow research classmates for collecting data and the data tzars for

organizing the collected class data. I also appreciate the help of Mr. Kelsey and Dr. Wnek for providing

the class with the opportunity and the skills necessary to complete the research.

Appendix:

Table 1: The dissolved oxygen (mg/L) values obtained from surface and depth samples taken from
three sites in the Long Beach Island vicinity obtained on February 12, 2020. Values ranged from <0.01
ppm to 11.2 ppm and significance was seen between sampling time, indicating tides had an influence
on the parameter.
Site 1 Site 2 Site 3
Surface DO Depth DO Surface DO Depth DO Surface DO Depth DO
(mg/L) (mg/L) (mg/L) (mg/L) (mg/L) (mg/L)
9.2 9.6 10.0 9.1 9.8 10.0
9.8 9.6 9.4 9.4 9.7 10.2
9.8 11.4 9.6 10.0 9.6 9.6
8.1 10.0 8.4 10.0 9.0 10.0
10.0 10.0 10.0 9.7 10.0 10.0
9.4 10.0 9.6 10.0 9.5 9.7
9.8 10.0 10.0 9.2 9.8 9.6
10.0 10.0 10.0 10.0 10.0 10.0
9.8 10.0 9.7 9.5 9.1 9.8
10 9.6 9.8 9.8 9.6 9.8
9.0 9.4 8.8 9.6 9.2 9.2
9.6 10.0 9.3 9.0 9.6 9.3
Table 2: Surface dissolved oxygen composition (mg/L) obtained from three locations in the Long
Beach Island vicinity.
Site 1 Site 2 Site 3

Surface DO (mg/L) Surface DO (mg/L) Surface DO (mg/L)

9.2 10 9.8
9.8 9.4 9.7
9.8 9.6 9.6
8.1 8.4 9.0
10 10 10
9.4 9.6 9.5
9.8 10 9.8
10.0 10.0 10.0
9.8 9.7 9.1
10 9.8 9.6
9 8.8 9.2
9.6 9.3 9.6

Table 3: Depth dissolved oxygen composition (mg/L) obtained from three locations in the Long Beach
Island vicinity.
Site 1 Site 2 Site 3
Depth DO (mg/L) Depth DO (mg/L) Depth DO (mg/L)
9.6 9.6 10.0
9.6 9.6 10.2
11.4 11.4 9.6
10.0 10.0 10.0
10.0 10.0 10.0
10.0 10.0 9.7
10.0 10.0 9.6
10.0 10.0 10.0
10.0 10.0 9.8
9.6 9.6 9.8
9.4 9.4 9.2
10.0 10.0 9.3
Figure 1: On February 12, 2020, the MATES research class visited three sites: Surf City Marina
(39°39'25.03"N, 74°10'38.80"W), Ship Bottom Bay Beach (39°38'56.59"N, 74°11'7.93"W), and 25th
Avenue Pier (39°38'42.17"N, 74°11'8.33"W).

Figure 2: Mean dissolved oxygen (mg/L) readings (n=70; +5% error) from three sites on Long Beach
Island on February 12, 2020. A T-test showed that the p-value was less than 0.05, indicating
significance between the mean surface dissolved oxygen (mg/L) in comparison to depth dissolved
oxygen (α=0.05).
Figure 3: On February 12, 2020, the MATES research class visited three sites: Surf City Marina
(39°39'25.03"N, 74°10'38.80"W), Ship Bottom Bay Beach (39°38'56.59"N, 74°11'7.93"W), and 25th
Avenue Pier (39°38'42.17"N, 74°11'8.33"W).

Figure 4: Dissolved oxygen samplers were Figure 5: The depth sampler was used to
used by the sampling group (Group 1) to collect depth water for the depth dissolved
collect depth samples for dissolved oxygen carbon dioxide tests.
bottles.
Figure 5: The Kestrel Anemometer 1000 was Figure 6: The Barnant Thermocouple was used
used by the meteorology group to measure to measure air temperature (℃).
wind speed (mph).

Figure 7: The research groups used this Figure 8: LaMotte Carbon Dioxide Kits were
LaMotte kit to test dissolved oxygen levels used to test carbon dioxide levels (mg/L) by the
(mg/L) using the Winkler titration method. research group.
Figure 9: Oxygen saturation chart comparing percent saturation to mg/L in regards to increasing
temperature.

Bibliography:
Biologist, A. S. (2016). Causes of Low Dissolved Oxygen and Impact to Fish. Retrieved from

https://www.aqua-sierra.com/causes-of-low-dissolved-oxygen-and-impact-to-fish/

Bohl, M. “Gas Bubble Disease of Fish.” Tierarztliche Praxis. U.S. National Library of Medicine,

May 1997. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9289892.

Dissolved Oxygen. (2018). Retrieved from

https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/earth-and-planetary-sciences/dissolved-oxygen

Dissolved Oxygen and Water, 2020.

https://www.usgs.gov/special-topic/water-science-school/science/dissolved-oxygen-and-water?q

t-science_center_objects=0#qt-science_center_objects.
Fondriest Environmental, Inc. (2013). Dissolved Oxygen. Retrieved from

https://www.fondriest.com/environmental-measurements/parameters/water-quality/dissolved-ox

ygen/

“Gas Bubble Disease (GBD).” Gas Bubble Disease (GBD), 2016.

https://www.adfg.alaska.gov/static/species/disease/pdfs/fishdiseases/gas_bubble_disease.pdf.

“Ocean Circulation: Surface Water and Deep Water.” Ocean Circulation: Surface Water and Deep

Water | Earth 540: Essentials of Oceanography for Educators, 2016.

https://www.e-education.psu.edu/earth540/content/c4_p4.html.

Oram, Brian. “Mr. Brian Oram, PG.” Water Research Center - Dissolved Oxygen in Water, Streams,

Watershed. Accessed March 1, 2020.

https://water-research.net/index.php/dissovled-oxygen-in-water.

US Department of Commerce, & National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. (2004,

December 19). NOAA's National Ocean Service Education: Estuaries. Retrieved from

https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/education/kits/estuaries/media/supp_estuar10d_disolvedox.html

US Department of Commerce, & National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. (2005,

December 19). NOAA National Ocean Service Education: Getting Physical with Estuaries:

Lesson Plan. Retrieved from

https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/education/lessons/getting_physical.html

“Water Data and Tools.” EPA. Environmental Protection Agency, November 13, 2019.

http://water.epa.gov/scitech/datait/tools/warsss/bedload.cfm.
“Water Treatment Solutions.” Lenntech Water treatment & purification. Accessed March 1, 2020.

https://www.lenntech.com/why_the_oxygen_dissolved_is_important.htm.

An excellent report. Expand some detail about the practicality of the sample site a bit more. Well

done. 30/30