Dissolved Oxygen Testing - First Phase Completed

This week’s posting is really a continuation of last week’s in that the first phase of the Dissolved Oxygen project was completed.

Since I had received the Ministry of the Environments Dissolved Oxygen meter a few of day’s ago, I decided that yesterday would be the day to do the testing because of the good weather forecast.

So, mid morning, we loaded our fish finder (to verify the deepest part of the lake); our GPS (to mark a waypoint for the test); the Ministry of the Environment’s Dissolved Oxygen meter; our life jackets and safety kit; and our heavy anchor (to hold the boat in position as we tested).

We established our test location in 27 meters of water and spent the next forty-five minutes lowering the probe and recording results, in one meter increments, all the way from the surface to one meter from the bottom.

Since this is only the first phase of the project, I will not give you all of the test results nor will I give you the graphical analysis; both will come later.

However, the results of our testing shows the dissolved oxygen levels to be quite acceptable (greater than 6.57 mg/l) down to a depth of 21 meters. What was also interesting is that the water temperature at 26 meters was 4.8 degrees Centigrade, just above freezing! And as expected, the dissolved oxygen level at that depth is precarious for "anyone" trying to live down there.

The next phase of my project will repeat yesterday’s test, but immediately after ice-out in 2017. I will be looking at the effects of our winter months on Loon Lake’s dissolved oxygen levels. 

Winter is that time of year when there is ice and snow cover over the lake; no winds blowing across the lake; and fewer and shorter days of good sunlight.

Brrrrrr……

Have a Happy Labour Day Weekend!