Low dissolved oxygen critically impairs water quality, primarily by making it uninhabitable for aquatic life.
When the amount of oxygen dissolved in water drops below healthy levels, its most significant impact is on the organisms living within it. Oxygen is essential for the respiration of fish, invertebrates, and other aquatic animals. Aquatic plants contribute to oxygen levels through photosynthesis, but when demand outweighs supply or conditions hinder oxygen introduction, levels can plummet.
According to studies on water quality, when dissolved oxygen becomes too low, fish and other aquatic organisms cannot survive. This directly leads to the decline or death of aquatic populations, severely damaging the ecosystem and indicating poor water quality.
Factors influencing dissolved oxygen levels include water temperature; for instance, colder water can hold more oxygen than warmer water. However, regardless of the cause, insufficient dissolved oxygen fundamentally compromises water quality by creating conditions unsuitable for most aquatic life.
