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An Analysis of Dissolved Oxygen, Turbidity, and Water Temperature at the Lighthouse

Resource Center in Waretown, New Jersey
Claudia Schreier

Abstract
Dissolved oxygen, turbidity, and water temperature are three major parameters used to assess
and understand the water quality and the overall health of the Barnegat Bay and many other
bodies of water around the world. On May 23 and 24, 2017, the MATES Research Methods and
Applications class travelled to the Lighthouse Center in Waretown, New Jersey (Figures 1-4) to
conduct water quality tests for 20 hours. Samples were taken from a Pond Site, a Lagoon Site,
and a Bay site. Utilizing the Winkler Titration method, dissolved oxygen tests were conducted;
in addition, water temperature was measured with a YSI-85 Multimeter, and turbidity was
measured with the LaMotte 2020 Turbidimeter. ANOVA tests were conducted using this data,
one dedicated to dissolved oxygen and one for turbidity, to determine if there was a significant
difference among the data sets collected at each sampling hour. The ANOVA test for dissolved
oxygen produced a p-value of ​1.217E-12​. The ANOVA test for turbidity produced a p-value of
3.730E-06​. Two regression tests were also conducted to determine what correlations, if any,
were between turbidity and dissolved oxygen, and between water temperature and dissolved
oxygen. The R Square value from the regression test between dissolved oxygen and turbidity
was 0.1438; the p-value was 0.2500. The R Square value from the regression test between
dissolved oxygen and temperature was 0.0001; the p-value was 0.9727.
Introduction
Many different parameters are used to investigate and understand the Barnegat Bay watershed.
Dissolved oxygen, turbidity, and temperature are three of the many extremely important
parameters used to determine the water quality and the overall health of a body of water.
Dissolved oxygen is the amount of gaseous oxygen dissolved in a sample of water, measured in
parts per million (ppm). Oxygen can be dissolved in water by way of the atmosphere, through
movement, or as a product of photosynthesis (“Dissolved Oxygen”). Oxygen dissolved in a
specific body of water is beneficial to the well-being of the entire ecosystem that inhabits it,
including fish, plants, and bacteria. It is important to monitor waters closely, making sure that the
dissolved oxygen levels are in the correct range for that specific body of water, as many species
are sensitive to even the smallest changes in dissolved oxygen. Flowing water contains a high
amount of dissolved oxygen, whereas stagnant or slow-moving water, such as ponds or lakes,
contains a lower amount of dissolved oxygen. Dissolved oxygen tests in this investigation were
carried out using the Winkler Method, or titration. Temperature is affected by many different
parameters, such as air temperature, stormwater runoff, groundwater inflows, turbidity, and even
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exposure to sunlight (Definition of Water Quality Parameters 1997). With no confounding

factors, temperature and dissolved oxygen have an inversely proportional relationship; when one
increases, the other decreases. At the Lagoon, temperature was recorded with the YSI-85
Multimeter. Turbidity is the amount of particles suspended in the water, affecting both water
clarity and visibility. Different materials can add to turbidity, such as sediments like clay and silt,
organic and inorganic matter, algae, and other microscopic organisms (Minnesota Pollution
Control Agency). Dissolved oxygen and turbidity can affect and be affected by the other, and
they can both indicate different things about water quality. Dissolved oxygen values that are
lower than five generally cannot support aquatic life, and a lower dissolved oxygen value usually
indicates a warmer temperature (Chesapeake Bay Program). Cooler temperatures are associated
with higher dissolved oxygen values. More particles in the water can raise the temperature of the
water, paving way for bacteria and pathogens to live in the water; in turn, an increase in turbidity
can usually indicate an increase in temperature. These tests are completely dependent on the
proper calibration of recording instruments and adherence to directions (“Dissolved Oxygen”).
On May 23 and 24, 2017, the MATES Research Methods and Applications class travelled to the
Lighthouse Center in Waretown, New Jersey (Figures 1-4) to conduct water quality tests f
around the clock for 20 hours. Samples were taken from a Pond Site, a Lagoon Site, and a Bay
site. Dissolved oxygen was recorded with both a YSI-85 Multimeter (Figure 5) and a kit that
utilized the Winkler titration method (Figure 6). Turbidity was tested with the LaMotte 2020
Turbidimeter (Figure 7), and temperature was recorded with the YSI-85 Meter. All samples were
taken at a one foot depth under the water, and the sampling times were evenly spaced out with
two hour increments, beginning at 1:00 p.m. on May 23, and ending at 9:00 a.m. on May 24. For
the purpose of this investigation, the dissolved oxygen data from only the Winkler Titration was
used, for it included more data than the YSI-85 Meter. This investigation aims to determine
what, if any, are the correlations among dissolved oxygen, temperature, and turbidity at the
Lagoon site for the duration of the trip.
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Methods
Study Site:
On May 23 and 24, 2017, the MATES Research Methods and Applications class conducted
sampling at the Lighthouse Resource Center in Waretown, New Jersey. Three sites were sampled
from: the Pond, the Lagoon, and the Bay. All sites were within walking distance of the center,
the Bay being the farthest away. There were six groups that all sampled at different times; at any
given sampling hour, there would be two people at each site and two people inside the lab area of
the center, ready to conduct water quality tests.
Procedure:
The class was separated into six groups, with each student assigned a specific task at every hour
they were sampling at; some students had to collect sample water from the Pond, the Lagoon, or
the Bay, and some had to stay inside and conduct more complicated water quality tests.
Dissolved oxygen samples were fixed in-situ, and the YSI-85 Multimeter also recorded values at
the site. All samples were then brought inside for other water quality tests to be conducted; they
were ​conductance (mS/cm), water temperature (°C), dissolved oxygen (ppm), carbon dioxide
(ppm), turbidity (NTU), salinity (ppt), chlorophyll, pH, and YSI dissolved oxygen (mg/L). Wind
speed (mph) and air temperature (°C) were also recorded at each sampling hour. All of the data
was recorded on a dry-erase board inside the center; this kept the data more organized, and kept
everyone responsible for collecting it.
Statistical Analysis:
After inserting the data (Tables 1,2) into a microsoft Excel spreadsheet, all of the data was
plotted onto a graph (Figure 8). Two ANOVA tests (Figures 9,10) were run, one on the dissolved
oxygen and one more on turbidity, to determine whether or not there was a significant difference
between data sets. An alpha of 0.05 was used, significance indicated by a p-value lower than
0.05. Two regression tests were also conducted to determine if what, if any, was the correlation
between dissolved oxygen and temperature, and the correlation between turbidity and
temperature. Again, the alpha of 0.05 was used to indicate significance.
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Results
The p-value from the ANOVA test for dissolved oxygen was ​1.217E-12. The p-value from the
ANOVA test for turbidity was 3.730E-06. Because the p-values were significant, a Post Hoc test
was needed. The R Square value from the regression test between dissolved oxygen and turbidity
was 0.1438; the p-value was 0.2500. The R Square value for the regression test between
dissolved oxygen and temperature was 0.0001; the p-value was 0.9727.
Discussion
The p-values for both the ANOVA test for dissolved oxygen and the ANOVA test for turbidity
were extremely low. A Tukey Post-Hoc test was necessary to determine which sets of data, or
the data from which sampling hour, were different from the rest. There were fifty-five
comparisons to be made for each of the Post-Hoc tests proposed, and the software for the test
was nonexistent for that many; 55 t-tests could have been conducted, but it was excessive.
However, the weather and the changes in light could explain why there are such great differences
among the sets of data. As it gets darker outside, the plants and aquatic vegetation cannot use
sunlight for photosynthesis; instead, the plants consume more oxygen at night during respiration
than they do during the day (“Oxygen and Carbon Dioxide”). In turn, this depletes the dissolved
oxygen, so it would not be unprecedented to see low dissolved oxygen values throughout the
night. Organisms move less during the night, and some might rest, so there is not as much
sediment being stirred up as there is during the day. This decreases the turbidity for that time,
making it different from the turbidity during the day. In addition, the tides can affect the turbidity
of the water; the high tides would bring more brackish water into the lagoon, as opposed to low
tides, where there would be a lower amount of salt. This excess salt could decreases water clarity
and consequently raises turbidity, so it would be common to have higher turbidity values during
high tides. Temperature was also not constant. Again, during the night, temperature fluctuated,
for there was no sunlight. This changed the dissolved oxygen, for at lower temperatures, there is
more oxygen. In addition, not many organisms were moving around, and the turbidity may have
been lowered, altering the temperature to make the water cooler. Furthermore, the regression test
for dissolved oxygen and turbidity produced an R Square value of 0.1438; the p-value was
0.2500. This means that there was extremely little correlation between dissolved oxygen and
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turbidity, and the differences between them were not significant. Under normal circumstances,
dissolved oxygen and turbidity have a inversely proportional relationship; wh​en turbidity
increases, the amount of dissolved oxygen decreases (“Turbidity”). This happens because the
suspended particles in the water can block sunlight, which can ultimately limit the respiration of
submerged and emergent aquatic vegetation. A correlation may not have been found because the
turbidity levels may not have changed; also, there were rainfall events throughout the sampling
period, so runoff may have added more nutrients to the water without changing the dissolved
oxygen. Similarly, ​the R Square value for the regression test between dissolved oxygen and
temperature was 0.0001; the p-value was 0.9727. This indicates that there was no correlation
whatsoever between dissolved oxygen and water temperature. Cooler water can hold less
oxygen, as the concentration of dissolved oxygen is inversely related to water temperature
(Chesapeake Bay Program). This fact suggests that the two parameters should have had a
stronger correlation between them. However, there was not. This may be due to the fact that
there are parameters affecting the dissolved oxygen, besides just temperature and turbidity.
When there are too many nutrients in the water, the body of water becomes eutrophic, with a
large amount of algae and plant growth. The algae will die and sink to the bottom of the body,
and bacteria will eat it. The bacteria will consume the oxygen until there is little or none left
(Chesapeake Bay Program). With nutrient pollution, the dissolved oxygen can change without
the temperature also changing. These confounding variables can alter test in immeasurable ways,
changing the results.
Conclusion
There were significant differences among the sets of the data for both dissolved oxygen and
turbidity. There was no correlation between dissolved oxygen and turbidity, and there was no
correlation between dissolved oxygen and temperature.
Acknowledgements
Thank you to Zach Cartnick and Penny Demetriades for the organization and distribution of data,
and thank you MATES for providing resources and teachers for taking the class to field. In
addition, thank you to Dr. Wnek and Mr. Kelsey for teaching how to conduct water quality tests
and how to use Microsoft Excel to conduct statistical analyses.
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References
Definition of Water Quality Parameters. (n.d.). Retrieved June 07, 2017, from
http://fosc.org/WQData/WQParameters.htm
Dissolved Oxygen. (n.d.). Retrieved June 08, 2017, from
http://www.sarasota.wateratlas.usf.edu/shared/learnmore.asp?toolsection=lm_dissolvedox
Oxygen and Carbon Dioxide. (n.d.). Retrieved June 07, 2017, from
http://www.miseagrant.umich.edu/lessons/lessons/by-broad-concept/earth-science/water-quality/
oxygen-and-carbon-dioxide/
Perlman, U. H. (n.d.). Water Properties: Dissolved Oxygen. Retrieved June 07, 2017, from
https://water.usgs.gov/edu/dissolvedoxygen.html
Program, C. B. (n.d.). Dissolved Oxygen. Retrieved June 07, 2017, from
http://www.chesapeakebay.net/discover/bayecosystem/dissolvedoxygen
Turbidity. (n.d.). Retrieved June 07, 2017, from
http://extension.usu.edu/waterquality/whats-in-your-water/turbidity
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Figure 1: A map of the entire area that was studied during the research trip.
The class stayed inside of the Lighthouse Resource Center, and sampled
from the Pond, Lagoon, and Bay

Figure 2: The Pond was sampled from.

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Figure 3: The Lagoon was in close proximity to the Lighthouse

Resource Center.

Figure 4: The Bay was also sampled from; it is about 0.3 mi

away from the Lighthouse Center.
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Figure 5: The YSI-85 Multimeter was used

to record different water quality tests, but
for the purpose of this investigation, it
recorded both temperature and dissolved
oxygen.

Figure 6: A Winkler titration was used

to determine dissolved oxygen at all
three sites; samples were fixed in-situ,
and then brought inside for titrating.
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Figure 7: The LaMotte 2020

Turbidimeter was used to measure
the turbidity of the waters from the
Pond, the Lagoon, and the Bay.

Figure 8: A graph of the DO (ppm), turbidity (NTU), and water temperature (℃) per each
sampling hour past 1:00 p.m. on May 23, 2017. The r-square value for the dissolved oxygen is
0.052; the r-square value for turbidity is 0.034; the r-square value for water temperature is 0.425.
The changes turbidity among the passing hours were statistically significant, while the changes
among the dissolved oxygen values and water temperature values were not statistically
significant.
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Figure 9: A graph of all of the dissolved oxygen values recorded using the Winkler titration at all
sampling hours.

Figure 10: A graph of all of the turbidity values values recorded using the turbidimeter at all
sampling hours.
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Table 1: The average dissolved oxygen (ppm), average turbidity (NTU), and
water temperature (°C) are noted in this table. The raw data for dissolved oxygen
and turbidity are noted in Table 2.

Time Average DO (ppm) Average Turbidity (NTU) Water Temperature (°C)

13:00 2 2.223333333 19.3
15:00 6.733333333 2.203333333 19.6
17:00 6.733333333 2.453333333 20.8
19:00 5.233333333 1.32 18.8
21:00 2.066666667 2.613333333 19.4
23:00 5 1.17 18.3
1:00 4.966666667 1.766666667 17.8
3:00 5.266666667 1.266666667 16.5
5:00 2.8 1.613333333 18.4
7:00 5.2 1.25 17
9:00 2.3 2.923333333 18.8

Table 2: The raw data for dissolved oxygen and turbidity; averages were necessary
to calculate statistical analyses, for only one reading was taken for temperature
per sampling hour. The data values per each hour varied a great deal due to
phenomenon such as darkness and the tides.
DO (ppm) Turbidity (NTU)
13:00 2 2.52
1 2.63
3 1.52
15:00 6.8 2.9
6.4 1.61
7 2.1
17:00 6.6 2.86
6.8 2.27
6.8 2.23
19:00 5.9 1.3
4.4 1.49
5.4 1.17
21:00 2.2 2.6
1.4 2.87
2.6 2.37
23:00 5 1.32
5 1.14
5 1.05
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1:00 5.2 2.07

4.8 1.51
4.9 1.72
3:00 5.2 1.21
5.3 1.52
5.3 1.07
5:00 2.9 1.92
2.8 1.37
2.7 1.55
7:00 5 1.3
5.4 1.17
5.2 1.28
9:00 2.4 2.91
2.3 2.96
2.2 2.9