Dead zones are areas without enough dissolved oxygen (DO) to support aquatic life, they can be caused naturally or by human activity, but the primary cause is excess nutrients entering the water either through surface runoff or wastewater entering lakes.
For this project we identify the collected dissolved oxygen readings over a period of 8 months. The data collected shows that areas near the wetland outlet, the northeast corner, the northwest corner and the western bank of the lake have low dissolved oxygen levels. While taking the readings we observed large amounts of water entering the lake, we saw algal blooms, and noticed bad odour near the wetland indicating fluctuations in the water quality. Other factors that could have affected the data are rainfall, and cloud cover. In order to revive the dead zone we needed a portable device that did not require electricity to function, after some research we decided to use a solar aerator to improve the water quality. To see a significant impact the readings using the solar aerator would need to be taken over a longer period of time.
Please find complete information of this project here.
