HENRY’S LAW & GAS SOLUBILITY

‘At a constant T, the amount of gas absorbed by a

given volume of liquid is proportional to the
pressure in atmospheres that the gas exert’
CαP
c=Kxp

c: the concentration of gas that is absorbed (moles

@ mg/L @ ml/L)

p: the partial pressure that the gas exerts

K: solubility factor

Factors affecting gas solubility:

xv.Altitude

altitude Pressure (p) solubility

• each 100m rise above sea level, atmospheric

pressure decreases by 8 to 9 mm Hg
ii. Temperature

With p held constant:

P Temperature solubility

iii. Salinity

P salinity solubility
Sources of gas in aquatic system:

Gas Process

CO2 Respiration,
decomposition

O2 Photosynthesis

CH4 (methane) Anaerobic decomposition

H2S Chemical & bacterial

mineralization

NH3 (ammonia) Heterotrophic bacterial

decomposition

NH4+, NH4OH Excretion

OXYGEN
The importance of dissolved oxygen (DO):
• essential to the metabolism of aquatic
organisms that possess aerobic respiratory
biochemistry

• the dynamics of O2 distribution are basic to the

understanding of the distribution, behaviour &
physiological growth of aquatic organisms

• the distribution of O2 affects the solubility of

many inorganic nutrients

• the variations in DO of lakes & rivers are a good

measure of their trophic states
Source of oxygen:
2. Atmosphere
The addition of atmospheric O2 to a lake involves 2
processes:
• Suitable gradient of partial pressure differences
of O2 b/ween the atmosphere & the water
• Turbulence (wind) carries the absorbed O2 to
lower levels

2. Photosynthesis
6CO2 + 6H2O C6H12O6 + 6O2

1600 O2 produced (mgO2/m2/h)

1200
800

400

0
0800 1200 1600 2000

Time of the day

Loss of O2:

• respiration

• bacterial aerobic decomposition

• chemical oxidation

• erosion & gas bubbles from the sediments

remove O2

• the warming of a summer epilimnion

1º Production measured by the oxygen method

The light-dark bottle technique

3 bottles:

IB: Initial bottle

LB: Light bottle
DB: Dark bottle

LB – IB = net gain in O2 (net 1º production)

DB: purely respiratory (O2 remaining in the dark

bottle after a period of total respiration)
IB – DB = R (respiration in both bottles)

Net production + respiration = gross production

(GP)

(LB – IB) + (IB – DB) = GP

GP = LB – DB

GP: the total of O2 produced by photosynthesis

In polluted waters, long incubation will lead to:

DB: respiration anaerobic

The disadvantages of light-dark bottles:

• misconception of net production; respiration in

DB

• photorespiration in LB
- favored by high light intensities & low CO2
- oxidation of glycolate (photosynthate)

• the assumption that the R derived from DB is the

same as that in LB

Diel variations in O2

• eutrophic lake:
- below-oxygen saturation in early morning
- supersaturation in late afternoon/midday
-drop to zero during the night

• the more productive the environment – the greater

the fluctuation in concentration of O2

• large variation of O2 concentration also occur

near shore (aquatic plants)

• O2 deficit by decaying organic material

Aerator used to increase the dissolved oxygen (DO)
level in aquaculture pond
DISTRIBUTION OF DISSOLVED OXYGEN IN LAKES
• 4 general types of O2 distribution in thermally
stratified lakes:
iii. Orthograde O2 profile
• Oligotrophic lakes
• O2 in the hypolimnion remain saturated from
the period of spring turnover

Summer stratification

0 4 8 12 O2(mg/l)
Depth

O2

0 10 20 30 T(°C)
Winter stratification

4 12 O2(mg/L)
0
Depth

ø O2

0 10 20 30 T(°C)

• O2 saturation in the hipolimnion

• in ultra-oligotrophic lakes with minimal biotic
influence
• in the Arctic & Antarctic
• rare occurrence in dimictic lakes
ii. Clinograde O2 profile

Summer stratification

0 4 8 12
O2(mg/L)
O2
Depth

0 10 20 30 T(°C)

• eutrophic lakes
• oxidative processes at the hypolimnion
• O2 at the hypolimnion becomes undersaturated
• hypolimnion is anaerobic
• bacterial respiration in decomposition of
sedimenting organic matter
• large, deep lakes: bacterial respiration of organic
matter of phytoplanktonic origin dominate
• shallow lake: benthic decomposition dominate
• lakes high in humic organic compounds –
chemical oxidation or photochemical oxidation by
ultraviolet light
Winter stratification

0
Depth 4 12 O2(mg/L)

O2
ø

0 10 20 30 T(°C)

• respiratory utilization & chemical oxidation

increase with depth at slower rate

Spring/fall turnover
4 12 O2(mg/L)
0
Depth

ø O2

0 10 20 30 T(°C)
 Variations in oxygen distribution

iii. Positive heterograde O2 profile

0 4 8 12 O2(mg/L)

ø Epilimnion
depth

O2

Hipolimnion

0 10 20 30 T(°C)

• O2 in metalimnion increase during stratification –

positively correlated with water transparency

• blue-green algae (Oscillatoria); major contributors

• lake with stable stratification – high relative depth

• O2 in the littoral dissipate (disperse)into the

metalimnion
iv. Negative heterograde O2 profile

0 4 8 12 O2(mg/L)

ø Epilimnion
Depth

Metalimnion

O2 Hipolimnion

0 10 20 30 T(°C)

• a metalimnetic O2 minimum

• the sinking rate of organic matter is slow at

metalimnion - decompose

• decomposition rate higher at metalimnion

• respiratory consumption of O2 by zooplankton in

the metalimnion
OXYGEN DEFICIT

• the difference in amount of O2 present at the

beginning & at the end of stratification below a
given depth

• the amount of O2 needed to reach saturation

minus the amount of O2 present

• indicates the relationship of the metabolism in the

trophogenic zone and that in the tropholytic zone

Trophogenic zone

Organic matter

tropholytic zone

Utilization of hypolimnetic O2

• provides an indirect estimate of the productivity

of the lake