What does RDO mean in UNCLASSIFIED

Rugged Dissolved Oxygen (RDO) is a type of measure for the amount of dissolved oxygen in a sample of water. It is typically measured in milligrams per liter (mg/L) and indicates the health of aquatic systems, providing insight into the water's biological and chemical processes.

RDO levels are generally measured through direct or indirect sampling methods. Direct sampling includes manual sampling with an oxygen meter, while indirect sampling can be done with computerized sensors or probes that measure temperature, depth and salinity as well as RDO.

Measurement of RDO levels allows researchers to understand how organisms interact with their environment by observing how certain variables influence dissolved oxygen concentrations. This information can provide valuable insights into aquatic health, habitats, pollution and other factors.

Low levels of RDO indicate poor oxygenation in a body of water which has a direct effect on its ecological balance. Poor oxygenation reduces diversity by limiting the types of species able to live in an aquatic ecosystem, leading to reduced biodiversity and habitat degradation.

High levels of RDO are beneficial to aquatic life as this indicates adequate oxygenation of the water. A healthy level allows for both plant and animal life to thrive in an environment, setting up a balanced food chain and allowing for species diversity.

Although high levels of dissolved oxygen are beneficial to many species living in bodies of water, very high concentrations can be harmful to some organisms due to increased toxicity brought about by oxidative stress. Furthermore, too much dissolved oxygen may cause fish kills due to lowered pH levels which can be fatal for some species.

Pollutants such as household detergents or fertilizers runoff from land into lakes and rivers causing large amounts of organic material that increase bacteria growth and decrease available light for photosynthesis, consequently reducing dissolved-oxygenlevels within these bodies of water. This has severe consequences on aquatic wildlife such as increased mortality rates through hypoxia (lack of available oxygen).

Yes! You can help improve your local watershed's quality by limiting your use environmentally hazardous chemicals, practicing proper disposal methods when it comes to things like pesticides or fertilizers and helping with efforts towards conservation practices such as wetlands restoration and planting native vegetation along waterways that will promote better nutrient filtering thus increasing overall O2 content within these ecosystems.