Water Transparency Protoco

Many people try to understand and measure water transparency however doesn't know what exactly to know. Well first we know about most naturally thing in this planet "Water". In suspended particles in our water behave similarly to dust in the atmosphere as in our water. Reduce the depth to which light can prenetrate. The sunlight provides the energy for photosynthesis. Transperency decreases with the presence of molecules and particles that can absorb or scatter the light.  Nevertheless a researcher haves to remember there are the different types of wtersuch as "hard" water lakes. "Hard" water lakes with lots of suspended CaCO particles preferentially scatter blue-green ligh, where as lakes  with organic materials appear more green or yellow. Colored organic material can come from in situ productions such as detritusand biota or from inputs into the water body.  If pheraphs the body of water is shallow or flowing, then you need to use a transparency tube. To measure transparency cannot directly be compare to the Secchi diskand transparency tube measurements between different sites.

Then comes in play of temperature which allows scientists to better understand other hydrology measurements such as dissolved oxygen, pH and conductivity. Temperature influences the amount and diversity of aquatic life. Lakes that are cold and have little plant life in winter, bloom in spring and summer when temperatures rise and the nutrient rich bottom waters mix with the upper waters.

Warmer water can be fatal for sensitive  species such as trout or salmon, which require cold oxygen-rich conditions. Warmer water tends to have lower levels of dissolved oxygen.  Making water temperature so important for understanding local and gobal weather patterns. However the water temperature change differently than air temperatures because water  has a higher heat capacity than air. Water also helps to change air temperature through the processes of evaporation and condensation.

pH
pH measures the acid content of water. The pH scale which is measured from 0.0-14.0 pH units  is  logarithmic scale of the hydrogen ion concentration. Solutions with a pH greater than 7.0 are classified as basic and ones with a pH less than 7.0 as acidic.  In fact, lakes and streams have pH values that  reange between 6.5 and 8.5. Pure water  that is not ion contact with air has a nuetral pH value of 7.0. Water with impurities may also have a pH of 7.0 if acids present are in balance with the bases.

pH however affects most chemical and biological processes in water. It haves a strong influence on what can live in the water such as certain organisms have certain pH ranges they prefer or require. Salamanders, frogs and other amphibian life are examples that are sensitive to extreme pH levels.

Dissolved Oxygen Protocoles
Dissolved Oxygen Protocol measurses the amount molecular oxygen dissolved  on water. It doesn't unfortunatly measure the amount of oxygen  in the water oxygen. Roughly two out of ten air molecules are molecular oxygen. The amount of dissolved oxygen in the water determines what can live there. Affecting the solubility of dissolved oxygen include water temperature, atmospheric pressure and salinity. Once the solubility is dissolved from oxygen salinity increases.

Aeration  occurs when water is mixed with air just like waves, riffles, and waterfalls. Water may become supersaturated, meaning that the dissolved oxygen levels are greater that its solubility. The extra dissolved oxygen would eventually be released back into the air  or removed though respiration. Most organic matter in aquatic ecosystems is non-living and it is collectively referred to as detritus. The  organic matter can be produced in situ  or enter  water bodies  from the surrounding land.

Nitrate
Nitrogen  have many chemical forms in water bodies such as dissolved molecular nitrogen, organic compounds and numerous inorganic forms like ammonium and  nitrate. Nitrate a usual the most important inorganic form of nitrogen because it is an essential nutrient for the growth and reproduction of many algae and other  aquatic plants. You usually find nitrite in waters with low dissolved oxygen levels called suboxic waters.

Many people such as weirdos would often call nitrogen a "limiting nutrient" because of the weird reason of the low amounts, plants use up all the available nitrogen in the water and cannot grow or reproduce anymore.  Limiting the amount of plants in the water. Usually when excess amount of limiting nutrient is added to a lake or stream the water becomes highly productive which causes tremendous growth of algae and other plants. This would be called eutrophication. Resulting excess plant growth that can taste and odor problems in lakes used for drinking water.

Freshwater Macroinvertebrates
Macroinvertebrates are small animals without a backbone that can be seen without a microscope. They  live around  living and dead  vegetation on the surface  or in the sediments of bodies of water. They can populate ponds or streams in multiple numbers. Making them a great importance to the food chain. Macroinvertebrates can tell us a lot about the conditions within a water body however they are very sensitive to changes in pH, dissolved oxygen, temperature, salinity, turbidity ad other changes in their habitat.