Pond Boss Forums AERATION Should I aerate? Aeration

Just because one is a biologist, it does not mean you are wise. He could have passed college courses with C's or even D's.

Wind across open water will mix some "air-borne" oxygen into water with wave action. But how deep will it mix the oxygen into the water? That is the question to be answered. Typically, oxygen dissolved into the surface water will only mix down into the top stratified layer. The deeper, unmixed cooler layer is where the oxygen loss occurs. If this deoxygenated zone is large and it upwells to the surface warm layer, it can degrade the surface water quality enough to kill fish.

The bottom diffused aeration weather by windmill or electric compressor is designed to move the deoxygenated water up & out of the deep zone and to the top warm, illuminated layer where the water can be degassed and reoxygenated.

PS.... Most of the dissolved oxygen in a pond or lake's oxygen budget is produced by plant photosynthesis not wind action. Air is only about 20% oxygen, whereas oxygen produced by plant action is basiclly pure oxygen. More efficient gas transfer. Either way oxygen is relatively insoluable into water as compared to say carbon dioxide or hydrogen sulfide.