QA - I think it is the not only the lack of photosynthesis at night, but the O2 CONSUMPTION by plankton, plants, etc at night that really moves the DO needle. I imagine the rate of consumption would increase as a ponds productivity increased.
I tend to look at your theory about daytime winds in a slightly different way. The stronger winds during the day would provide their own contribution to, or form of, aeration. So you have SOME aeration "input" during the day. To me, that would be more of a reason aeration COULD be more beneficial/needed at night.
Again, I think it has been proven that if you measure your DO at 6am it will be lower than at 2pm. That just leads me to believe the most effective/most needed time to aerate is at night.
Honestly, I prefer to see the lake in it's natural state anyway rather than aeration plumes everywhere. So TO ME aeration at night is aesthetically preferable as well.
I hope that doesn't sound argumentative at all because I am definitely not arguing AND I have definitely made plenty of incorrect assumptions!
