Aerobic respiration dissolved oxygen depletion

In some surface waters (and shallow groundwaters) depleted in dissolved oxygen because of their organic-matter content, there is an inverse correlation between the O2 consumed by aerobic decay and respiration and the increase in CO2 found in the water over its equilibrium atmospheric value. This would be expected if changes in the dissolved oxygen and carbon dioxide contents of the water are controlled chiefly by respiration and aerobic decay (reaction 2 ). The ratio of the CO2 produced to the O2 consumed is called the respiratory coefficient, or,... 

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