In this dataset, the water chestnut and water celery species’ DO saturation follow a similar cycle. However, the water celery’s peaks occur before the water chestnut’s do, with a reading of 82.3% at 2:00 a.m. and 75.1% at 4 p.m. for the water chestnut. The water celery’s peaks occur at midnight with 127.5% and 151.4% at 3:30 p.m. Though the water chestnut’s data’s average % saturation is approximately 48.4%, it rises as high as 82.3% at 2:00 a.m. and falls as low as 13.8% at 9:30 p.m. The water celery’s mean % saturation is much higher than the river channel’s at about 122.1%, as the river channel maintains a fairly constant rate, the mean being roughly 101.77% and the range being 12.2%, which is expected for a control variable. The mean value of the water chestnut’s DO levels is always lower than that of the river channel and water celery’s; the water celery’s mean is higher than both of the others. Although not completely aligned, the water celery and chestnut’s DO levels follow a similar path over a 24-hour period.

The invasive species’ range is 68.5% and the standard deviation is approximately 24.98% from the mean of approximately 48.42%, demonstrating the significant variation of the DO levels throughout the 24-hour period. As the control variable, the river channel’s range and standard deviation stay fairly small. The range is 12.2% and the standard deviation is only 3.23% away from the mean of roughly 101.77 when rounded to the nearest hundredth. The water celery’s range and standard deviation are between that of the chestnut and the channel with a range of 56.8% and a standard deviation of approximately 18.3%.

Since dissolved oxygen is created as a byproduct when plants undergo photosynthesis, an organism’s method of generating nutrients, the spikes are most likely found when the plants are photosynthetic. This means that, when the plants are generating food, the DO level rises. DO is also constantly being incorporated into the water using diffusion from the atmosphere. This is when air from the atmosphere is incorporated into the water.

A lack of DO can be caused by respiration. Because aquatic animals require oxygen to breathe, respiration is when they absorb some oxygen from the water. Another reason for a dip in oxygen levels is decomposition. As the bacteria work to decompose dead organisms, they pull oxygen from the river (“BASIN”, 2007). This results in a dip in oxygen in that region of the river. Another reason could possibly be low sun exposure, weather, and a low temperature. At 9:30 p.m, the water chestnut reached its lowest % saturation, which may be linked to the temperature and sunlight. Peaks in DO often occur during daylight. The water chestnut itself may also contribute to lower DO levels. The wide leaves of the plant rest on the surface of the water, preventing diffusion and blocking the sunlight, which is essential for photosynthesis. When photosynthesis and diffusion slow down or even stop, the conditions quickly become hypoxic or even anoxic, harming the ecosystem and all the beings within it.

The tides also influence the peaks and valleys of the DO saturation levels. The troughs happened around 12 hours apart, relating to the daily low tides, while the peaks happened 12 hours apart, relating to the high tides. If we compare the nearby tide data (“National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration”) from this period with the DO data, we see that the low tides occur as the saturation levels decrease, and the high tides occur as the saturation levels increase (see Fig. 3). These ideas are supported by a document published by Estuary Education, which states that “Lack of tidal flushing can cause water conditions, such as dissolved oxygen, in a lagoon to deteriorate” (“Estuary Education”).