Enter your Water Temperature, Barometric Pressure, Salinity, and Elevation into the Dissolved Oxygen Calculator to find the DO Saturation Concentration, along with your Percent Saturation, Pressure (Corrected), and Salinity Correction Factor — add a Measured DO value to see exactly how saturated your water sample really is.
DO Saturation Concentration
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Percent Saturation
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Pressure (Corrected)
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Salinity Correction Factor
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Dissolved oxygen (DO) is the amount of oxygen gas dissolved in water, typically measured in mg/L or ppm. It's crucial for aquatic life survival and indicates water quality health.
As water temperature increases, dissolved oxygen levels decrease. Warm water holds less oxygen than cold water, which is why cold mountain streams typically have higher DO levels.
Percent saturation indicates how much dissolved oxygen is present compared to the maximum amount the water can hold at specific temperature and pressure conditions. 100% means fully saturated.
Saltwater holds less dissolved oxygen than freshwater. As salinity increases, the maximum dissolved oxygen concentration decreases due to the presence of dissolved salts.
For most aquatic life, DO levels should be above 5 mg/L. Levels below 3 mg/L are stressful to most fish, and below 2 mg/L can be lethal to many species.
Higher atmospheric pressure increases dissolved oxygen solubility. At higher elevations where pressure is lower, water can hold less dissolved oxygen at saturation.
Common causes include high water temperature, excessive organic matter decomposition, algal blooms, pollution, and inadequate water circulation or aeration.
Calculated values are highly accurate when using standard equations like those from Benson and Krause. However, actual measurements may vary due to local conditions and water chemistry.