Written by Claire Gabel
Of the scientific equipment at CSCR, one of the most used tools is the YSI meter. But what are students actually measuring when they use a YSI? At CSCR we currently have four handheld YSI meters that each measure dissolved oxygen, conductivity, temperature, and salinity. Three of the YSIs also measure pH, one of which measures depth and GPS location as well.
Dissolved oxygen (DO) is of particular interest because it indicates whether there is enough oxygen in the water for animals like fish to survive. It can either be recorded in milligrams per liter (mg/L) or as a percentage. Most of the numbers we see are between 85-100%, indicating that oxygen levels are high enough for fish to survive! Different species have different tolerance levels, but ideally DO% should be above 70%.
