What is supersaturation?
A – Supersaturation of water is the term used to describe a situation, when the water is holding more gas than it would otherwise naturally contain. 100% saturation (or saturation point) refers to the natural amount of gas that the water contains, most natural surface waters contain around 100% saturation of each gas (variations can be caused by plant life in the water which uses and produces oxygen / carbon dioxide). If you leave a bowl of clean water standing still it will reach 100%. Water is said to be supersaturated when it holds more than the natural amount of any particular gas. Because nitrogen and oxygen form more than 95% of the gas in water, supersaturation usually occurs with one of these two gasses. As fish can cope with some oxygen supersaturation, it is nitrogen supersaturation which poses the main danger. Q – So Why Does Supersaturation Occur? A – Supersaturation occurs when water is subjected to unnatural forces such as increased pressure and heating. Water can natural
