Biological Oxygen Demand measurement
Question
Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD) is a standard criterion for
(a) Measuring oxygen levels in blood (b) Computing oxygen levels in forest ecosystems (c) Pollution assay in aquatic ecosystems (d) Assessing oxygen levels in high altitude regions
Options
Measuring oxygen levels in blood
Computing oxygen levels in forest ecosystems
Pollution assay in aquatic ecosystems
Assessing oxygen levels in high altitude regions
Explanation
Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD) is a standard parameter for assessing water quality and pollution levels in aquatic ecosystems. BOD measures the amount of oxygen required by microorganisms to decompose organic matter in water—higher BOD indicates greater pollution and lower dissolved oxygen. Option (a) is incorrect; blood oxygen is measured differently (blood gas analysis). Option (b) is incorrect; forest ecosystem oxygen levels use different parameters. Option (d) is incorrect; altitude-related oxygen assessment uses different measures. BOD is specifically used as a water quality indicator in aquatic environments to measure organic pollution. > BOD = Aquatic Ecosystem Water Pollution Indicator (Microbial O₂ Consumption).
Answer: (c).
Question details
Year
2017
Paper
GS Paper 1
Question
Q59
Subject
Environment
Sub-topic
Environmental quality assessment
Type
Factual single
Difficulty
Easy
Nature
Static
Source hint
NCERT Environmental Studies
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