Oxygen saturation

[2] Stagnant water in the presence of decaying matter will typically have an oxygen concentration much less than 100%, which is due to anaerobic bacteria being much less efficient at breaking down organic material.

[citation needed][3] Similarly as in water, oxygen concentration also plays a key role in the breakdown of organic matter in soils.

The US Environmental Protection Agency has published a table of maximum equilibrium dissolved oxygen concentration versus temperature at atmospheric pressure.

Deoxygenation increases the relative population of anaerobic organisms such as plants and some bacteria, resulting in fish kills and other adverse events.

The net effect is to alter the balance of nature by increasing the concentration of anaerobic over aerobic species.