In ice-covered periods, the gas exchange between lakes and the atmosphere is blocked by ice sheets. The dissolved oxygen concentration and consequently the water quality of the lakes are thus affected. To explore the metabolic rates and variation characteristics of the dissolved oxygen, and its influencing factors in typical seasonal ice-covered lakes, dissolved oxygen concentration, water temperature and photo-synthetically active radiation (PAR) were monitored at different depths of the lakes. In combination with the water quality monitoring results, the variations of the dissolved oxygen and the influencing factors of the metabolic rates were analyzed to optimize the calculation methods of the everyday metabolic rates, thus to estimate the metabolic rates of the ice-covered lakes. The results showed that the average dissolved oxygen concentration in Lake Daihai was 15.49 mg/L, and diurnal variation and stratification had appeared. The dissolved oxygen concentration initially increased gradually and then stabilized from Jan. to Mar. 2021, the ice-covered period. The stratification phenomena disappeared from Mar. 2nd to 11th, 2021, the thawing period. The average net primary productivity and ecosystem respiration rate of Lake Daihai were 0.11 mg/(L·d) and 0.10 mg/(L·d) respectively in the ice-covered period. The net primary productivity appeared to be higher when the water temperature was not stratified. Along with the rise of the water temperature, the water temperature began to stratify along the depth of water, and the net primary productivity decreased significantly. After the ice had melted, the PAR increased significantly, and the net primary productivity gradually increased back to 0.10 mg/(L·d). Statistical analysis demonstrated that water temperature, PAR and total nitrogen had exerted significant effects on the dissolved oxygen concentration during the ice-covered period in Lake Daihai. Due to the different ecological environment conditions and phenological characteristics of the ice-covered period in the lake basin, compared with other lakes in Inner Mongolia, Lake Daihai has certain differences in the trend of DO changes during the ice-covered period.