Thermal pollution is the degradation of water quality caused by any process that changes the ambient water temperature. Power plants and industrial manufacturers commonly cause thermal pollution when they use water as a coolant and return it to the environment at a higher temperature, lowering oxygen levels and affecting ecosystems. Urban runoff from roads and parking lots can also thermally pollute surface waters. Abrupt temperature changes from events like a power plant opening or closing can cause "thermal shock" and kill organisms adapted to a specific temperature range.
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Thermal pollution is the degradation of water quality caused by any process that changes the ambient water temperature. Power plants and industrial manufacturers commonly cause thermal pollution when they use water as a coolant and return it to the environment at a higher temperature, lowering oxygen levels and affecting ecosystems. Urban runoff from roads and parking lots can also thermally pollute surface waters. Abrupt temperature changes from events like a power plant opening or closing can cause "thermal shock" and kill organisms adapted to a specific temperature range.
Thermal pollution is the degradation of water quality caused by any process that changes the ambient water temperature. Power plants and industrial manufacturers commonly cause thermal pollution when they use water as a coolant and return it to the environment at a higher temperature, lowering oxygen levels and affecting ecosystems. Urban runoff from roads and parking lots can also thermally pollute surface waters. Abrupt temperature changes from events like a power plant opening or closing can cause "thermal shock" and kill organisms adapted to a specific temperature range.
Copyright:
Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
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Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
Thermal pollution is the degradation of water quality caused by any process that changes the ambient water temperature. Power plants and industrial manufacturers commonly cause thermal pollution when they use water as a coolant and return it to the environment at a higher temperature, lowering oxygen levels and affecting ecosystems. Urban runoff from roads and parking lots can also thermally pollute surface waters. Abrupt temperature changes from events like a power plant opening or closing can cause "thermal shock" and kill organisms adapted to a specific temperature range.
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Thermal pollution is the degradation of water quality by any process that changes ambient water temperature.
A common cause of thermal pollution is the use of water as a coolant by power plants and industrial manufacturers. When water used as a coolant is returned to the natural environment at a higher temperature, the change in temperature (a) decreases oxygen supply, and affects ecosystem composition. Urban runoff--stormwaterdischarged to surface waters from roads and parking lots--can also be a source of elevated water temperatures. When a power plant first opens or shuts down for repair or other causes, fish and other organisms adapted to particular temperature range can be killed by the abrupt rise in water temperature known as 'thermal shock'.
Solution for Thermal Pollution It is now very important to stop thermal pollution to further deteriorate our ecosystem and especially the life under water. Some of the solutions are given below:
Use of nearby water for cooling in industrial applications before returning the water to the source. The only negative point here is that it can cause damage to local aquatic life and violate EPA regulations. We can use cooling towers to pre-cool the water coming out of the factories before discharging it. Cooling ponds and towers can be used to bring down the temperature of the water before release. Heated water can also be recycled of by directing the heated water to areas where it is needed.
Effects of Thermal Pollution There are several effects of the thermal pollution
Sudden and periodic increase in temperature producing a thermal effect Changed dissolved oxygen Distribution of organisms among major and minor communities. Death of steno hermit animals Changes to reproductive powers and increased susceptibility to disease Production of heat shock proteins for thermo tolerance. Changes in migration time and pattern may be affected. Bio indicators are the first to show the effects Decrease in productivity of the water body . Economic and environmental damage
The Effects of Thermal Pollution on Marine Life Nuclear power plants produce a lot of thermal pollution. Thermal pollution is a unique type of contamination that happens when the discharge from an industrial cooling process degrades nearby water quality by changing the ambient water temperature. Power plants and factories are major contributors to thermal pollution. This type of pollution can have a number of dramatic effects on the local environment. Thermal Shock Thermal shock is a risk of thermal pollution, as many organisms have enzyme systems that are adapted to a very narrow range of temperature, according to Pollution Issues. A sudden temperature change can kill these organisms. Power plants design their cooling water discharges to minimize these effects, but periodic heat treatments that flush out the piping can kill fish. Some power plants have designed a way to increase the heat gradually to drive away fish before the water gets too hot.
Oxygen Depletion Even small, chronic changes in the temperature can harm an organism's reproductive system and make them more vulnerable to disease. Cold water has more oxygen than warmer water, and a higher water temperature means organic matter decomposes faster, depleting the dissolved oxygen in the water. The heated water increases the metabolic rates of the organisms, increasing their need for sufficient oxygen.
Forced Migration Bad oxygen and temperature environments will prompt organisms to move away from the area and populate new areas, radically changing the ecosystems in both areas. Some power plants have introduced heat-shock proteins to the discharge to protect some organisms from the changes in temperature.
Effects on Plants Shorter Plant Life An increase in water temperature increases the growth rates of aquatic plants, which results in a shorter life for the plants and overpopulation of the species. A rush of warm water can cause an algae bloom that will reduce the oxygen in the water, cause increased plant respiration, and cloud the water.
Thermal Pollution Solution: Causes Thermal pollution is caused due man made activities as well as natural causes. Some of the man made activities includes discharge of warmed water from power plants and other industrial plants, into rivers and lakes. In urban areas storm drains carries surface runoff from roads and warmer surfaces to the rivers, streams and lakes.
The releases of colder than normal water from reservoirs into rivers and waterways affects the species living in it that are used to living in warm waters.
Some of the natural causes of thermal pollution include:
Volcanic activity taking place under the seas and ocean or above ground in mountains. Lightening is also another natural cause, because when lightning strikes it can also produce massive amount of heat and the natural progress of warmer currents into colder biomes occur.
