How can thermal pollution be harmful to the environment
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Thermal pollution
Thermal pollution is defined as the addition of excess of undesirable heat to water thereby making it harmful to man, animal or aquatic life. Thermal pollution may also cause significant departures from nor activities of aquatic communities.
Sources of Thermal Pollution:
The following sources contribute to thermal pollution.
Nuclear power plantsCoal fired plantsIndustrial effluentsDomestic sewageHydro-electric powerNuclear power plants: Nuclear power plants including drainage from hospitals, research institutions, nuclear experiments and explosions, discharge a lot of heat that is not utilized along with traces of toxic radio nuclides into nearby water streams. Emissions from nuclear reactors and processing installations are also responsible for increasing the temperatures of water bodies. The operations of power reactors and nuclear fuel processing units constitutes the major contributor of heat in the aquatic environment. Heated effluents from power plants are discharged at 10 C higher than the receiving waters that affects the aquatic flora and fauna.Coal-fired power plants: Coal fired power plants constitute a major source of thermal pollution. The condenser coils in such plants are cooled with water from nearby lakes or rivers. The resulting heated water is discharged into streams thereby raising the water temperature by 15C. Heated effluent decreases the dissolved content of water resulting in death of fish and other aquatic organisms. The sudden fluctuation of temperature also leads to "thermal shock" killing aquatic life that have become acclimatized to living in a steady temperature.Industrial effluents: Industries like textile, paper, pulp and sugar manufacturing release huge amounts of cooling water along with effluents into nearby natural water bodies. The waters polluted by sudden and heavy organic loads result in severe drop in levels of dissolved oxygen leading to death of several aquatic organisms.Domestic Sewage: Domestic sewage is discharged into rivers, lakes, canals or streams with minimal treatment or without any treatment. These wastes have a higher organic temperature and organic load. This leads to decrease in dissolved oxygen content in the receiving waters resulting in the set-up of anaerobic conditions causing release of foul and offensive gases in water. Eventually, this leads to development of anoxic conditions resulting in rapid death of aquatic organisms.Hydro-electric power: Generation of hydroelectric power sometimes leads to negative thermal loading in water systems. Apart from electric power industries, various factories with cooling requirement contribute to thermal loading.
Thermal pollution is defined as the addition of excess of undesirable heat to water thereby making it harmful to man, animal or aquatic life. Thermal pollution may also cause significant departures from nor activities of aquatic communities.
Sources of Thermal Pollution:
The following sources contribute to thermal pollution.
Nuclear power plantsCoal fired plantsIndustrial effluentsDomestic sewageHydro-electric powerNuclear power plants: Nuclear power plants including drainage from hospitals, research institutions, nuclear experiments and explosions, discharge a lot of heat that is not utilized along with traces of toxic radio nuclides into nearby water streams. Emissions from nuclear reactors and processing installations are also responsible for increasing the temperatures of water bodies. The operations of power reactors and nuclear fuel processing units constitutes the major contributor of heat in the aquatic environment. Heated effluents from power plants are discharged at 10 C higher than the receiving waters that affects the aquatic flora and fauna.Coal-fired power plants: Coal fired power plants constitute a major source of thermal pollution. The condenser coils in such plants are cooled with water from nearby lakes or rivers. The resulting heated water is discharged into streams thereby raising the water temperature by 15C. Heated effluent decreases the dissolved content of water resulting in death of fish and other aquatic organisms. The sudden fluctuation of temperature also leads to "thermal shock" killing aquatic life that have become acclimatized to living in a steady temperature.Industrial effluents: Industries like textile, paper, pulp and sugar manufacturing release huge amounts of cooling water along with effluents into nearby natural water bodies. The waters polluted by sudden and heavy organic loads result in severe drop in levels of dissolved oxygen leading to death of several aquatic organisms.Domestic Sewage: Domestic sewage is discharged into rivers, lakes, canals or streams with minimal treatment or without any treatment. These wastes have a higher organic temperature and organic load. This leads to decrease in dissolved oxygen content in the receiving waters resulting in the set-up of anaerobic conditions causing release of foul and offensive gases in water. Eventually, this leads to development of anoxic conditions resulting in rapid death of aquatic organisms.Hydro-electric power: Generation of hydroelectric power sometimes leads to negative thermal loading in water systems. Apart from electric power industries, various factories with cooling requirement contribute to thermal loading.
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