Introduction to Thermal Pollution

Thermal Pollution is unfavorable change in the temperature of water.  Thermal pollution can lead to the death of aquatic wild life. This affects the ecosystem and the fishing economy due o fish kill by temperature changes. Thermal pollution is caused by a number of sources including, nuclear power plants, urban runoff, soil erosion, shoreline deforestation, and by natural causes. However there are measures of prevention and alternative methods to prevent this cause of destruction of the ecosystem. This blog is dedicated to providing information on all of the affects, causes, and solutions to thermal pollution.

Solutions to Thermal Pollution Visualized

Soulutions to Thermal Pollution

            Thermal pollution is devastating to the wildlife surrounding the pollution hotspot. The creatures’ lives can only be saved by enacting solutions that can fix the issue of thermal pollution. Some issues are more easily resolved than others. We sometimes ignore the problem and instead focus solely on the positive outcomes that the system produces.  Other causes can easily be substituted to prevent further pollution, and these alternatives need to be enacted.

-        Deforestation of Shoreline: This source is a cause of pollution that can be resolved much more efficiently than many other causes. We simply need to look for other sources of lumber. Shoreline-specific lumber may have to be substituted for other types of wood. If the trees along the shoreline are simply left alone, the light rays will continue to be blocked and the temperature will not change.

-        Nuclear Power Plants: Nuclear power must not be seen as a primary source of energy. Cooling the plants with the surrounding water is the chief cause of thermal pollution. The power plants must be cooled to operate efficiently, but other methods should be considered. Moving towards other sources of energy, such as hydroelectric power, wind power, or solar power, will prevent wasting water on nuclear power plants. The transition will be difficult because nuclear power plants produce much more energy then their environmental-friendly counterparts. If enough alternate power sources are constructed, power plants may be able to generate energy levels nearly equal to that of nuclear power plants.

-        Soil Erosion: Stronger soil will prevent erosion. Plowing fields in circular or wavy pattern will prevent the soil from eroding as quickly. The wind does not affect circular and wavy paths as much as straight-line paths. Soil will always erode due to the vast amount of land, which is untouched by humans but causes the erosion cycle. We can lessen the level of the thermal pollution by erosion but completely eliminating it would be near impossible.

-        Urban Runoff: Redirecting water flow away from the hot surfaces in the urban environment will prevent the water from making any drastic changes in temperature. The water could also be collected and brought to an environment where the temperatures are identical to each other.

-        Natural Causes: Natural causes are caused by nature. Scientists have yet to find any real solutions that can prevent nature from thermally polluting our environment. Perhaps in the future, man-made structures will be constructed to limit the effect natural causes have on the pollution of the environment.

Thermal pollution results from numerous man-made causes. Humans simply neglect the environmental issues and allow them to build up. To most humans, the benefits outweigh the costs. If nothing is done to prevent pollution from entering the environment, the costs will outweigh the benefits. People will have no environment to worry about. To prevent all wildlife from ending, actions must be taken to alleviate thermal pollution, as well as other pollution sources, from the environment.

The Causes of Thermal Pollution Visualized

The Effect of Water Temperature on Dissolved Oxygen

Thermal Pollution: Causes

Thermal Pollution: Causes

            According to the Encyclopedia of Earth, thermal pollution is the act of altering the temperature of a body of water, such as a river, lake or ocean setting.  Thermal pollution is chiefly discussed in the sense of raising the water temperature but can also be referred to as releasing cold reservoir water into a warmer aquatic environment.  This concept is primarily caused by wastewater released from power generation plants into surrounding bodies of water, but other sources also contribute to thermal pollution.

-      Nuclear Power Plants: These plants are usually constructed near large bodies of water in which the plants could extract water to cool down the systems.  After the water runs through the plant, the water is recycled and returned to the reservoirs of water.  The temperature remains significantly high and has severe ecological impacts, such as decreasing dissolved oxygen levels.

-      Urban Runoff: Runoff contributes to thermal pollution as water from smaller streams passes over hot surfaces (i.e. parking lots) and enters a variety of aquatic environments. 

-      Soil Erosion: Soil erosion on the shore results in muddy waters.  The darker color increases light absorption, which causes the water temperature to rise.

-      Deforestation of Shoreline: Deforestation further contributes to thermal pollution by encouraging soil erosion and increasing the amount of light that shines on the water.  The increase in light rays causes an increase in water temperature.    

-      Natural Causes: Geothermal and volcanic activity underneath the ocean surface is known to cause thermal pollution. Lightning strikes and a ground flow of lava also introduce excessive amounts of heat to water reservoirs, while the flow of warmer currents into colder environments fosters thermal pollution as well. The drastic temperature increase resulting from these natural causes can damage fish eggs and larvae thus disrupting the food chain balance within the ecosystem.

Thermal pollution is defined as the discharge of water into aquatic biomes that causes an unfavorable change in temperature.  Whether this change is caused by natural or man-made sources, thermal pollution severely affects the organisms living in the regions where the pollution is present.    

Thermal Pollution

                        Thermal pollution is a result of great inputs of heated water entering aquatic ecosystems via power plant drains.  The power plants release wastewater into nearby streams and lakes causing harmful effects on marine species.  Not only do power plants return the heated water to these bodies of water, but also the plants receive about half of the necessary water for cooling the plant from these nearby streams.  The increase in temperature lowers the solubility of oxygen in water decreasing the level of dissolved oxygen.  This decrease makes it difficult for organisms to “breathe”, or remove oxygen from the water.  At the same time, the warmer water causes these same species to respire faster and require more oxygen at a quicker rate.   This combination of effects has detrimental outcomes on the aquatic life’s population levels.  Though this process has detrimental effects on the environment, this method is the cheapest and easiest process to cool the power plant.           

            Thermal pollution is also caused by other secondary sources. Deforestation along shorelines increases water’s exposure to light.  The added heat warms and pollutes the water. Soil erosion on shore can cause cloudy waters.  The turned up sediment reduces the water’s clarity and increases light absorption, which heats the water.   This warm water can have drastic effects on the affected ecosystem. The plants in the biome will grow at a faster rate using more oxygen than the environment can provide.  Thermal pollution reduces dissolved oxygen, which prevents plant life from receiving the necessary amounts of oxygen.  Additionally, this occurrence can cause an algal bloom, a natural phenomenon that witnesses a rapid increase in algae [population within a given body of water. The algae die at a similar time thus further decreasing the levels of dissolved oxygen.  The increase in plant populations combined with the low levels of dissolved oxygen can kill fish and other living organisms in the water.

            Organisms can also go into thermal shock. This result occurs when the temperature of an ecosystem changes too quickly before the organisms can adapt to the change. The thermal shock causes all functions of the species’ bodies to operate differently.  The organisms begin to operate in a way unfit to the environment, which results in the animals’ deaths. Many animals, mainly marine life, have been killed due to thermal shock.

            Only a few possible solutions exist for thermal pollution. First, nuclear power plants should perfect any machinery that creates thermal pollution.  The systems should strive for maximum efficiency, which would cause the plants to use less water and to recycle any water used at a lower temperature.  Unnecessary amounts of friction in the machinery will cause the system to run less efficiently.  The plant can see small problems adding up to a significantly increased amount of cooling water needed. We can also minimize factory hours in order to produce less pollution.  Unfortunately, this solution can face much legal, governmental and industrial opposition. Factories need to keep up with the market and that demand cannot necessarily be controlled.