5/29/2017 CausesandEffectsofThermalPollutionConserveEnergyFuture

WhatisThermalPollution?
Whensomeonethinksofpollution,theideaofthermalpollutionoftendoesntcometomind.Peoplewill
firstthinkofthingslikecarbonemissions,personalpollutionandwaste,andavarietyofotherchanging
factors.However,thermalpollutionisarealandpersistentprobleminourmodernsociety.Inlaymans
terms,thermalpollutioniswhenanindustryorotherhumanmadeorganizationtakesinwaterfroma
naturalsourceandeithercoolsitdownorheatsitup.Theythenejectthatwaterbackintothenatural
resource,whichchangestheoxygenlevelsandcanhavedisastrouseffectsonlocalecosystemsand
communities.

Thermalpollutionisdefinedassuddenincreaseordecreaseintemperatureofanaturalbodyofwater
whichmaybeocean,lake,riverorpondbyhumaninfluence.Thisnormallyoccurswhenaplantor
facilitytakesinwaterfromanaturalresourceandputsitbackwithanalteredtemperature.Usually,these
facilitiesuseitasacoolingmethodfortheirmachineryortohelpbetterproducetheirproducts.

Plantsthatproducedifferentproductsorwastewaterfacilitiesareoftentheculpritsofthismassive
exodusofthermalpollution.Inordertoproperlycontrolandmaintainthermalpollution,humansand
governmentshavebeentakingmanystepstoeffectivelymanagehowplantsareabletousethewater.
However,theeffectsarestilllastingtoday.

CausesofThermalPollution
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1.WaterasCoolingAgentinPower,ManufacturingandIndustrialplants:Productionand
Manufacturingplantsarebiggestsourceofthermalpollution.Theseplantsdrawwaterfromnearby
sourcetokeepmachinescoolandthenreleasebacktothesourcewithhighertemperature.Whenheated
waterreturnstotheriverorocean,thewatertemperaturerisessharply.Whenoxygenlevelsarealteredin
thewater,thiscanalsodegradethequalityandlongevityoflifeinwildlifethatlivesunderwater.This
processcanalsowipeawaystreamsidevegetation,whichconstantlydependsonconstantlevelsofoxygen
andtemperature.Byalteringthesenaturalenvironments,industriesareessentiallyhelpingdecreasethe
qualityoflifeforthesemarinesbasedlifeformsandcanultimatelydestroyhabitatsiftheyarenot
controlledandcarefulabouttheirpractices.

2.SoilErosion:Soilerosionisanothermajorfactorthatcausesthermalpollution.Consistentsoilerosion
causeswaterbodiestorise,makingthemmoreexposedtosunlight.Thehightemperaturecouldprove
fatalforaquaticbiomesasitmaygiverisetoanaerobicconditions.

3.Deforestation:Treesandplantspreventsunlightfromfallingdirectlyonlakes,pondsorrivers.
Whendeforestationtakesplace,thesewaterbodiesaredirectlyexposedtosunlight,thusabsorbingmore
heatandraisingitstemperature.Deforestationisalsoamaincauseofthehigherconcentrations
ofgreenhousegasesi.e.globalwarmingintheatmosphere.

4.RunofffromPavedSurfaces:Urbanrunoffdischargedtosurfacewatersfrompavedsurfaceslike
roadsandparkinglotscanmakewaterwarmer.Duringsummerseasons,thepavementgetsquitehot,
whichcreateswarmrunoffthatgetsintothesewersystemsandwaterbodies.

5.NaturalCauses:Naturalcauseslikevolcanoesandgeothermalactivityundertheoceansandseascan
triggerwarmlavatoraisethetemperatureofwaterbodies.Lighteningcanalsointroducemassiveamount
ofheatintotheoceans.Thismeansthattheoveralltemperatureofthewatersourcewillrise,having
significantimpactsontheenvironment.

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EffectsofThermalPollution
Amongrecognizedscientistsandscholars,therearegenerallytwoschoolsofthoughtwhenitcomesto
theeffectsofthermalpollution.Someleanonthesideofthenegativesofthispollutiononmarine
ecosystemsandhowitisdetrimentaltopositiveenvironmentalpractices.However,someleantowards
thesidethatwithouttheseindustriesoperatingthewaytheydo,thensomeofthemostbasicpartsof
humanlifewouldbecompletelyobsolete.Wastewaterwouldnotbeabletobeproperlymaintained,we
wouldhavenoindustriesthatcouldproducethegoodsweneed,andsoon.Theeffectsofthermal
pollutiononecosystems,however,greatlyoutweighthebenefitsthatindustrieshavebyparticipatingin
theact.

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5/29/2017 CausesandEffectsofThermalPollutionConserveEnergyFuture

1.DecreaseinDO(DissolvedOxygen)Levels:ThewarmtemperaturereducesthelevelsofDO
(DissolvedOxygen)inwater.Thewarmwaterholdsrelativelylessoxygenthancoldwater.Thedecrease
inDOcancreatesuffocationforplantsandanimalssuchasfish,amphibiansandcopepods,whichmay
giverisetoanaerobicconditions.Warmerwaterallowsalgaetoflourishonsurfaceofwaterandoverthe
longtermgrowingalgaecandecreaseoxygenlevelsinthewater.

2.IncreaseinToxins:Withtheconstantflowofhightemperaturedischargefromindustries,thereisa
hugeincreaseintoxinsthatarebeingregurgitatedintothenaturalbodyofwater.Thesetoxinsmay
containchemicalsorradiationthatmayhaveharshimpactonthelocalecologyandmakethem
susceptibletovariousdiseases.

3.LossofBiodiversity:Adentinthebiologicalactivityinthewatermaycausesignificantlossof
biodiversity.Changesintheenvironmentmaycausecertainspeciesoforganismstoshifttheirbaseto
someotherplacewhiletheircouldbesignificantnumberofspeciesthatmayshiftinbecauseofwarmer
waters.Organismsthatcanadapteasilymayhaveanadvantageoverorganismsthatarenotusedtothe
warmertemperatures.

4.EcologicalImpact:Asuddenthermalshockcanresultinmasskillingsoffish,insects,plantsor
amphibians.Hotterwatermayprovefavorableforsomespecieswhileitcouldbelethalforotherspecies.
Smallwatertemperatureincreasesthelevelofactivitywhilehighertemperaturedecreasesthelevelof
activity.ManyaquaticspeciesaresensitivetosmalltemperaturechangessuchasonedegreeCelsiusthat
cancausesignificantchangesinorganismmetabolismandotheradversecellularbiologyeffects.

5.AffectsReproductiveSystems:Asignificanthaltinthereproductionofmarinewildlife(althoughthis
maybetrue,reproductioncanstilloccurbetweenfishbutthelikelihoodofdefectsinnewbornsis
significantlyhigher)canhappenduetoincreasingtemperaturesasreproductioncanhappenwithin
certainrangeoftemperature.Excessivetemperaturecancausethereleaseofimmatureeggsorcan
preventnormaldevelopmentofcertaineggs.

6.IncreasesMetabolicRate:Thermalpollutionincreasesthemetabolicrateoforganismsasincreasing
enzymeactivityoccursthatcausesorganismstoconsumemorefoodthanwhatisnormallyrequired,if
theirenvironmentwerenotchanged.Itdisruptsthestabilityoffoodchainandalterthebalanceofspecies
composition.
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7.Migration:Thewarmwatercanalsocauseparticularspeciesoforganismstomigratetosuitable
environmentthatwouldcatertoitsrequirementsforsurvival.Thiscanresultinlossforthosespeciesthat
dependonthemfortheirdailyfoodastheirfoodchainisinterrupted.

Aboveallelse,themostimportantthingtoconsideristhattheeffectsofthermalpollutiongreatly
outweighsthehumanneedforittobedone.Plantsandindustrieshavebeenabletofindsuccessfulways
aroundthermalpollution,butmanyofthemarenotpracticingitbecauseitssimplyeasiertoworkfrom
thetraditionalmodel.Ifwewanttopromotethethrivingenvironmentthatsurroundsmarinebiology,then
theattitudearoundthermalpollutionneedstotakeadrasticturn.Bybeingawareofthecausesand
effects,youcanhaveasignificantimpactonhowtheseplantschoosetooperateandyoucanopttomake
change.

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