Thermal Pollution and Its Impact on Aquatic Ecosystems
Thermal pollution from activities like power plant operations, deforestation, and soil erosion can disrupt aquatic environments. Elevated temperatures lead to decreased oxygen levels, impacting aquatic life and biodiversity. These changes can have far-reaching consequences on organism metabolism, cellular biology, and overall ecosystem health.
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Presentation Transcript
Thermal Shock 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 change in water temperature known as "thermal shock."
Deforestation Streams and small lakes are naturally kept cool by trees and other tall plants that block sunlight. People often remove this shading vegetation in order to harvest the wood in the trees, to make room for crops, or to construct buildings, roads, and other structures.
Soil Erosion Removal of vegetation far away from a stream or lake can contribute to thermal pollution by speeding up the erosion of soil into the water, making it muddy, which increases the light absorbed .
Effects Elevated temperature typically decreases the level of dissolved oxygen of water. Increases the metabolic rate of aquatic animals, as enzyme activity, resulting in these organisms consuming more food in a shorter time , which increases their need for oxygen. High temperature limits oxygen dispersion into deeper waters, contributing to anaerobic conditions.
This lead to increased bacteria levels when there is ample food supply. Many aquatic species will fail to reproduce at elevated temperatures. Primary producers are affected by warm water because higher water temperature increases plant growth rates, resulting in a shorter lifespan and species overpopulation.
Biotic effects Changes in the environment may also result in a migration of organisms to another, more suitable environment, and tin-migration of organisms that normally only live in warmer waters elsewhere. As a result one has the problem of compromising food chain of the old and new environments. Biodiversity can also be decreased as a result .
Changes of even one to two degrees celsius can cause significant changes in organism metabolism and other adverse cellular biology effects. Principal adverse changes can include rendering cell walls necessary osmosis, proteins, and alteration metabolism. These cellular level effects can adversely affect mortality and reproduction . less coagulation permeable to of enzyme cell of
Control Measures Energy chips Desalination plants Less nuclear power End shoreline deforestation Prevent soil erosion
Cooling ponds , manmade bodies designed for cooling by evaporation, radiation . convection and Cooling towers , which transfer waste heat to the atmosphere through heat transfer. evaporation and/or Cogeneration , a process where waste heat is recycled for domestic and/or industrial heating purposes .
