Thermal Pollution

Recently, as a result of the increased energy demand, we’ve allowed our planet to begin overheating. With the introduction of more and more heated water into our lakes and rivers, and Carbon Dioxide into the atmosphere we’ve managed to raise the temperature of this vast resource. Even more ignorant is our failure to learn from our mistakes. Now, through thermal pollution (the introduction of waste heat into water and air), we’ve begun destroying the womb of all life: the earth’s vast water network.

There are four major causes of thermal pollution: The use of water as a cooling agent, deforestation of shorelines, soil erosion, and the burning of fossil fuels.. The foremost cause being the use of water as a cooling agent in nuclear power plants and other industrial facilities. After the water has absorbed the excess heat of nuclear rods or other machinery it is returned to the environment (usually a river or lake) at 9 to 20 degrees warmer a temperature. More stringent regulations are imposed in the U.S., but this doesn’t help much because most of the world’s nuclear power plants are located in France and other European nations. Less obvious is how shoreline deforestation and soil erosion contribute to the problem. The soil erosion makes the water muddy, which in turn increases the light absorbed. Thus, the water temperature is raised. Deforestation of shorelines further contributes to the problem in two ways. First, it increases soil erosion. Secondly, it increases the amount of light that strikes the water. Both of which increase the water’s temperature. Finally, the single human activity that is most likely to have a large impact on the climate is the burning of “fossil fuels” such as coal, oil and gas. These fuels contain carbon. Burning them makes carbon dioxide gas. Since the early 1800s, when people began burning large amounts of coal and oil, the amount of carbon dioxide in the earth’s atmosphere has increased by nearly 30%, and average global temperature appears to have risen between 1. and 2.F. Most of the rise in sea level would occur because water expands when it is heated. An increase in the earth’s average temperature of about 3.5.F, which is probably too little to melt most polar ice, would result in an increase in sea level of between 8 and 30 inches. This is too little to flood most coastal cities, but could damage some coastal plants and animals, beaches, and water supplies.

By increasing the air and water’s temperature we affect many other aspects of the ecosystem. Most importantly, the amount of oxygen dissolved in the water is decreased. Remember that fact for later. Also, the rates of photosynthesis and plant growth are increased. An increase in plant growth may seem to be a good thing at first. It isn’t! More live plants means more dead plants later on. The pile up of dead plants leads to an increase of bacteria, bacteria that consume oxygen along with dead plants. Therein lies the problem. There is now less oxygen and a greater demand for it. The warmer water also increases the metabolic rate of fish, which leads to a sharp decrease in the life expectancy of aquatic insects. The fish have an increasing the need for oxygen due to a rise in their metabolism and population. With the lack of aquatic insects animals other than fish face a shortage of food. Also affected by thermal pollution is an animal’s sensitivity to toxic waste, parasites, and other diseases. The effects of climate change on people would change a lot from place-to-place. Economically developed societies, like those in North America, Europe and Japan, could use technology to reduce direct impacts. For example, they might develop new crop varieties, construct new water systems, and limit coastal development. Some northern countries, such as Canada and Russia, might even benefit from longer growing seasons and lower heating bills if the climate becomes warmer. In contrast, economically less developed societies, like those in parts of Africa, Asia, and South America depend much more directly on climate, and could be hit much harder by sudden or large changes. Places like coastal Africa and low-lying islands, could be flooded by storms or rising sea level. Droughts in Africa might become more serious. Developing countries have far fewer resources for adapting to such changes. They may not be able to afford large projects such as sea walls or aqueducts. When scientists look at the past they find the natural environment has often adapted to climate changes that have occurred gradually over many thousands of years. However, they also find instances in which changes have occurred rapidly, brought about by events such as sudden shifts in ocean currents. These rapid changes have often caused widespread species extinctions and the collapse of natural ecosystems. One way to understand the importance of the speed of change is to think about native plants that grow in North America. Global warming could mean that those currently growing in Georgia might be better suited to New England. If climate changes gradually, many plants may be able to “migrate” by spreading seeds into new areas where they can now grow. But if climate changes rapidly, many plants may not be able to spread their seeds far enough to reach the new area. If they die out, so may many of the animals that depend upon them.

Some solutions to the thermal pollution problem of our day are Energy Chips Desalination of Seawater Less Nuclear Power End Shoreline Deforestation Prevent Soil Erosion. Quantadyne makes the “Energy Ciptm”, a hafnium oxide bismuth telluride thermoelectric module. What this thing does is it converts excess heat into electricity. Another solution is the desalination of seawater. A vacuum created by barometric columns is used to evaporate the water discharged from the factory, which contains both excess heat and impurities. The water vapor exchanges heat with colder cooling water, thus condensing to form distilled water. From this process we can use up more of the would be waste heat and get drinking water at the same time. Thirdly, we could live more efficient lives. This includes the last three solutions on the list. We could turn to wind power, hydroelectric power, solar power, or hydrogen fuel cells in order to use less nuclear power, which would in turn expend less excess heat. We could restrict the removal of trees that protect the shoreline from the suns warming rays. We could even use the already known methods for preventing soil erosion. Things such as plowing fields in a circular motion, discing fields instead of plowing them and using ground cover species where possible.

Thermal pollution truly is a global problem. It’s ignorant to assume that the warming of a river is a local problem, that the oceans are so vast we can’t alter their temperature, that we can continue abusing our environment as we have in the past. The rivers flow into the interconnected seas. The atmosphere’s temperature has been changed by humans, and if we continue in our denial of the destructiveness of our actions, we will kill not only ourselves, but every species on the planet and destroy all chances for regrowth.