APES unit 8.6 thermal pollution

hot hot hot hot hot hot

Sources of thermal pollution

Cold water from a natural supply is used as an industrial coolant in many manufacturing processes

NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS are the BIGGEST thermal polluters because nuclear fission releases intense heat, so water is constantly needed to cool the reactor core and prevent it from overheating

Urban stormwater run off is also a source. Blacktop/asphalt gets hot

The heated water (once was the coolant) is returned to a water body

How do cooling towers help mitigate thermal pollution?

- Cooling towers allow hot steam to condense into liquid. The liquid is stored inside until it cools off and is able to be discharged back into water bodies as not-so-hot-water

Problems with thermal pollution

- Higher water temp = lower D.O

- ^^ Lower D.O = higher rates of respiration = suffocation

- Thermal shock: Dramatic change in temperature causes deaths because it doesn't fit their ecological tolerance

How do cooling towers help mitigate thermal pollution?

- Cooling towers allow hot steam to condense into liquid. The liquid is stored inside until it cools off and is able to be discharged back into water bodies as not-so-hot-water