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Thermal Pollution

Thermal Pollution:

Thermal pollution, sometimes called "thermal enrichment," is the degradation of water quality by any process that changes ambient water temperature. A common cause of thermal pollution is the use of water as a coolant by power plants and industrial manufacturers. When water used as a coolant is returned to the natural environment at a higher temperature, the sudden change in temperature decreases oxygen supply and affects ecosystem composition. Fish and other organisms adapted to particular temperature range can be killed by an abrupt change in water temperature (either a rapid increase or decrease) known as "thermal shock."

Statistics:

Discharge from urban runoff is heated as it passes over roads, parking lots, and other man-made surfaces, especially in the summertime. Once the water passes through the sewers and is discharged, it contributes to the heating of water bodies that it enters.
Thermal pollution has natural causes as well. Lava from volcanoes and other geothermal features can raise the temperature of the ocean nearby. Another natural element that adds heat to oceans is lightning, which is impossible to control since it naturally hits the Earth 8 million times per day, and can heat the air around it to more than 50,000°F.
Coal plants are major consumers of water. One facility can use up to 180 billion gallons per year. The Union of Concerned Scientists says 1.1 billion gallons may be consumed using such a configuration, but plants with alternative cooling systems may withdraw less.
When coal power plants intake water, they do not just gather water. They also draw in fish, larvae, and eggs. Many fish die even before thermal pollution in a river, lake, or ocean can have any effect on them.

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