Thermal Pollution is a type of pollution of natural water. Thermal pollution is caused by human activity. Thermal pollution is caused when natural water is used by manufacturing plants as coolants. When the water used as coolant gets heated and is returned to the environment, it affects the natural flowing water.
The natural water i.e. rivers and oceans contain fish and other aquatic animals which are used to the natural water and environment. Anything unnatural mixed with nature causes serious environmental disturbances causing damage to the habitat. Thermal pollution is also caused when cold water from boilers is released into warmer rivers and oceans.
A change in temperature decreases the level of dissolved oxygen in the water thus causing harm to aquatic species. It might also increase the metabolism in the animals and cause them to eat more. This causes shortage of food for the aquatic animals resulting in starvation and decrease in their population. Moreover, the aquatic animals try to find a more suitable place for themselves and invade in other territories causing more shortage of food for both, the existing members of that region as well as the invaders.
In Australia, many rivers have warmer temperature in their nature. But the release of colder water into them has caused many rare species of fish to extinct.
Thermal pollution is mainly caused by power plants, petroleum refineries, paper mills, chemical plants and steel mills where water is used as a natural coolant and released back to the environment.
Thermal pollution is not taken so seriously for now because human beings are not directly affected by it. However, if precautions and preventive measures are not taken soon, we will loose many rare species of aquatic animals which in turn will affect the ecology. Steps like increasing the number of man made cooling ponds and cooling towers should be increased so that natural water is not used for cooling of plants.
Linus Orakles
http://www.authorclub.info/
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