Thermal Pollution

Thermal pollution is Industrial discharge of heated water into a river, lake, or other body of water, causing a rise in temperature that endangers aquatic life and others using it.

How is it measured?
Thermal pollution is measured by using BTU or British Thermal Units. It's very different from regular water pollution when being measured. But the main focus is the difference in temperature.

Examples
A power plant polluting the water around the plant causes the water to warm they would then measure the amount of thermal pollution by the difference of the regular temperature and the temperature it's at now.

The Effects
Sudden and peroiodic increase in temperature producing a thermal effect and harming mostly aquatic life.

OTHER PROBLEMS

• Can cause cancer to humans
• Causes thermal shock to fish
• More than 75% of thermal pollution is because of power plants
• Once thermal pollution kicks in temps can rise up to +100 degrees.
• the higher the temperature increases more oxygen is consumed by fish and others

Individual Solutions
One way to help the fight against thermal pollution is to make it known in your community or where it is happening. Once people know the harm that occurs they will get involved.

Community solutions

- Raise awareness
- Hold meetings about the topic
- Avoid Burning a lot of coal, oil and gas

National solutions
- Before releasing heated water into major waterways put in an area in which it can cool down like a pond.
- Change state of releasing heat from a liquid to a gas.
- Release pollutants into a less environmentally populated area.

Real examples
-Anchorage, Alaska 1999 a whole ecosystem was wiped out because of pollution
-Marysville, Michigan there is a powerplant that spews heat into the lake

BY TANNER TABIN

BY ZACHARY MURRAY