The thermal pollution occurs by air and water temperature change mainly used for hydroelectric power plants, thermoelectric and nuclear.
It is the least known type of pollution, as it is not visible, however, it directly affects the environment, causing great environmental impact.
A notable example is the change in water temperature which returns to aquatic environments with a higher temperature, causing the death of several animal and plant species, intolerant to temperature changes.
Causes and consequences
This phenomenon occurs mainly due to the cooling of water in industrial equipment, which is returned to the environment at a higher temperature. The main consequences are the loss of aquatic biodiversity (animals and plants), thus unbalancing the ecosystem.
Although the plants are the biggest cause of thermal pollution, deforestation, soil erosion and urbanization can influence the increase in this type of pollution.
With deforestation (especially the riparian forests that surround the water courses) and soil erosion, the water courses are heated quickly due to the increased incidence of sunlight, which can also lead to thermal pollution.
In the same way, accelerated urbanization, which brings together numerous paved surfaces, prevents the natural flow of water through the soil, causing the water that precipitates to come in contact with the temperature of the asphalt and cement that are high, resulting from the strong solar incidence . With this, the water is also heated and returns to rivers, seas with a higher temperature.
It is worth remembering that in addition to human actions on the planet, thermal pollution can occur due to natural causes, that is, caused by volcanic eruptions which heat up aquatic surfaces, which also causes a strong change in the fauna and flora of the place.