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Thermal impact from a thermoelectric power plant on a tropical coastal lagoon

Thermal impact from a thermoelectric power plant on a tropical coastal lagoon
Thermal impact from a thermoelectric power plant on a tropical coastal lagoon
Tropical coastal areas are sensitive ecosystems to climate change, mainly due to sea level rise and increasing water temperatures. Furthermore, they may be subject to numerous stresses, including heat releases from energy production. The Urias coastal lagoon (SE Gulf of California), a subtropical tidal estuary, receives cooling water releases from a thermoelectric power plant, urban and industrial wastes, and shrimp farm discharges. In order to evaluate the plant thermal impact, we measured synchronous temperature time series close to and far from the plant. Furthermore, in order to discriminate the thermal pollution impact from natural variability, we used a high-resolution hydrodynamic model forced by, amongst others, cooling water release as a continuous flow (7.78 m3 s?1) at 6 °C overheating temperature. Model results and field data indicated that the main thermal impact was temporally restricted to the warmest months, spatially restricted to the surface layers (above 0.6 m) and distributed along the shoreline within ?100 m of the release point. The methodology and results of this study can be extrapolated to tropical coastal lagoons that receive heat discharges.
Temperature, Thermal pollution, Thermoelectric power plant, Coastal lagoon, Princeton Ocean Model
0049-6979
2202
Cardoso-Mohedano, J.G.
aa65bfab-5e97-49c4-b73e-e9b189bf2b8b
Bernardello, R.
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Sanchez-Cabeza, J.A.
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Ruiz-Fernández, A.C.
1a6f0f67-2296-485a-918b-4adf0a885086
Alonso-Rodriguez, R.
266bd271-75ef-4f34-9bb3-96af3023db52
Cruzado, A.
c1e91329-d53b-4302-861f-53b247f6ea1f
Cardoso-Mohedano, J.G.
aa65bfab-5e97-49c4-b73e-e9b189bf2b8b
Bernardello, R.
7db9abe7-7079-4f14-8397-6371d96e2420
Sanchez-Cabeza, J.A.
35fb5684-3e3a-4100-93e9-236d2e405acc
Ruiz-Fernández, A.C.
1a6f0f67-2296-485a-918b-4adf0a885086
Alonso-Rodriguez, R.
266bd271-75ef-4f34-9bb3-96af3023db52
Cruzado, A.
c1e91329-d53b-4302-861f-53b247f6ea1f

Cardoso-Mohedano, J.G., Bernardello, R., Sanchez-Cabeza, J.A., Ruiz-Fernández, A.C., Alonso-Rodriguez, R. and Cruzado, A. (2014) Thermal impact from a thermoelectric power plant on a tropical coastal lagoon. Water, Air and Soil Pollution, 226 (1), 2202. (doi:10.1007/s11270-014-2202-8).

Record type: Article

Abstract

Tropical coastal areas are sensitive ecosystems to climate change, mainly due to sea level rise and increasing water temperatures. Furthermore, they may be subject to numerous stresses, including heat releases from energy production. The Urias coastal lagoon (SE Gulf of California), a subtropical tidal estuary, receives cooling water releases from a thermoelectric power plant, urban and industrial wastes, and shrimp farm discharges. In order to evaluate the plant thermal impact, we measured synchronous temperature time series close to and far from the plant. Furthermore, in order to discriminate the thermal pollution impact from natural variability, we used a high-resolution hydrodynamic model forced by, amongst others, cooling water release as a continuous flow (7.78 m3 s?1) at 6 °C overheating temperature. Model results and field data indicated that the main thermal impact was temporally restricted to the warmest months, spatially restricted to the surface layers (above 0.6 m) and distributed along the shoreline within ?100 m of the release point. The methodology and results of this study can be extrapolated to tropical coastal lagoons that receive heat discharges.

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Termal Pollution Urias 08102014.pdf - Accepted Manuscript
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Thermal Pollutian Urias tables and figs.pdf - Accepted Manuscript
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More information

Published date: December 2014
Keywords: Temperature, Thermal pollution, Thermoelectric power plant, Coastal lagoon, Princeton Ocean Model
Organisations: Marine Biogeochemistry

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 372771
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/372771
ISSN: 0049-6979
PURE UUID: ea014b9c-2f35-42ec-8f64-12058f2a6d13

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Date deposited: 17 Dec 2014 09:43
Last modified: 14 Mar 2024 18:43

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Contributors

Author: J.G. Cardoso-Mohedano
Author: R. Bernardello
Author: J.A. Sanchez-Cabeza
Author: A.C. Ruiz-Fernández
Author: R. Alonso-Rodriguez
Author: A. Cruzado

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