Characterization Factors for Thermal Pollution in Freshwater Aquatic Environments

Abstract

To date the impact of thermal emissions has not been addressed in life cycle assessment despite the narrow thermal tolerance of most aquatic species. A method to derive characterization factors for the impact of cooling water discharges on aquatic ecosystems was developed which uses space and time explicit integration of fate and effects of water temperature changes. The fate factor is calculated with a 1-dimensional steady-state model and reflects the residence time of heat emissions in the river. The effect factor specifies the loss of species diversity per unit of temperature increase and is based on a species sensitivity distribution of temperature tolerance intervals for various aquatic species. As an example, time explicit characterization factors were calculated for the cooling water discharge of a nuclear power plant in Switzerland, quantifying the impact on aquatic ecosystems of the rivers Aare and Rhine. The relative importance of the impact of these cooling water discharges was compared with other impacts in life cycle assessment. We found that thermal emissions are relevant for aquatic ecosystems compared to other stressors, such as chemicals and nutrients. For the case of nuclear electricity investigated, thermal emissions contribute between 3% and over 90% to Ecosystem Quality damage.

The environmental relevance of freshwater consumption in global power production

“…Further relevant topics in power production are cooling water releases (thermal pollution) and in-stream water use for hydropower. For both interventions, framework methodologies have been developed (Verones et al 2010;Humbert and Maendly 2009) but need additional refinement to be broadly applicable and to supply geographically resolved characterization factors. Previous results show that fossil thermal and nuclear power production is significantly affected by cooling water releases (Verones et al 2010).…”

Thermal impact of a nuclear power plant in a coastal area in Southeastern Brazil: effects of heating and physical structure on benthic cover and fish communities

“…Others are restricted to laboratory experiments on thermal tolerance (Bennett & Judd, 1992;Mora & Ospína, 2001;Ospina & Mora, 2004). The effects of warmer temperatures on freshwater species can be both direct and indirect, and furthermore, the magnitude of these effects can range from minor to fully lethal (Verones et al, 2010). Direct effects include increased activity with faster digestion, which leads to greater food demand and disturbed reproduction (Sandstrom et al, 1997;Luksiene & Sandström, 1994).…”

A Country-Specific Water Consumption Inventory Considering International Trade in Asian Countries Using a Multi-Regional Input-Output Table

“…It has been reported by several studies that a lack of available freshwater, due to increasing freshwater consumption, will result in increased severity with regard to human health damage from malnutrition and infectious diseases (Pfister et al [3]; Motoshita et al [4]; Boulay et al [5]; Motoshita et al [6]), and with regard to ecosystem damage (Pfister et al [3]; Verones et al [7]; Van Zelm et al [8]). The concept of a water footprint has been introduced by the Water Footprint Network (WFN) and the International Standardization Organization (ISO).…”