Effects of the Operating Nuclear Power Plant on Marine Ecology and Environment - A Case Study of Daya Bay in China

Wang, You‐Shao

doi:10.5772/19288

Cited by 2 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 36 publications

(109 reference statements)

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“…Based on set of temperature records, the rate of temperature increase has been reported to be a highly statistically significant at 0.026 • C/yr (p = 0.004; 1986-2022; Table 1), compared with the global temperature increase of 0.018 • C/yr that occurred between 1981 and 2022 [17]. Giuliani et al [18] reported an increase of 0.028 • C/yr between 1960 and 2011, similar to that reported by Bai et al * Only for data before the operation of the much larger second phase (Data collected from Wang et al, [20,21]).…”

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 56%

Far-Field Influences Shadow the Effects of a Nuclear Power Plant’s Discharges in a Semi-Enclosed Bay

et al. 2023

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The sustainable development of society depends on the reliable supply of electricity while keeping impacts on the environment to a minimum. A 951 MWe nuclear power plant in the semi-enclosed Nanwan Bay at the southern tip of Taiwan began operating in May 1984. Part of the bay is in Kenting National Park, which is known for its coral reefs and abundant marine life; thus, thermal pollution from the cooling water discharge is a great concern. Fortunately, the bay opens south to face the Luzon Strait, where the world’s strongest internal tides are generated. Because the bay is deep enough, internal waves bring up cold deep water and reduce the surface temperature by as much as 10 °C for a few hours every day. These internal waves and topographically generated upwelling also bring nutrients to the euphotic layer from the depths, but the upwelled waters quickly leave the bay along with the cooling water. As a result, a thermal plume with a temperature of 1 °C or higher than the ambient temperature only covers 1 km. By way of comparison, El Niño—Southern Oscillation- or Pacific Decadal Oscillation-related interannual variations in temperature are as high as 5 °C. The rapid turnover of the upwelled waters also helps to prevent heat released by the power plant from accumulating and diminishes the thermal stress, thus sustaining corals and other marine life forms. Typhoons, even hundreds of kilometers away, could also induce the upwelling of cold subsurface water. Consecutive typhoons have been observed to reduce the water surface temperature by up to 10 °C for two weeks or longer. Furthermore, the currents are such that the thermal plume flows out of the bay most of the time. All of these factors make the surface waters in the bay about 0.5 °C cooler than the waters outside of the bay, despite the operation of a nearby nuclear power plant.

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Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 56%