Nuclear power is not this pollution free source of energy, while it does not produce carbon dioxide like coal and oil it instead produces thermal pollution and habitat destruction. Thermal pollution is produced in the cooling process of the power plant.
As shown by the image cooling occurs in the tank labeled 12. Here water is taken from a nearby body of water and used to condense the steam that is produced by the nuclear reaction. The water is then released back into the environment causing the temperature of the body of water to rise. This can have detrimental effects on the organisms living there. The heated water is not able to hold as much oxygen as colder water so there is less oxygen available for use. This can reduce the population size of many fish species and can even make the water uninhabitable to more sensitive species.
Habitat disruption and loss are also major problems caused by power plants. These plants take up acres of land to be constructed and must be located near a body of water. So construction of these plants will remove large areas of habitat for many organisms. This forces organisms to extend farther out of their natural habitat or face overcrowding and starvation. For example if a plant is built over an area of forests animals, such as deer, will move begin to live closer to people. This also endangers people who live in this area since they are in danger of disease carrying insects, such as ticks who usually stay in the forest.
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Habitat disruption and loss are also major problems caused by power plants. These plants take up acres of land to be constructed and must be located near a body of water. So construction of these plants will remove large areas of habitat for many organisms. This forces organisms to extend farther out of their natural habitat or face overcrowding and starvation. For example if a plant is built over an area of forests animals, such as deer, will move begin to live closer to people. This also endangers people who live in this area since they are in danger of disease carrying insects, such as ticks who usually stay in the forest.
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