Effects of warm water effluents from power stations on marine life

Abstract

A brief review is given of recent work on the biological effects of thermal pollution in the British Isles. Some of the effects of the Hunterston Generating Station, Ayrshire, Scotland are briefly described. Experimental work suggests that the planktonic larvae of the locally abundant bivalve Tellina tenuis are unlikely to be harmed by heating during passage through the cooling system. On the other hand, growth of the gastropod Nassarius reticulatus is affected on a beach near the outfall. Spawning times of this species are advanced by about 3 months compared with a locality not affected by warm water. Experiments also show that hatching of Nassarius egg capsules is more rapid at higher temperatures. Some possible implications of thermal pollution are discussed.