Monitoring of thermal plume discharged from thermal and nuclear power plants in eastern China using satellite images

The thermal plume discharged from the power plants has exerted many negative effects on the coastal environment by decreasing the dissolved oxygen, density and viscosity of water, speeding up the settlement of suspended mater, and changing the habit of life, growth and reproduction of marine organisms. To monitor the thermal pollution of cooling-water discharge from the coal-fired power plants and nuclear power plant in the eastern coastal region in China, the mono-window algorithm for retrieving sea surface temperature (SST) from thermal infrared bands of Landsat TM/ETM+, and HJ IRS data is improved by integrating the atmospheric correction model. The SST variability influenced by the thermal discharge from the coal-fired power plants and nuclear power plant near Xiangshan Harbour, Tianwan and Yueqing Bay in the eastern coastal area in China is investigated by comparing the distributions of SST around the power plants before and after the operation of the power plants. The results indicate that the spatial variability of SST rise depends on the installed capacity of power plants, coastal terrain, tide, etc. Although the area where the SST rise is more than 3°C was not large, thermal discharge still exerts impact on ecosystems within the bay to some degree due to the relatively closeness of the environment of the bay. Taking the coastal terrain near the power plants into consideration, more reasonable operation projects of the power plants and the design of the intake and discharge mouth should be set up in order to accelerate the dilution, diffusion and cooling of the thermal plume under the influence of discharged flow of the rivers, and reduce the impact of thermal pollution on the ecological community with high biodiversity in the intertidal zone.