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Question
Assertion (A): Thermal pollution is harmful to aquatic organisms.
Reason (R): Increase in temperature of water bodies reduces the dissolved oxygen level of the water.
Assertion (A): Thermal pollution is harmful to aquatic organisms.
Reason (R): Increase in temperature of water bodies reduces the dissolved oxygen level of the water.
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Solution
The correct option is A Assertion and reason are true, and the reason is the correct explanation of the assertion
The degradation of water quality by any process that changes the temperature of water is called thermal pollution.
The main sources of thermal pollution are the thermal and nuclear power plants. These power plants use water as coolant and release hot water into the natural water bodies.
The sudden increase in temperature of water in that area is called the thermal shock which can kill insects, fishes, amphibians and other aquatic organisms because of the following reasons:
- The elevated temperature decreases the dissolved oxygen in water as warm water holds less dissolved oxygen than cold water and thus makes it difficult for the aquatic organisms to respire.
- Rise in temperature to a certain limit also increases the metabolic rate of the aquatic organisms due to increased enzymatic activity. This further increases the consumption of oxygen in the water bodies and causes oxygen depletion.
- As the metabolic rate of the aquatic organisms increases due to thermal pollution, it results in an increase in food consumption in a shorter period of time. This leads to the disruption of the food chain and also stability of the ecosystem.
- Very high temperatures also denature the enzymes of the aquatic organisms by breaking disulphide and hydrogen bonds. This is one of the major reasons due to which photosynthetic activity of aquatic plants is reduced as a result of thermal pollution.
Hence assertion and reason are true, and the reason is the correct explanation of the assertion.
The degradation of water quality by any process that changes the temperature of water is called thermal pollution.
The main sources of thermal pollution are the thermal and nuclear power plants. These power plants use water as coolant and release hot water into the natural water bodies.
The sudden increase in temperature of water in that area is called the thermal shock which can kill insects, fishes, amphibians and other aquatic organisms because of the following reasons:
- The elevated temperature decreases the dissolved oxygen in water as warm water holds less dissolved oxygen than cold water and thus makes it difficult for the aquatic organisms to respire.
- Rise in temperature to a certain limit also increases the metabolic rate of the aquatic organisms due to increased enzymatic activity. This further increases the consumption of oxygen in the water bodies and causes oxygen depletion.
- As the metabolic rate of the aquatic organisms increases due to thermal pollution, it results in an increase in food consumption in a shorter period of time. This leads to the disruption of the food chain and also stability of the ecosystem.
- Very high temperatures also denature the enzymes of the aquatic organisms by breaking disulphide and hydrogen bonds. This is one of the major reasons due to which photosynthetic activity of aquatic plants is reduced as a result of thermal pollution.
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