The following sections of this BookRags Literature Study Guide is offprint from Gale's For Students Series: Presenting Analysis, Context, and Criticism on Commonly Studied Works: Introduction, Author Biography, Plot Summary, Characters, Themes, Style, Historical Context, Critical Overview, Criticism and Critical Essays, Media Adaptations, Topics for Further Study, Compare & Contrast, What Do I Read Next?, For Further Study, and Sources.
(c)1998-2002; (c)2002 by Gale. Gale is an imprint of The Gale Group, Inc., a division of Thomson Learning, Inc. Gale and Design and Thomson Learning are trademarks used herein under license.
The following sections, if they exist, are offprint from Beacham's Encyclopedia of Popular Fiction: "Social Concerns", "Thematic Overview", "Techniques", "Literary Precedents", "Key Questions", "Related Titles", "Adaptations", "Related Web Sites". (c)1994-2005, by Walton Beacham.
The following sections, if they exist, are offprint from Beacham's Guide to Literature for Young Adults: "About the Author", "Overview", "Setting", "Literary Qualities", "Social Sensitivity", "Topics for Discussion", "Ideas for Reports and Papers". (c)1994-2005, by Walton Beacham.
All other sections in this Literature Study Guide are owned and copyrighted by BookRags, Inc.
Water used for cooling by power plants and factories is commonly returned to its original source at a temperature greater than its original temperature. This heated warm water leaves an outlet pipe in a stream-like flow known as a thermal plume. The water within the plume is significantly warmer than the water immediately adjacent to it. Thermal plumes are environmentally important because the introduction of heated water into lakes or slow-moving rivers can have adverse effects on aquatic life. Warmer temperatures decrease the solubility of oxygen in water, thus lowering the amount of dissolved oxygen available to aquatic organisms. Warmer water also causes an increase in the respiration rates of these organisms, and they deplete the alreadyreduced supply of oxygen more quickly. Warmer water also makes aquatic organisms more susceptible to diseases, parasites, and toxic substances.