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In the global warming partly to blame the hydropower plant
Last reviewed: 16.05.2018
Mankind has been using dams and reservoirs for a long time to get hydropower, supply irrigation systems, etc. But, apparently, such methods negatively affect the environment and can be one of the causes of global warming.
Scientists have long been interested in the issue of the carbon footprint, which remains as a result of man's technogenic activity throughout the development period. Man water reservoirs began to use reservoirs more than 10 years ago, and most studies focus on water bodies that are used for the production of electrical energy. In Washington, a team of researchers conducted a study during which reservoirs were studied, their analysis was carried out, and the results were alarmed by scientists.
Molecular analysis revealed that at reservoirs, as a result of the operation of power plants, more than 1% of carbon air pollution is produced - these results exceed several times the previous ones.
One of the gases that cause a greenhouse effect on our planet is methane, its ability to increase global warming is almost 90 times greater than the similar ability of carbon dioxide. As scientists believe, this influence on the atmosphere of the reservoir is due to the geological structure. If carbon-rich soils are flooded with water, oxygen naturally ends in them, resulting in microorganisms that feed on carbon dioxide. The by-product of the life activity of these microorganisms is methane, the same microorganisms live in swamps - for this reason, usually there is a rotten odor in such places, which appears as a result of the processing of carbon dioxide into methane by bacteria.
According to preliminary estimates, 25% more methane is emitted in reservoirs than was previously believed, and this is already a real problem, especially in recent times when dams are being actively built.
As Bridget Dimer, the lead author of the study, said this discovery is an accident and done in a timely manner, as world leaders intend to give legal force to a treaty launching a number of programs to reduce carbon intensity. It is possible that such actions are hasty and can lead to disastrous consequences. But in any case, it is impossible to stop hydroelectric power stations in the near future, since they have enormous energy significance.
This research shows that both ecologists and power engineers have a new global task, which can be solved with a huge amount of resources and time.
It should be noted that earlier similar conclusions were made with respect to wind power stations. Scientists for 9 years observed the temperature of the surface of the earth near wind farms, also based on data from satellites. As a result, it was found that the temperature near the operating power plants during the observation time rose by 0.7 0, especially the warming occurred at night.
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