tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8740971876602952565.post6292660812372274670..comments2024-03-19T22:49:42.491-07:00Comments on Nuke Power Talk: Waste Heat from Power Plants:Gail Marcushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03389387408479728702noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8740971876602952565.post-70559638741968508342011-01-09T09:49:58.318-08:002011-01-09T09:49:58.318-08:00Another thing to consider with regard to plants th...Another thing to consider with regard to plants that have been operating as long as Oyster Creek is that their discharge is now part of the existing environment. The whole nearby ecosystem is used to having that warmer water around - when it disappears for good, there will another major environmental change.<br /><br />There is also no guarantee that the environmental effect of cooling towers will be any better for the local environment - the effects would simply be different, with the judgement of better depending on the specific impact being reviewed.Rod Adamshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03652375336090790205noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8740971876602952565.post-77847333363734895252011-01-06T19:09:42.212-08:002011-01-06T19:09:42.212-08:00I thought the same thing when I was visiting Blue ...I thought the same thing when I was visiting Blue Springs State Park in Orange City, FL. If there were not external sources providing warm water for these manatees how many would we have today? <br /><br />P.S. Great blog, Gail!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8740971876602952565.post-35938599591389881112011-01-04T09:25:20.546-08:002011-01-04T09:25:20.546-08:00It sounds like a good opportunity. As you point ou...It sounds like a good opportunity. As you point out, we really have no idea what will happen if we dump heat into a body of water, creating a micro-ecosystem. Ecology doesn't particularly lend itself to controlled experiments, so I think computer simulations might play an important role here. It's not my field in particular, but computational biology (particularly population dynamics) seems applicable. A computer model can isolate the main risks to an ecosystem before any plant is built. It would be interesting to see if models can recreate/predict the trends in manatee and other populations in Florida.<br /><br />If this approach turns out to be successful we would be in a position to make informed decisions about particular ecosystems, and whether it is responsible to deliberately alter them.AlanNnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8740971876602952565.post-69710727106750528812011-01-03T20:11:20.365-08:002011-01-03T20:11:20.365-08:00I've long had fantasies about setting up a sma...I've long had fantasies about setting up a small modular reactor in the great white north (near Duluth, say), and using the "waste" heat to heat houses nearby as well as an <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aquaponics" rel="nofollow">aquaponics</a> system. The free heat and cheap electricity would be a great way to turn cheap corn into fresh veggies and tasty fish. <br /><br />Sigh. <br /><br />I think I need to win the lotto a couple of times first.spudbeachhttp://www.thebeachfamily.orgnoreply@blogger.com