Thermal Pollution
Thermal pollution occurs when changes in the temperature of water adversely affect the species living there. Most of these thermal changes are caused by man, often in the form of pollution caused by factories using water as a coolant. When the water is released back into the body from whence it came it is much warmer, causing many ill effects.
Warm water depletes oxygen, adversely affecting fish and amphibians. A temperature change of even one to two degrees Celcius can cause enough stress on young fish or eggs that they will die. Even cool water, released from reservoirs into water in warmer climates, can cause death in the local aquatic ecosystems.
