Zooplankton Features in The Aquatic Area Influenced by Cernavodă Nuclear Power Plant

Abstract

Thermo-electric power plants, including nuclear plants, affect aquatic organisms entrained through water cooling systems by reducing their motility or increasing mortality. The negative effect of Cernavodă Nuclear Power Plant on zooplankton motility was evaluated by using water samples collected from six points in the adjacent aquatic area in July 2010. We defined a non-motility index as the ratio between non-motile organisms and the total abundance of zooplankton species. This parameter has specific values depending on local environmental conditions. At the sampling points, not affected by the cooling system, the zooplankton non-motility index had a maximum value of 7.6%. Following the cooling system, in the hot effluent discharge water, the zooplankton non-motility index value was raised up to 29.3%. In the mixed zone of warm effluent with the Danube waters the zooplankton non-motility index showed higher values than in unaffected areas, but less than in the warm effluent, up to 16.4%.