Abstract：
The development of nuclear power plants is progressing rapidly worldwide. However, there is currently a lack of dynamic monitoring of the thermal discharge temperature rise from these plants, making it unclear to governments where their nuclear power thermal discharges stand globally. We hypothesize that between 2013 and 2022, there are significant temporal and spatial differences in the thermal discharge temperature rise from nuclear power plants globally. Temporal differences are expected to reflect a country\'s nuclear power installed capacity and thermal discharge treatment capabilities, while spatial differences are related to the type of water bodies where nuclear power plants are located. To test these hypotheses, we utilized Landsat data to get the distribution range of thermal discharge and temperature rise levels ranging from 1 °C to 4 °C, and compared the temporal and spatial characteristics of temperature rise in different countries. The results indicate that: (1) Currently, China, the United States, and Canada rank among the top three globally in terms of the area experiencing temperature rise due to thermal discharge, which correlates with the total installed capacity of nuclear power in these countries. (2) Countries such as Russia, Finland, and Mexico exhibit larger areas with a 4 °C temperature rise level per unit installed capacity, with their thermal rise area per unit installed capacity (TRAUIC) exceeding the global average by more than 1.5 times. (3) The spatial dispersion trends of thermal discharges from nuclear power plants vary across different types of water bodies. For nuclear power plants located in bays, thermal discharges primarily disperse along the coast, while in open sea and lakes, thermal discharges tend to spread in a fan-shaped pattern. The findings of this study are crucial for understanding the efficiency of thermal discharge from nuclear power plants across different countries globally, assessing potential environmental risks during the operation of these plants, and promoting the safe and orderly development of nuclear power plants worldwide.
摘要：
核电厂的发展在世界范围内迅速发展。然而,目前缺乏对这些电厂热排放温度上升的动态监测，这使得各国政府不清楚他们的核电热排放在全球的位置。我们假设在2013年至2022年之间，全球核电厂的热排放温度上升存在显著的时空差异。时间差异预计将反映一个国家的核电装机容量和热排放处理能力，而空间差异与核电站所在的水体类型有关。为了测试这些假设，我们利用Landsat数据获得了从1°C到4°C的热排放和温升水平的分布范围，比较了不同国家气温上升的时空特征。结果表明:(1)目前,中国,美国,加拿大在由于热排放而导致温度上升的地区排名全球前三，这与这些国家的核电总装机容量有关。（2）俄罗斯等国家，芬兰,和墨西哥表现出较大的区域，每单位装机容量的温度上升水平为4°C，其单位装机容量的热上升面积（TRAUIC）超过全球平均水平1.5倍以上。(3)不同类型水体的核电站热排放空间扩散趋势不同。对于位于海湾的核电站，热排放主要沿着海岸扩散，在公海和湖泊中，热放电倾向于以扇形模式传播。这项研究的结果对于了解全球不同国家核电厂的热排放效率至关重要，评估这些工厂运营期间的潜在环境风险，促进全球核电厂的安全有序发展。
