is the Dam a source of Global warming ?

Question

recently i come across a news that Dam is also causing global warming.. on the other hand we say hydro electric power is clean source of electric current.

Answer 1

They're contributing in some ways and offsetting in others.

The large concrete dams use huge quantities of cement in their production, the extraction and processing of cement is one of the biggest emitters of greenhouse gases.

The body of water created by the construction of a dam is stationery in comparison to the river that would ordinarily flow. This allows the surface of the water to warm and evapourate more readily than it would with running water. The increased burden of atmospheric water vapour will contribute to global warming - more so in areas with lower humidity and higher temperatures.

Dams often lead to flooding of vegetated areas, this removes some biomass from the carbon cycle, the consequence of which is areduction in the amount of carbon dioxide sequesteered from the atmosphere for photosynthesis.

On the other hand, water is more reflective than earth and plant material and so reflects sunlight into space more efficiently thus partially offsetting the contribution made to warming.

If the still waters of the reservoir are home to algae this will sequester CO2 from the atmosphere, algae are excellent at doing this.

I guess the answer in respect of any one dam would be arrived at by summing the offsetting and contributory factors of the different components with the result that some dams are contributing to global warming whereas others are.

The purpose of the dam also needs to be taken into account. If that purpose is for hydro-electricity generation then there would be a substantial benefit if it meant a reduction in the burning of fossil fuels to generate the same power in conventional power stations. There would be no net benefit if the alternative were nuclear power as both nuclear and hydro produce almost no greenhouse gas emissions.

Answer 2

They are contributing to it just as humans are. So basically almost everything is a source of Global Warming, just some more than others. The Dam that is hydro electric will release much less than a non hydro electric dam. So the answer would probably be yes and no.

Answer 3

No, the threat is minor. The recent meeting of scientists in Paris predicts minor problems from it, although they do try very hard to make the rather mild prediction that are making sound as terrible as possible. The estimates are for about 5 degrees temperature rise and 1 foot sea level rise in 100 years. Not very scary. They say bad weather will get worse (storms, droughts and so on), but never really try to back that up with numbers, because they don't have any. It is just a scare tactic. No, the reason to find an energy source other than oil is because the Arabs have all the oil.

Answer 4

Hydro-electric dams by themselves do not produce green house gases, but it is the havoc that these dams can cause to the environment as a result of their contruction and the ensuing flooding of areas near and far and the resulting loss of valuable land, fauna and flora which constitutes the downside of this otherwise ingenious device. Most countries now agree that huge dams which cause extensive environmental damage should be avoided in favour of smaller micro-dams which can be used for irrigation, water conservation as well as small scale power generation.

Answer 5

I would need to see the same news that you came across to judge its credibility, but I find it hard to believe dams cause global warming in general.

Answer 6

GW is a myth. It's a political posturing move and seems to be working with all the sheeple here that believe it's true.

Normal cyclical climate changes are occurring as they have for thousand of years.

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Answer 7

they can cause environmental problems