Giant algae threaten China

A cluster of algae that covers up to 200 square kilometers is heading toward China's east coast, threatening the region's ecology and tourism.

Xinhua said the green algae (enteromorpha prolifera) are drifting northward at 7-9 km / day. As of June 22, it is about 13 km from Jiaonan City, Shandong Province. Branch of China Ocean Bureau in Shandong Province is dispatching some ships to clean up algae.

Green algae besieged Qingdao City, Shandong Province, China in August 2008.
(Photo: yachtpals.com) .

Giant algae blooms formed by water pollution in China. Although they do not contain toxic substances and do not adversely affect water resources, they absorb a huge amount of air, which makes the animals and plants living in the water fall short of oxygen. Algae leave the stench when they drift to the coast making the tourism industry miserable.

In August 2008, a large group of algae surrounded the coast of Qingdao City, Shandong Province. This phenomenon happened exactly when the 2008 Olympics was about to take place in Beijing. About 10,000 soldiers and volunteers cleaned up more than one million tons of stinking algae.

According to a report by the China Ocean Bureau in 2008, wastewater and toxic substances from agricultural activities polluted 83% of China's waters near the coast, leading to algal outbreaks. Other problems.

Also in 2008 Chinese people witnessed 68 waves of red tide. The culprit makes the sea turn red is algae. Red sea water covers an area of ​​13,700 km ² .