Algae Bloom Spreads Across Qingdao, China Beach (PHOTOS)

The Daily Mail reports that a surprise Algae bloom spreading across Qingdao, China's most popular beach hasn't deterred vacationers from enjoying their summer holiday by the sea. The paper reports that the bloom is over 70 meters wide and 100 meters long, as has dyed everything in its path "a shocking bright green."

Earlier this month, China Daily reported that the beach management department of Qingdao No 1 Beach Area filled up over 100 bags, weighing over 30 tons, with the algae, in an effort to clear the water. Meanwhile, local swimmer Zhao Xiaowei told the paper, "We have not been disturbed by the green algae. I swim here as usual."

Last year, the Baltic Sea experienced an algae bloom covering 377,000 square kilometers (larger than the size of Germany). At the time, TreeHugger reported that it was the largest bloom since 2005, and "was triggered by a lack of wind, prolonged high temperatures, and fertilizers being washed into the sea from surrounding farmland."

This month, Patch reported that a town pond in East Hampton, New York turned fluorescent green, to the bewilderment of local residents.

Check out photos from Qingdao, China:

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Children play in seawater covered by a thick layer of green algae at a beach in Qingdao, Shandong Province of China. A large area of green algae called enteromorpha prolifera, has approached the Qingdao coast.

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Children play in seawater covered by a thick layer of green algae at a beach in Qingdao, Shandong Province of China. A large area of green algae called enteromorpha prolifera, has approached the Qingdao coast.

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Comments

[miss876]

11:13 PM on 07/30/2011

Go ahead and judge me, but...ew.

[Mrpibb]

01:49 PM on 07/25/2011

Excessive nitrate run-off, probably from the massive unregulated farming industry.

Regulations, who needs em

[maruski]

03:27 PM on 07/21/2011

gee it makes you wonder if that stuff can be a resource of some kind--dried and put in animal feed? soemthing?

[ly mouychheang]

03:28 AM on 07/21/2011

algae bloom in China is the result of the fast developement in technoloty, treatenmt the marine life and tourist.

[king soloman]

04:59 PM on 07/20/2011

so this is the beggining of zombie land ehhh?

[ta8ersalid]

03:27 PM on 07/20/2011

The algae is probably better than the smog (coal filled) air the breath.

[Kyusokuu]

02:18 PM on 07/20/2011

Ya know..when they start to mutate and have serious health issue..they are qoinq 2 remember that day. This is equivalent to ppl who used to swim in the La Jolla, Cali Seal Harbour. Flies everywhere, nasty smelly water, seals only a few feet away. They let their kids play in that water, seals couldn't sun on the beach cause some 2 year old was tryin to qrab it. That was really sad to see and so is this.

[mclarissa]

01:04 PM on 07/20/2011

the lack of concern is terrifying. there seems to be a disconnect with gov & world pop in general with how the chain of life is being destroyed/unraveled a bit at a time. dump fertilizers in ground, they get washed into water which in turn feeds algae which then in turn smothers out life in that water which in turn kills life forms that bigger things eat and it spreads up the chain. eventually it affects us directly. the fish we eat die, organisms that also eat that fish-die, things that eat those things-die.

[ToniQ]

03:00 AM on 07/27/2011

>there seems to be a disconnect with gov & world pop in general

No disconnect, the Comedian said, "What happened to the American Dream?" It came true! You're lookin' at it"

[whoknew---]

11:10 AM on 07/20/2011

Just wait until the algae starts rotting.....

phew......

[BuckyJamesDio]

09:40 AM on 07/20/2011

Whoawhoawhoa - "Going Green" is a figure of speech. It's not to be taken literally.

[DietSprite2011]

07:11 AM on 07/20/2011

I am surprised someone has not come up with a profitable use for the algae.

[aveindustries]

12:41 PM on 07/20/2011

That algae is probably tainted with industrial chemicals. The industrial chemicals and pollutants, fertilizers, and ect are probably fueling the algae's growth.

[she343]

06:47 PM on 07/21/2011

then it should be tested--if not laced with heavy metals, it might make a good fertilizer and they could use help with their agriculture!

[Inannawhimsey]

12:09 AM on 07/20/2011

So nice to see bits of Nature (humans) playing around in other bits of Nature :3

I wonder if the algae can be eaten?

[jonathonz]

12:09 AM on 07/20/2011

I absolutely cannot imagine willingly going into that water...makes my skin CRAWL!

[PlayTOE]

03:51 PM on 07/19/2011

That is over over 30 tons of really good fertilizer and it just removed lots of CO2 from our environment.
Lucky Chinese getting this bonanza.

[Kim0330]

02:20 PM on 07/19/2011

There's no way that I'd swin in that.