Algae blooms in China

There are a large amount of algae existing in coastal regions in China. The increasing rate of algae population cannot be bypassed as it is raising significance due to its severe contamination. Some regions are even covered by algae hence people cannot seek for water for the naked eye. Chinese government is making efforts, however the effect is feeble since polluted regions are already too damaged to recover in a short period. The picture is about a beachgoer trying to clear a little space in Qingdao, where I am currently living in. This scene can be often watched and some people are even considering that it is natural for beach to grow some algae.

The Yellow Sea algae bloom has become an annual event in recent years. This year?s, which the official Xinhua news says is the largest on record, has damaged the aquatic-farming industry and hurt tourism-though some swimmers are willing to put up with it-and threatens other ocean life. What is more serious, the algae thrive on an abundance of nutrients in the sea. University of Cambridge and EnAlgae Project researcher Dr. Brenda Parker said that the Chinese bloom may well be linked to industrial pollution.

?Algae blooms often follow a massive discharge of phosphates or nitrates into the water. Whether it's farming, untreated sewage or some kind of industrial plant that is discharging waste into the water," she said.

The recent explosion of the algae pointed to a dramatic change in the ecosystem which was probably not natural.

"That would probably be an indicator that something is a little bit unbalanced," said Parker.

She said that the 2009 example algal bloom on the Brittany coast was a similar example of a human-induced algal bloom.

The largest algal bloom ever recorded in China has turned the Yellow Sea green and may be related to pollution from agriculture and industry.

Officials in the city of Qingdao had used bulldozers to remove 7,335 tonnes of the growth from beaches according to the Xinhua news agency.

The phenomenon has become an annual occurrence in the region over the past six summers. This year's incident has swathed 28,900 sq km (11,158 sq miles), twice as much as the previous biggest bloom in 2008.

The algae, called Enteromorpha prolifera, is not toxic to humans or animals.

However the carpet on the surface can dramatically change the ecology of the environment beneath it. It blocks sunlight from entering the ocean and sucks oxygen from the water suffocating marine life.

Harmful algal blooms have been observed to cause adverse effects to varying species of marine mammals and sea turtles, with each presenting specific toxicity-induced reductions in developmental, immunological, neurological, and reproductive capacities.

So how can we figure out solutions?

The decline of filter-feeding shellfish populations, such as oysters, likely contribute to HAB(harmful algae blooms) occurrence. As such, numerous research projects are assessing the potential of restored shellfish populations to reduce harmful algae blooms occurrence.

Since many Algal blooms are caused by a major influx of nutrient-rich runoff into a water body, programs to treat wastewater, reduce the overuse of fertilizers in agriculture and reducing the bulk flow of runoff can be effective for reducing severe algal blooms at river mouths, estuary's, and the ocean directly in front of the river's mouth.