Toxic Green Algae Takes Over Beaches Off Yellow Sea In China

An anonymous reader writes "Caused by what researchers say is local industry and agriculture pollution, the green algae (scientific name Enteromorpha prolifera), has resulted in the foul-smelling mass taking over parts of China's Yellow Sea. The event, which has occurred in the same region over the past six years, always during the summer, has grown exponentially since its last notable interference in 2008. This year's growth is reportedly double in size, measuring in at more than 11,158 square miles. According to a report from the Guardian, officials have removed 7,335 tons of the algae recently in an attempt to control the growth after beach-goers in the nearby city of Qingdao have remain unaffected by the disturbance. While strange in appearance, the algae is reportedly nontoxic to humans but can, however, leave behind the toxic gas hydrogen sulphide. According to a report from the Daily Mail, crews are working to remove the algae as the toxicity is caused if it is left to decompose."

Hardly news

[o'reor]

This is no news for us in Brittany, France. We've had those algae for the last 25 years on our beaches.

The reason ? Industrial farming, mainly. The manure that our farmers spread over the fields is washed down to the rivers and the sea shores. The level of phosphorous and nitrogen in the water rises and leads to massive, smelly "green tides" of algae on our beaches.

Unfortunately, no effective action is taken to correct these trends, and industrial farming tends to grow ever bigger and pollute our water ever more despite several warnings from the ECJ.

Re:biodiesel

[K. S. Kyosuke]

The concentration is most likely low enough to make extraction impractical while high enough to present you with an environmental problem. The worst of both worlds.