China launches armada to head off algae plume

High sea temperatures and nitrogen runoff from agriculture blamed for 400 sq km of enteromorpha heading for coast

Chinese authorities have dispatched a flotilla of more than 60 ships to head off a massive tide of algae that is approaching the coast of Qingdao.

The outbreak is thought to be caused by high ocean temperatures and excess nitrogen runoff from agriculture and fish farms.

Scientists involved in the operation say the seaweed known as enteromorpha needs to be cleaned up before it decomposes on beaches and releases noxious gases.

According to the domestic media, the green tide covers an area of 400 sq km. Newspapers ran pictures of coastguard officials raking up the gunk as soon as it reached the shore.

As well as the 66 vessels sent to intercept the approaching algae, a net has been stretched offshore as an extra defence. Ten forklift trucks, seven lorries and 168 people were clearing up the many tonnes of seaweed that still got through.

Li Delin, the engineer in charge of the beach clearance, estimated that his team had collected about 3,900 tonnes as of today. The seaweed has been taken away to be processed, possibly for use as natural fertiliser or animal feed.

And more is on the way. Northern China has been experiencing the hottest week of the year – in some areas, such as Beijing, temperatures have reached highs not seen in decades – which was accelerating the growth of the algae.

Green and red tides have become increasingly common across the world since the 1970s. Usually they occur in coastal water near densely populated areas or where there is large-scale runoff of agricultural chemicals from farmland.

China has been particularly affected in recent years. An even bigger outbreak off Qingdao, estimated at 170,000 tonnes, in 2008 threatened to ruin the sailing events for the Olympics, prompting the authorities to call on hundreds of local fishermen to help them in the cleanup operation.

The green tide is a sign of eutrophication, a build up of algae caused by excess levels of nitrogen in the water. At low levels this simply means a green slime on the water's surface, such as that often seen on polluted lakes.

In its worst form, the algae can be toxic or so dense that it chokes the life below it, creating underwater "dead zones".

The green tide approaching Qingdao is harmless in its current form and, if quickly dealt with, could even help to clean up the coastal waters.

Li said that given the size of the algae plume, it would be unwise to let it decompose naturally. "If the enteromorpha on the beach can't be cleared on time, it will rot and affect the ecosystem in the bay area. Also the smell will be really bad," he said.

Preventing future algae outbreaks is a challenge. Scientists have advised the government to discourage overuse of fertiliser and to build more water treatment plants. But many experts believe the cause is deeper.

"At a fundamental level, the way to deal with this should be to combat climate change and control pollution," said Mao Yunxiang, a professor at the College of Marine Life, Ocean University of China, who is a consultant on the operation.

"We should also consider the possibility that the green tide are inevitable so we should make use of them. The algae can clean water, and be harvested for animal feed and biofertiliser."

Additional reporting by Cui Zheng

Contributor

Jonathan Watts, Asia environment correspondent

The GuardianTramp

Related Content

Article image
Algae overwhelms beach in Qingdao, east China - video

Algae overwhelms a popular beach in Qingdao, east China, which has had algae booms six years in a row

05, Jul, 2013 @9:52 AM

Article image
'It can kill you in seconds': the deadly algae on Brittany's beaches
Activists say stinking sludge is linked to nitrates in fertilisers from intensive farming

Angelique Chrisafis in Hillion

08, Sep, 2019 @1:24 PM

Article image
China tackles oil slick after pipeline blast

Chinese authorities launch clean-up operation to tackle 50 sq km slick following explosion of two crude oil pipelines in Dalian

Jonathan Watts, Asia environment correspondent

19, Jul, 2010 @10:45 AM

Article image
Australia beaches declared disaster zone after oil spill from Pacific Adventurer

Authorities close 37-mile stretch of coast hit by leak from cyclone-hit cargo ship

Associated Press

13, Mar, 2009 @9:29 AM

Article image
Satellite Eye on Earth: January 2016 - in pictures
US snowstorms, Tasmanian bushfires and Arabian plankton blooms were among the images captured by European Space Agency and Nasa satellites last month

09, Feb, 2016 @11:16 AM

Article image
Oil spill spoils beaches in Queensland, Australia

Cyclones just off of Australia's Queensland coast earlier this week resulted in an oil spill along the Sunshine Coast, eastern Australia. Hong Kong-based vessel the Pacific Adventurer, was caught in the rough seas, causing its hull to pierce

13, Mar, 2009 @12:44 PM

Article image
Caribbean coral reefs face collapse

Caribbean coral reefs are in danger of disappearing, depriving the world of one of its most beautiful and productive ecosystems

Fiona Harvey in Jeju, South Korea

10, Sep, 2012 @2:00 AM

Article image
‘Stereotypes are evolving’: female divers shake up conservative Jordan
Project Sea clears rubbish from Aqaba’s reefs, which is recycled into bags by Palestinian refugees – a female-led scheme in a country where women must still fight for equality

Annika Brohm in Aqaba and Amman. Photography by John Goodwin

05, Jul, 2023 @5:30 AM

Article image
US cruise ships using Canada as a ‘toilet bowl’ for polluted waste
Lax Canadian regulations create ‘perverse incentive’ for US cruise ships en route to Alaska to discharge toxic mix of chemicals and wastewater off British Columbia, report says

Richa Syal

09, Jul, 2022 @12:00 PM

Article image
The creeping threat of the Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt
Visible from space, an explosion of harmful seaweed now stretches like a sea monster across the ocean. Could robots save us from it – and store carbon in the process?

Zan Barberton

07, Mar, 2023 @6:00 AM