China's Olympic-sized Algae Cleanup - Oceana USA
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June 30, 2008

China’s Olympic-sized Algae Cleanup

For once, the Olympic spotlight on China is making it look too green — from an algal bloom that The New York Times reports is threatening the upcoming sailing regatta near the city of Qingdao. Thousands of people are helping to clean up a bloom that would be impossible to sail through.The article continues, “State media reported that 100,000 tons of the algae had already been taken out of the water. Much of it was being transported to farms as feed for pigs and other animals, according to news reports.”Wow. And while “rivers and tributaries emptying into coastal waters are often contaminated with high levels of nitrates from agricultural and industrial runoff,” officials are denying a “substantial link” between the bloom and poor water quality. [Image: Agence France-Presse — Getty Images via www.nytimes.com]