Green | June 30, 2008 | 12 comments

Chinese race to clear algae from Olympic sailing venue

source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/jun/30/pollution.olympicgames2008

Image
jefftego
More than 10,000 workers are battling against time to remove a thick algal bloom that has carpeted the Olympic sailing venue in Qingdao in east China, officials said.

Qingdao Olympic Sailing Committee officials warned that it would take two weeks to clear the growth, which competitors - including members of the British sailing team - say is hampering training in the run-up to the games. It has blocked practice routes and covered almost one-third of the competition area.

A total 5,000 square miles (13,000 square kilometres) is affected, the state news agency Xinhua reported.

A thousand fishing boats have been dredging the area and already 100,000 tonnes of lurid, blue-green algae have been removed. Organisers are also trying to prevent more from spreading into clear waters.

Algal blooms have become an increasingly frequent problem on China's inland lakes because of pollution from industry and farm chemicals.

While the growth in Qingdao is not thought to present a health risk, some blooms produce dangerous toxins which can cause illness and occasionally death if it contaminates seafood.

  1. groups:
    Green,   Earth and Science,   Sports
  2. tags:
    Green,  Earth and Science,  Environment,  Sports,  5 more
  3.     
    |

12 comments // Chinese race to clear algae from Olympic sailing venue

  • BentFranklin
    • 0
      BentFranklin  

    • It's not carbon dioxide. It's phosphates from soap in sewage and nitrates from agricultural runoff and sewage. These are usually algae's limiting nutrients and so when it has a lot of them it grows a lot. Then, the algae dies off and rots on the bottom and that consumes oxygen and creates dead zones.

    • 3 years ago
  • TEC_Photos18
    • 0
      TEC_Photos18  

    • I think that if there is an over abundance of carbon dioxide in the water then nothing else is going to be living any ways. Algae is the first in line when it comes to crappy places in the sea to grow. But i do know that well over half of the oxygen in our atmosphere comes from algae, the algae field located off the cost of California accounts for about 10% of that.

    • 3 years ago
  • BetterWatching
    • 0
      BetterWatching  

    • If they don't clean that up I don't foresee any records being made this year other than the coveted "Dirtiest Boat to Take Gold" record.

      Go Team USA!

    • 3 years ago
  • RudyRudell
    • 0
      RudyRudell  

    • It's been a long time since I've taken environmental science so correct me if I'm wrong about this;

      Algae blooms are caused by an over abundance of carbon dioxide in the water due to pollution, algae blooms are dangerous to the environment due to choking out all other lifeforms resources by blocking sunlight for photosynthesis and choking the water with oxygen.
      something like that. again it's been like 56 years. someone correct me.

    • 3 years ago
  • jay_ct
  • eli_redsnail
  • Elligirl
    • 0
      Elligirl  

    • Interesting that they're just sweeping it all up instead of looking into reducing the problems that cause the algae blooms in the first place.

    • 3 years ago
  • kewal91
  • kristianbrodie
    • 0
      kristianbrodie  
    • Elligirl:

      Good call Elligirl - its a typical, lazy quick fix by the Chinese. Once the Olympics are over, the whole place will go back to being the polluted hell-hole that it is, and the rest of the world will have been fooled...

    • 3 years ago
  • shroomfairy
  • marboss
    • 0
      marboss  

    • The disturbing matter is that similar cases of hypoxia have occurred here in the U.S. Fertilizer runoff in the Mississippi River has created a Connecticut-sized zone of algal bloom in the Gulf Coast. Regardless, most people are unaware or don't care.

    • 3 years ago
  • kewal91
    • 0
      kewal91  

    • AHHH.... thats thick....... wait arent those a type of plant?.... they were protecting the environment... nice one olympics..

    • 3 years ago
more from Green:
from the community

top videos