Photos: Thick Green Algae Chokes Beach—Swimmers Dive In

Fun With Algae

Photograph from AFP/Getty Images

Tourists play in algae mats along the Qingdao, China, coastline on July 17.

In 2003 a NASA satellite spotted a green splotch in Lake Erie that turned out to be a algae bloom. And since China's blooms are much worse than anything experienced in the U.S., it's "very likely" they're also visible from space, Morton said in 2010.

(See "Global Warming to Create 'Permanent' Ocean Dead Zones?")

Published July 25, 2011

In the Thick of It

Photograph from China Daily, Reuters

People negotiate thick algae along the Qingdao coast on July 15.

China is notorious for its algae blooms. During the 2008 Summer Olympics (pictures) in Beijing, a sailboat race was almost canceled because of an outbreak. "They had thousands of people raking the ocean to get the algae out," NOAA's Morton said in 2010.

"It was an amazing sight."

Published July 25, 2011

Washed Up

Photograph by Huang Jiexian, Color China Photo/AP

Clumps of algae lie on a Qingdao beach on July 16.

Algal blooms washed onto shore can give off a stench of rotten eggs or worse, NOAA's Morton said. The smell is caused by the release of methane and sulfur as the blooms decompose.

Published July 25, 2011

Child's Play

Photograph by Huang Jiexian, Color China Photo/AP

A child plays with algae-laced sand on a beach on July 16 in Qingdao.

Although the algae aren't toxic, NOAA's Morton recommended that swimmers stay away it if possible.

"Any time you have a discoloration of water, your best bet is not to swim in it," he said.

Published July 25, 2011

Algae Cleanup

Photograph from ChinaFotoPress/Getty Images

A fisher gathers up algae to remove it from the water in Qingdao on July 6.

The North China Sea Marine Forecasting Center recently predicted the thick masses of algae would continue spreading north, according to Xinhua.

Published July 25, 2011

Sea of Green

Photograph from China Daily, Reuters

A fisher examines her algae-covered fishpond on July 14.

In addition to killing marine organisms outright, the dead zones that can be caused by such blooms can also spur deformities in some species. For example, a low-oxygen zone in the Gulf of Mexico (map) is causing sexual deformities in fish, according to a study released in May. (See "Female Fish Develop 'Testes' in Gulf Dead Zone.")

Published July 25, 2011