For 6th Year, Massive Algae Bloom Buries Sea Near Qingdao, China - 2x Size Of LA County

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For at least the sixth year running, a giant algae bloom has engulfed the waters around this city like a bright green shag carpet mutating uncontrollably. This year's seaweed mass has been measured at about 11,500 square miles — more than twice the area of Los Angeles County. Onshore winds help bring the strands ashore overnight, with some beaches buried under 16 inches of the floss-like flora, known to scientists as Ulva prolifera.

The seaweed began to appear a month ago, and officials have deployed 2,440 people, divided into 18 brigades, to try to keep pace with the annual phenomenon that turns Qingdao's surf into something more resembling turf.

At No. 3 Bathing Beach, a supervisor surnamed Liu said Sunday that on the most severe days, he has 100 men who arrive by 3 a.m. to start clearing the water and the shore, using boats, nets and construction equipment. "On a heavy day, we can load up 15 trucks; each load is 7 or 8 tons," he said. "Sometimes we get 150 or even 160 tons in a day."

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It's wise for Qingdao officials to clear the beaches daily because left unattended, the seaweed can rot and give off toxic hydrogen sulfide fumes, Nelson said. In 2009, a Frenchman riding his horse encountered mounds of the foul plant material along the Brittany coast; both man and beast were overcome by the gas, and the horse died. Large algae blooms can also pose a hazard to sea plants and animals if the layer of growth becomes thick enough and dense enough to steal oxygen from patches of ocean, Nelson said.

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http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-china-algae-20130708-dto,0,5830494.htmlstory