Increasing Algal Blooms Threaten China's Coasts

eldavojohn writes "While the United States deals with oil on its southern shores, China faces hundreds of square kilometers of algal blooms headed toward its shores. One large 200 sq km blob is about 13 kilometers (eight miles) away from Jiaonan in Shandong province. In 2008, China employed 10,000 people to clean a similar algal bloom in order to keep its nearby shore pristine for the Olympics. China has had several case studies (PDF) done of its algal blooms, which many attribute to nutrient pollution in lakes and shores. An Alaskan blob also amounted to an algal bloom, while West Coast red tide algal blooms are making wild shellfish deadly to consume."