According to Chinese authorities an
algae bloom, or “green tide,” has clogged nearly 7,700 square miles
(20,000 square kilometers) of the Yellow Sea. The algae blanketing the
beaches belongs to a species of marine plankton known as Enteromorpha
prolifera, found in waters all around the world. In the right
conditions, the algae can explode into so-called macro-algal blooms,
Steve Morton, a marine biologist at the U.S. National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), told National Geographic News in
2010.
Such massive blooms require warm ocean temperatures and waters rich
in the elements phosphorus and nitrogen, which are found in fertilizers
and can be carried to the coasts by water runoff. While the algae aren’t
toxic, big blooms can create oxygen-poor “dead zones” in the water and
leave an unpleasant odor on beaches.
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