In less than a month, Beijing hosts the 2008 Summer Olympics which you can watch right here on NBC Action News. In the city of Qingdong, roughly 340 miles to the southeast, there is trouble in the coastal waters where the games’ sailing competitions will take place. Chinese officials and residents are struggling with a stubborn adversary: algae.
Below is an image from June 28, 2008, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite captured these images of Qingdong and the bay of Jiaozhou Wan. The top image is a natural-color image similar to what a digital camera would photograph. The bottom image is a false-color image made from a combination of light visible to human eyes and infrared light our eyes cannot see. In this image, vegetation appears vibrant green, including the strips of algae floating in the bay and in the nearby coastal waters.
These images show the bay at the beginning of a local cleanup effort. Sailing events are scheduled to begin on August 9th, Chinese officials want the algae cleaned up by July 15th. A spokesman for the Qingdao Sailing Committee said the project should be finished today, July 10th. The cleanup effort included 20,000 people and 1,000 boats.
Why the larger than normal algal blooms? Opinions differ, some people blame increased rainfall and unusually warm waters in the Yellow Sea. Others blame wastewater, and industrial and agricultural pollution for providing excess nutrients on which the algae could thrive. Regardless of the cause, many locals agreed that the algae bloom was the worst they have ever seen. Don't forget, the Olympics begin August 8th, the same day we reveal our new set.
Have a great day,
Brett