China’s beautiful beaches have once again turned a vivid shade of green – not that this seems to have put off beach-goers.













The algal bloom has resulted in a gigantic blanket of algae hundreds of kilometres long smothering much of China’s Yellow Sea coast, the third such mega-bloom in the last 5 years.

The same region suffered a similar bloom in 2008 – much to the embarrassment of Chinese authorities, as it nearly ruined the marine elements of the 2008 Olympics:



















The algae itself is not generally considered directly dangerous to humans (though whether the same can be said for Chinese beaches is quite another matter), but does have a devastating effect on other marine life.

Whilst a natural phenomenon which regularly affects seas the world over, the increasing frequency and severity of the blooms is widely considered to be tied to vast quantities of fertilisers, sewage and industrial effluent China dumps into its surrounding seas.