Okay, Im going to show you a picture, and you can take a guess at what it is.
A may playing around in some very lush grass? Wrong.
Thats algae, a lot of algae, so much algae that people can bury themselves in it, and earthmovers are need to clear them out of the water.
Ewww, not the best place to take a dip, even if the temperature is soaring.
So this massive algae outbreak is happening in Qingdao. Its a beautiful resort city in eastern China, but I think the blue-green algae is really taking the fun out of a resort holiday.
The water really looks more like a field of grass to me. Imagine getting all excited for a day out at the beach and then seeing this, though it seems the green waves didnt stop some people.and.wait.they taking the algae with them as a souvenir?
So, just how much algae is here? According to the local environmental and sanitation officials, theyre clearing out 11 million pounds of this stuff, every day.
By now, youre probably asking yourself, how the heck did all those algae grow here? Well, its because of water pollution, from things like fertilizer run-off. This increases the content of certain nutrients that the algae thrive on, and when the conditions are right, they bloom and bloom and bloom.
And the problem is more than just a nuisance for swimmers. In Anhui province, Chaohu lake, Chinas fifth-largest freshwater lakes, is so covered with algae that the fish population is starting to suffer. Earlier this year, in Chinas 3rd largest lake, algae also cut off the water to 2 million people in Jiangsu province.
So there you have it, Chinas green algae filled lakes. And the big question, would you take dip in the green water if it meant escaping the heat? Have you seen this elsewhere in the world? Tell us in the comments section below, and dont forget to subscribe!