Water pollution need not take its form in unsightly swathes of untreated waste. Sometimes, it can manifest in harmful algal blooms (HABs), whose cheery green hues belie their toxic and troublesome nature.
Normally, algae is harmless, and is integral to the aquatic ecosystem as it forms the base of the food chain (Glibert, 2014). Yet, it can threaten aquatic species’ lifespans and human health when accumulated in large amounts (Fistarol et al., 2015). In the presence of untreated waste, such as organic matter or unused fertilisers containing reactive nitrogen and phosphorus (Hill, 2012), nutrients are abundant and absorbed by algae. This facilitates large-scale HAB formation, producing toxins that not only accumulate in seafood but also cause water contamination (Fistarol et al., 2015). HABs are hence considered to be water pollutants, as they alter water quality and spread at unmanageable rates characteristic of transboundary water pollution (Hill, 2012).
HABs are notorious for killing aquatic species and causing harm to human health by contaminating seafood (Davies, 2015)
Recently, HABs have entered the spotlight — not for causing fish kills and disrupting the global aquaculture industry (Glibert, 2014), but rather, the Olympic Games. Most notably, HABs of the Enteromorpha prolifera species were spotted at sailing venues in Qingdao (Glibert, 2014) leading up to the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. This was attributed to the widespread dumping of nitrogen-containing farming chemicals into inland lakes that eventually flowed into Qingdao’s Yellow Sea (Branigan, 2008), where sailing venues were located. Such HAB formation was not only problematic as the island-city’s famed pristine blue waters were stained a bright green, but also because the blanket of algae hindered sailboats’ movements. As reported by Glibert (2014), the scale of HAB growth amounted to a sizable 1900 square kilometres, with nearly one-third of the competition area being covered in algal bloom. This caused blockage to practice routes while preventing Olympic athletes from sailing through the waters smoothly, thus compromising the efficacy of their training. As British windsurfer Bryony Shaw had then cautioned, “If [the algae] is still here in August [when we compete], it could be a real problem.”
Sailing venues in the Eastern Chinese city of Qingdao were plagued by HAB growth prior to the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, hampering Olympic sailors’ training (Barlow, 2008)
Although the thick algal mass was eventually cleared and Olympic sailing events could proceed as planned, questions remained as to whether HAB formation could be more effectively mitigated. This was particularly of interest to aspiring host cities with tropical climates, as the fertilising effect of nitrogen and phosphorus was reportedly higher in warm regions (Marris, 2008). The following posts will hence evaluate the mitigation strategies adopted during the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games and whether they can be replicated elsewhere, so stay tuned!
References
Barlow, K. (2008). Algae swamps Olympic sailing city [Online image]. ABC News. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2008-06-28/algae-outbreak-hampers-olympic-sailing-preparations/2487806
Branigan, T. (2008, June 30). Chinese race to clear algae from Olympic sailing venue. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2008/jun/30/pollution.olympicgames2008
Davies, W. (2015). Tonnes of dead fish removed from Rio Olympic rowing venue [Online image]. BBC. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-32345508
Fistarol, G. O., Coutinho, F. H., Moreira, A. P. B., Venas, T., Cánovas, A., de Paula Jr, S. E., … & Thompson, F. L. (2015). Environmental and sanitary conditions of Guanabara Bay, Rio de Janeiro. Frontiers in microbiology, 6, 1232. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2015.01232
Glibert, P. M. (2014). Harmful Algal Blooms in Asia: an insidious and escalating water pollution phenomenon with effects on ecological and human health. ASIANetwork Exchange, 21(1), 1-17. https://doi.org/10.16995/ane.46
Hill, M. K. (2012). Water Pollution. In M. K. Hill (Ed.), Understanding Environmental Pollution (pp. 236-285). Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/cbo9780511840654
Marris, E. (2008). Scientists identify algae that almost swamped the Olympics. Nature. https://www.nature.com/articles/news.2008.998
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