skuthorp
07-02-2008, 01:46 AM
I cant get this to open but there was a news report a while ago.
http://article.wn.com/view/2008/06/27/Algal_bloom_hits_Qingdao_Olympic_sailing_venue/
Here' you go:
Algal bloom hits Qingdao Olympic sailing venue
Peter Kogoy | June 28, 2008
THEY have battled dense smog, strong tides and no wind but now sailors training for the Beijing Games are contending with mutant seaweed that has invaded the Olympic venue in China.
The bright green algae, described as "thick as a carpet" and akin to "sailing on a massive bed of grass", is making it impossible for dinghies to navigate the course that will host the Olympic regattas in less than two months.
Wrapping itself around keels, bringing the boats to a standstill, the seaweed is believed by experts to have drifted in from the Yellow Sea to the eastern coastal city of Qingdao on the back of bad weather during the past month.
About 240 crews of local fishermen are struggling to clear the area, armed only with their nets, slung over the side of their small boats. The theories about its cause include recent inland flooding caused by typhoons and global warming. Chinese officials deny that its presence in Qingdao - now living up to the Chinese translation of "green island" - is the result of pollution.
The seaweed is the latest challenge for sailors, with Qingdao already notorious for its flukey light winds and changing tidal flows. Australian Olympic sailing program director Michael Jones said that with the climate warming up on the Yellow Sea coastline, 860km east of Beijing, the rise in sea temperatures was causing the huge algal build-up.
"Last year, there was a lot of kelp and big, ugly jellyfish in the water," Jones told The Weekend Australian. "In addition, the crews have had to deal with so much other crap in the water - all sorts of flotsam and jetsam - everything from raw effluent to dead animals. Its all a big pain in the arse, this close to the Games."
Mr Jones said the rising temperatures had created an additional challenge, with heavy sea fogs descending on the course, making sailing impossible.
"There were a couple of boats (that) couldn't see where they were headed and just had to keep going until they hit the beach," he said. "Then they had to get a taxi back to the boathouse."
Even the windsurfers are struggling. Briton Bryony Shaw, a gold-medal hopeful in the women's class, said: "The seaweed is as thick as a carpet. There's no way you can sail through it.
"If it's still here in August itcould be a real problem."
Sailing coaches fear the seaweed could change the tactical dynamics of the Olympic events. Technically it could be classed as an obstruction, in which case sailors would have to manoeuvre around it. Depending on its drift, it could give one boat the edge over a rival.
The seaweed is another blow to the organisers, who boasted recently of technological advances to combat the meteorological challenges at Qingdao.
Additional reporting: The Times
http://article.wn.com/view/2008/06/27/Algal_bloom_hits_Qingdao_Olympic_sailing_venue/
Here' you go:
Algal bloom hits Qingdao Olympic sailing venue
Peter Kogoy | June 28, 2008
THEY have battled dense smog, strong tides and no wind but now sailors training for the Beijing Games are contending with mutant seaweed that has invaded the Olympic venue in China.
The bright green algae, described as "thick as a carpet" and akin to "sailing on a massive bed of grass", is making it impossible for dinghies to navigate the course that will host the Olympic regattas in less than two months.
Wrapping itself around keels, bringing the boats to a standstill, the seaweed is believed by experts to have drifted in from the Yellow Sea to the eastern coastal city of Qingdao on the back of bad weather during the past month.
About 240 crews of local fishermen are struggling to clear the area, armed only with their nets, slung over the side of their small boats. The theories about its cause include recent inland flooding caused by typhoons and global warming. Chinese officials deny that its presence in Qingdao - now living up to the Chinese translation of "green island" - is the result of pollution.
The seaweed is the latest challenge for sailors, with Qingdao already notorious for its flukey light winds and changing tidal flows. Australian Olympic sailing program director Michael Jones said that with the climate warming up on the Yellow Sea coastline, 860km east of Beijing, the rise in sea temperatures was causing the huge algal build-up.
"Last year, there was a lot of kelp and big, ugly jellyfish in the water," Jones told The Weekend Australian. "In addition, the crews have had to deal with so much other crap in the water - all sorts of flotsam and jetsam - everything from raw effluent to dead animals. Its all a big pain in the arse, this close to the Games."
Mr Jones said the rising temperatures had created an additional challenge, with heavy sea fogs descending on the course, making sailing impossible.
"There were a couple of boats (that) couldn't see where they were headed and just had to keep going until they hit the beach," he said. "Then they had to get a taxi back to the boathouse."
Even the windsurfers are struggling. Briton Bryony Shaw, a gold-medal hopeful in the women's class, said: "The seaweed is as thick as a carpet. There's no way you can sail through it.
"If it's still here in August itcould be a real problem."
Sailing coaches fear the seaweed could change the tactical dynamics of the Olympic events. Technically it could be classed as an obstruction, in which case sailors would have to manoeuvre around it. Depending on its drift, it could give one boat the edge over a rival.
The seaweed is another blow to the organisers, who boasted recently of technological advances to combat the meteorological challenges at Qingdao.
Additional reporting: The Times