Chinese children swim through the quickly growing algae on the coast of Qingdao, in eastern China's Shandong province on Sunday.
Photograph by STR/AFP/Getty Images.
White sand is so 2010
The mysterious blanket of green has been spreading rapidly along the coast. Although not poisonous, it poses a risk to the fishing industry and tourists seeking a more normal beach experience.
Photograph by STR/AFP/Getty Images.
Tubing with Pops
This is the third time in five years that the Qingdao coast has been hit by an algae takeover. This family does not seem to mind.
Photograph by STR/AFP/Getty Images.
Resistance training
A man swims through the mysterious algae that the Chinese government has blamed on the sun being too hot and the sea being too salty.
Photograph by STR/AFP/Getty Images.
Coasting through the green
Environmental experts say that the cause of the growth spurt is likely pollution from farming and industry.
Photograph by STR/AFP/Getty Images.
A romantic stroll
A Chinese couple meanders along the blanket of green over the weekend. The coast of Qingdao is a popular vacation spot.
Photograph by STR/AFP/Getty Images.
Bagging prolific green
People clean up the seaweed, which some are calling enteromorpha prolifera, on July 6.
Photograph by STR/AFP/Getty Images.
Pre-Olympic harvest
More than 10,000 were mobilized to clean up the neon intruder in 2008, shortly before the Olympic games.
Photograph by Guang Niu/Getty Images.
Soldiers vs. seaweed
Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) soldiers remove algae from a beach in 2008.
Photograph by Mark Ralston/AFP/Getty Images.
Fishing for algae
In an attempt to clean up the sea, fisherman tow a mound of the algae back to shore in 2008.
Photograph by Guang Niu/Getty Images.
It smells bad, but it’s still fun for some
A child helps out the 10,000 soldiers assigned to clean up the algae ahead of the Olympic sailing competition in 2008. Three years later, the source of the algae is still a mystery.
