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Article: China's toxic red seas advance.(Brief Article)
- Article from:
- Geographical
- Article date:
- August 1, 2000
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2000 Circle Publishing Ltd. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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China has been plagued by an increasing number of toxic red tides over the last decade, according to a report by the State Oceanic Administration of China. Industrial waste, sewage and water pollution have all been blamed for causing 45 major red tides, and 200 lesser red tides during the 1990s, leading to estimated losses of 360 million [pounds sterling] in the fisheries industry alone. A recent killer tide, covering 1,000 square kilometres, appeared off China's east coast in Zhejiang Province in May.
Red tides, also known as HABs, or harmful algal blooms, are formed when algae multiply rapidly, reducing oxygen in the water and turning the sea reddish-brown. The ...