Environmental Science, 10th Edition (Cunningham)

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Overview: Bohai Sea Algae Bloom, p. 70

Because the Bay is nearly completely cut off from the ocean by peninsulas on both the north and south, circulation is restricted, and pollution tends to accumulate in the enclosed waters. In 2006, experts predicted that a failure to control pollution will cause the Bohai Sea to die within a decade. It is a frequent site of the phenomenon known as "toxic tides," when nutrients from sewage and other terrestrial runoff stimulate growth of algae and dinoflagellates. One of these toxic tides in 2004 contaminated more than 3,000 km2 of the Bay. The Xinhua News Agency reports that the sea often turns a dark red and gives it an acrid stench at Guanxi's Silver Beach, a national tourist attraction. Local people say this sometimes occurs every few days. They blame the cleaning run-off from nearby shellfish processing plants, among other pollution sources. Nevertheless, Chinese authorities assure consumers that seafood from the Bay is perfectly safe to eat. You can see the extent of algal growth in the green, cloudy water that fills most of the Bay.

A large complex of salt works is visible at Huanghua, where the Yellow River empties into the bay.

1			Turn on the Borders/Populated Places layer and locate Huanghua. The coastline southeast of Huanghua is where the Yellow River discharges into Bohai Bay. What is the origin of the name "Yellow Sea?"
			A)	The Yellow Sea gets its name from the yellow soil carried by the Yellow River from the Loess Plateau in North Central China.
			B)	The Yellow Sea is one of the "Colored Seas" (such as the Orange Sea and the Red Sea), named by an early Chinese emperor.
			C)	The Yellow Sea appears yellowish when it is reflecting the polluted skies of the industrial zone around Beijing.
			D)	The Yellow Sea was named in honor of Chairman Mao, whose nickname was "Old Yellow."
			E)	The Yellow Sea received its name due to the algal blooms that periodically occur, which sometimes exhibit a yellowish hue in the water.
2			What features at the opening of Bohai Bay impede circulation into and out of the Bay?
			A)	Sunken ships impede the Bay's circulation.
			B)	The thickness of the algal blooms impedes the Bay's circulation.
			C)	The stickiness of the type of mud found in this part of the world impedes the Bay's circulation.
			D)	Circulation from the Yellow Sea into Bohai Bay is impeded by an archipelago of islands, as well as by the peninsulas that reach across the opening of the bay.
			E)	The extensive and unprecedented amount of shipping that occurs daily in the ports of this Bay significantly impede the circulation of the water, leading to a variety of environmental problems.
3			The numerous rectangular ponds of a major salt works are visible along the coast southeast of Huanghua. Why might the salt works contribute to pollution in the Bay?
			A)	By separating and removing salt from the Bay water, the salt works is actually reducing the Bay salinity, which adversely impacts sea life.
			B)	Salt works facilitate growth of algae in warm, shallow, sun-lit ponds. Waste water from these ponds is discharged into the Bay and stimulates growth of algae.
			C)	This particular salt works operates using very old technology involving highly toxic materials which leach into the Bay.