A type of algae called lacy sea lettuce has inundated waters along (신양) Sinyang Beach. Researchers have figured out that the phenomenon is a “manmade disaster.” They say breakwaters as well as nitrogen discharged from fish farms are responsible for the abnormal growth. Joseph Kim reports.




Report

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Sinyang Beach in Seongsan-eup

Fields of green stretch along the coast.

Take a closer look, and you’ll notice it’s not a grass field. The water is covered with a species of sea lettuce.

The sea lettuce blurs the boundary between the water and sand.

INTERVIEW
Gang Seong-hun / Tourist from Yongin, Gyeonggi-do
The algae smells bad and it spoils the beauty of the ocean, which made us hesitate to come. We ended up coming because my kid wanted to play in the sand.
<인터뷰 : 강성훈 / 경기도 용인시>
"냄새가 많이 역하게 나고, 보기에도 너무 흉물스러워서. 여기 넘어올 때도 엄청 망설였거든요. 그런데 아이가 모래장난 한번 해보고 싶다고 해서 일부러 온 거예요."

More than 10,000 tons of the free-floating algae grow every year.

The plant has notably inundated waters at (신양) Sinyang Beach.

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Research complete into algal blooms

The Jeju Environmental Research Institute has studied the seawater to figure out what caused the algal blooms.

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Nitrogen contributes to abnormal algal blooms

Researchers have found that an overabundance of nitrogen in the water is responsible for the abnormal growth.

Nitrogen levels are 17 times of normal clean seawater which stands at 0.2 ppm.

Fresh spring water flowing into (신양) Sinyang Beach was found to have nitrogen levels of 3.5 ppm.

Water discharged from fish farms with nitrogen levels of 1 ppm raises the concentration.

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Water stagnates inside breakwaters

Stagnant water, brought about by structures like breakwaters, also influence the growth of the algae.

The warm shallow water at the beach fuels the abnormal growth.

INTERVIEW
Song Yeong-cheol / Jeju Environmental Research Institute
The excessive nitrogen cannot move out to the ocean because of the breakwaters. The stagnant water increases the concentration of nitrogen.
<인터뷰 : 송영철 / 道보건환경연구원 환경연구사>
"연안으로 흘러들어가는 질소 성분들이 밖으로 빨리 빠져나가 줘야 하는데 방파제가 설치되면서 조류 소통이 원활해지지 못해서 해안가 만내에 축적되는 효과를 불러오고 있습니다."

[Reporter] Joseph Kim
[Camera] Kim Yong-min

The National Institute of Environmental Research is tracing back the route of the nitrogen to come up with countermeasures to contain the algal blooms.

Joseph Kim, KCTV