Green algae eases in E China

June and July regularly sees outbreaks of green algae off the coast of east China's Shandong province. The plant covers large areas of the sea surface and takes a big hit on tourism.

The situation was particularly bad in 2008, the year Qingdao hosted the summer Olympics sailing events. It took more than a thousand people a month to clear up pollution. Things have improved this year due to regular clearing.

Staff working on beaches in Qingdao have cleared 20 tons of algae almost every day this month. The wind has also helped to blow it away from the shore, improving hopes tourism will be less badly affected.