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Fish traps cover the shallows of Lake Taihu, where wind-blown green algae now cover the surface every summer. Taihu is one of the largest bodies of fresh water in China.

Thirty years ago, the waters of Lake Taihu, China’s third-largest lake, were clear of algae. But the lake is surrounded by several high-density cities, including Shanghai, Suzhou, and Changzhou, regions that have grown rapidly in the past few decades. Rampant sewer dumping and livestock drainage, combined with shifting agricultural practices, allowed the algal blooms to flourish, and now human mismanagement and global warming have entrenched them. “They love warm, stagnant, nutrient-rich conditions,” said Hans Paerl, Professor of Marine and Environmental Sciences at the University of North Carolina. Over the past decade, the blooms have significantly expanded, and their season has grown longer. In 2007, the “pea soup” conditions of the lake were so bad that the cities surrounding the basin, Paerl said, “had green slime coming out of their faucets, and the central government had to bring in drinking water.” For one week, 10 million people were without fresh water.

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Climate Change
Fish traps cover the shallows of Lake Taihu, where wind-blown green algae now cover the surface every summer. Taihu is one of the largest bodies of fresh water in China. <br /> <br /> Thirty years ago, the waters of Lake Taihu, China’s third-largest lake, were clear of algae. But the lake is surrounded by several high-density cities, including Shanghai, Suzhou, and Changzhou, regions that have grown rapidly in the past few decades. Rampant sewer dumping and livestock drainage, combined with shifting agricultural practices, allowed the algal blooms to flourish, and now human mismanagement and global warming have entrenched them. “They love warm, stagnant, nutrient-rich conditions,” said Hans Paerl, Professor of Marine and Environmental Sciences at the University of North Carolina. Over the past decade, the blooms have significantly expanded, and their season has grown longer. In 2007, the “pea soup” conditions of the lake were so bad that the cities surrounding the basin, Paerl said, “had green slime coming out of their faucets, and the central government had to bring in drinking water.” For one week, 10 million people were without fresh water.

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