A Beautiful Spring Rhapsody Of Sakura and Nemophila Flowers In Fukuoka Prefecture
In Hakata City, Fukuoka Prefecture, there’s a large, sprawling, family-oriented national park stretching about six kilometers on a narrow sandbank called Uminonakamichi Seaside Park 海の中道海浜公園. A favorite among both locals and tourists, it has numerous attractions, playgrounds, sports fields, a zoo, and flower gardens where you can enjoy flowers all year long. Continue reading »
Street Murals Bloom in Tunisia
A mural by Belgian artist ROA decorates a wall in the surrounding area of the village of Erriadh, on the Tunisian island of Djerba, on August 6, 2014, as part of the artistic project “Djerbahood”. Artists from 34 diffrents nationalities were invited by France-based Tunisian artist Mehdi Ben Cheikh to take part in an initiative to turn Djerba’s Erriadh district into an “open sky museum”. (Photo by Joel Saget/AFP Photo)
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Lake Erie Algae Bloom Regarded as Worst in Decades
A massive algae bloom on the waters of Lake Erie in the U.S. is believed to pose a significant threat to aquatic life forms in the lake. The algae, which is toxic, is sucking the oxygen out of the water. According to reports, this is the worst bloom since the early 1960s. Scientists have also revealed that the bloom is caused, primarily, by the phosphorous from agricultural waste that is washed into rivers.
According to NASA Earth Observatory, such blooms were common in the lake’s shallow western basin in the 1950s and 60s. Phosphorus from farms, sewage, and industry fertilized the waters so that huge algae blooms developed year after year.
However, the condition improved in the 1970s when regulations were imposed on agricultural and sewage treatment procedures to limit the amount of phosphorus released. However, this year, a giant bloom has spread across the western basin once again. The particular reasons for the bloom are complex but may be related to a rainy spring and invasive mussels. Continue reading »
