Recently, Professor Kong Hainan from School of Environmental Science and Engineering, SJTU revealed in the press conference of Beijing “Cherish Oceans” Photography Exhibition that SJTU had developed a prototyping system for monitoring and analyzing hydrobiology of algae in red tides through micro-images. And it is based on the patent technology of ocean red tide forecasting and early warning.

This activity is co-organized by the top international cosmetic brand LA MER and Chinese National Geography to remind the public that the era of “Blue Environment” has come after the times of “Green Environment”.

In recent years, water pollution is becoming more frequent and severe due to the increasing of industrial and life pollutants. Vicious red tide and blue algae disasters have occurred in the Bohai Sea, the South China Sea, the Dianchi Lake, the Taihu Lake, and the Three Gorges Reservoir. In May 2007, the blue algal bloom in the Taihu Lake led to water outage in Wuxi and interrupted citizen’s daily life.

The “2009 Report on China Marine Environment” recently released shows that the health of the offshore marine ecosystems is worsening. In the 18 ecology-monitoring areas among the 21 offshore marine ecosystems, about 76% is sub-healthy or unhealthy. The whole year of 2009 witnessed 68 ocean red tides covering approximately 14,100 square kilometers of oceans.

The telemetry system of blue-green algae in ocean red tides and lake developed by SJTU was awarded the national invention patent in 2004. In 2009, this program received funding from LA MER so that the development of the equipment was able to be accelerated. After a year of research, the complete set of equipment of the system for monitoring and analyzing hydroecology of algae in red tides through micro-images has been examined and approved by experts. And the first prototyping system will come into being on May 31.

It is introduced that this prototyping system can conduct real-time monitoring of the accumulation of blue-green algae and can practice remote control over the image monitoring system as required to achieve remote monitoring of ocean red tides and lake blue-green algae so that related departments can take preventative actions before the large-scale bloom of red tides and blue-green algae.

Kong Hainan stated that this program was aimed at forming an effective and practical forecast method of harmful red tides and blue algae disasters and providing the department of national marine management with a new management technology in the field of ocean red tide disasters. It is reported that this equipment will be installed on the original buoys in the East China Sea where red tide disasters happen most frequently to conduct experimental forecasting and early warning of red tide disasters there.

Kong Hainan told the journalist of Science Times that now this system had been put into use at the monitoring station in the Taihu Lake under Jiangsu Environment Monitoring Center and it’s promising to promote the system in other areas.