Newsademic British English edition 260

lgae
 
sea
 
harvester
A student from Sweden has created 
a design for a new device. He calls it 
an ‘algae sea harvester’. The device 
would be used to remove excess al­
gae from the Baltic Sea. As well as 
cleaning up the sea, algae collected 
by the harvester could be used to 
make biofuel.
The Baltic Sea is in northern 
Europe. It is almost completely en­
closed by land. The Baltic is not as
salty as most seas. Much o f its water 
comes from surrounding freshwater 
rivers that drain into it. Two narrow 
areas o f sea, called the Kattegat and 
Skagerrak, connect the Baltic to the 
North Sea and Atlantic Ocean. The 
Kattegat and Skagerrak separate 
Denmark from Sweden and Norway.
Normally, in the winter, about 
45% o f the Baltic Sea is covered 
by ice. Sometimes, if the weather 
is very cold, the whole sea freezes. 
The coastlines o f Sweden, Finland, 
Russia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, 
Poland, Germany, and Denmark all 
border the Baltic Sea.
Satellite photograph o f the B altic Sea showing
the blue-green bloom s o f algae
In recent years, during the sum­
mer months, large areas o f algae 
have appeared in the Baltic. These 
are called algae blooms. Known as 
blue-green algae, or cyanobacteria, 
the algae multiply when tempera­
tures are warmer and there is little 
wind. Doctors advise that it’s safest 
not to swim where the cyanobacteria 
are blooming. They say people who 
swim in water where the algae grows 
might suffer from skin rashes. Swal­
lowing water that contains these al­
gae can cause stomach problems.
Another reason for large algae 
blooms, say scientists, is fertiliz­
ers. These are used on many farms 
that surround the Baltic Sea. Rain

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