EDIT CONTAINS 4:3 MATERIALbr br Chinese tourists at the eastern coast resort of Qingdao were forced to share their beach with a carpet of bright green algae.br br The phenomenon, known as an algal bloom, occurs when the temperature of the sea, off eastern China's Shandong province, rises to between 20 to 25 degrees Celsius, state broadcaster CCTV said, adding it had been occurring for the last seven years.br br Many tourists were undeterred by the algae, going for a swim regardless, some even carried out large handfuls of it with them.br br Environmental and sanitation workers clear four to five million kilograms of the algae each day which will later be dried and used for fertilizer.