China’s coasts feel the heat of rising sea levels
- The country needs to protect its coastline and make sure it can adapt to cope with storm surges, erosion and salt tides, report says
- Increase in global temperatures is causing ocean water to expand and land ice to melt, expert says
Sea levels along China’s densely populated coastal provinces are rising faster than ever, sending the water line up to 42 metres inland in some places, according to the Ministry of Natural Resources.
In an annual report released on late last month, the ministry said sea levels around the country rose an average of 3.4mm (0.13 inches) a year from 1980 to 2020, up from the 2.6mm 30-year average in 2010.
In the next 30 years, China’s coastal sea levels were expected to rise by 55-170mm, the report said, urging preventive action.
“China should protect its coasts ... and improve the country’s ability to adapt to rising sea levels,” it said.
The reported increases are on a par with figures worldwide, with the best estimates putting the global average rise in the past decade at 3.6mm per year, according to Benjamin Horton, director of the Earth Observatory of Singapore at Nanyang Technological University.