China's sea level has risen 9 centimeters due to the climate change in the past three decades. By 2050, the sea level will rise by 13 to 22 centimeters compared with that in 2000, said a source with State Oceanic Administration.

A recent survey shows the rate of the rise in sea level is higher in northern China than in the south. Tianjin, a port city in northern China, is experiencing the fastest rise -- over 20 centimeters so far -- followed by Shanghai, with 12 centimeters, reported Beijing Morning Post, a local media outlet on Sunday.

The water levels in Liaoning, Shandong and Zhejiang have also risen more than 10 centimeters, while Guangdong and Fujian are less affected, with an increase of only 5 to 6 centimeters at sea level.

According to the forecast, sea levels at coastal cities will only continue to creep up.

Along with the rise of sea level, Chinese ice sheets are gradually melting away. The sea ice has become much thinner in the Bohai Sea; by the late 1980's, ice sheet area had already shrunk by 20 percent. By 1990, the icing period had been reduced from 120 days to only 80 days.

Analysis indicates the reduction of Bohai ice sheets is in consistent with the temperature rise in the sea.

Studies show sea temperature has risen an average of 0.7 degrees Celsius in the past 43 years and often hit 1 degree Celsius in winter, a figure far higher than the world average.

(CRI December 3, 2007)