Sea levels rising at an "alarming" rate because of climate
change and depleting groundwater threaten coastal economies,
officials warned yesterday.
Two key cities, Shanghai and Tianjin, are among those facing the
biggest threat, State Oceanic Administration (SOA) spokesman Li
Haiqing said, citing the agency's 2007 sea-level monitoring
report.
In the last 30 years, the financial hub of Shanghai has seen the
sea level rise 115 mm, or the length of half a chopstick, the
report says.
Tianjin, a major port about two hours' drive from Beijing, has
seen the level rise as much as 196 mm, about the length of a new
pencil.
In the past 30 years, the country's overall sea level has risen
90 mm with the average offshore surface temperature going up by
0.9C.
In comparison, when the global sea level rose 1.7 mm every year
between 1975 and 2007, the Chinese sea level rose 2.5 mm every
year, the SOA reports.
In the next decade, the SOA forecasts, China's coastal sea level
is likely to rise by 32 mm, or 3.2 mm every year.
This is the first time the SOA has reported the cumulative
figures of sea level rises in the last 30 years. The report is now
being released annually, instead of every three years.
A three-degree risk rating system is being set up by the SOA to
inform coastal cities of potential threats they face, Chen Manchun,
a researcher with the SOA, told China Daily.
Sea level rises worldwide cannot be reversed, so Chinese city
officials and planners must take measures to adapt to the change,
he said.
Global warming is the main reason for the rising sea levels, SOA
officials said, but surface subsidence is also to blame for the
threat of floods in Shanghai and Tianjin - due to their
"indiscriminate exploitation of groundwater resources" - Chen
said.
Shanghai is also facing additional trouble in ensuring fresh
water supply to its 20 million residents due to seawater intrusion,
he pointed out.
The sea level report also shows an imbalance, the SOA reported
without explaining the reason. From the Yangtze River Delta to the
north, cities tend to face more serious problems than those in the
south.
Liaoning, Shandong and Zhejiang provinces saw sea levels rise
about 100 mm, while in Fujian and Guangdong provinces, including
the area about the Pearl River Delta and Hong Kong, the rise was
50-60 mm.
Also yesterday, the SOA released its China 2007 Sea
Environmental Quality Report and China 2007 Sea Disaster Report.
The environmental quality report shows serious deterioration in
offshore water quality caused by pollution from onshore
sources.
(China Daily January 16, 2008)
