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Coastal sea levels were 84 mm (3.3 inches) higher in 2021 than
the average over the period from 1993 to 2011, the National
Marine Environmental Monitoring Center said in an annual
bulletin.
Saturday's report warned that rising sea levels brought by
climate change were having a "continuous impact" on the
development of coastal regions, and urged authorities to improve
monitoring and bolster early warning and prevention efforts.
The long-term effects of such rise include erosion of coastal
ecoystems and the loss of tidal flats, while coastal cities face
greater risks of floods and salt tides, said the centre, a
research unit of the national resources ministry.
Coastal sea levels around China have now risen by an average of
3.4 millimetres (0.13 inch) a year since 1980, higher than the
global rate over the period.
Although the temperatures of China's coastal waters fell
slightly in 2021 from the previous year, they were still the
third highest on record and 0.84 degrees Celsius above the
1993-2011 average.
Last year, the environment ministry forecast a rise of another
55 mm to 170 mm (2 inches to 7 inches) in coastal water levels
during the next 30 years, which would require a greater effort
by China to protect its coastline.
Its east coast cities have begun making contingency plans
against rising sea levels, with the commercial hub of Shanghai
looking into building new drainage tunnels and tidal gates.
(Reporting by David Stanway; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)
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