China’s coastal sea level hits record high

China’s State Oceanic Administration on 22 March 2017 released its annual report that revealed a record high rise in China’s coastal sea level in 2016.

According to the report, the average coastal sea levels in the country in 2016 were up by 38 mm in comparison to the previous year and hit a record high in the months of April, September, November and December.

Key Highlights

• This rise in the level has been credited to climate change as well as El Nino and La Nina events.

• The administration has warned that high sea levels would lead to major problems including coastal erosion and more frequent and severe typhoons.

• It also added that regions falling in the vulnerable coastal lines need to push their flood prevention efforts further by improving their drainage system and building more dams.

• The vulnerable areas would also need to avoid using underground water to reduce the risk of caving in of land.

• China's coastal waters have risen 3.2mm per year since 1980, which is much higher than the global average increase over the period.

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Besides this, the study also revealed a rise in the country’s coastal air and sea temperature and a fall in its coastal air pressure.