BEIJING, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- The sea level along China's coastal areas rose over 70 millimeters in the past three decades, according to a report of China's sea level changes, released by the State Oceanic Administration (SOA) Wednesday.
The report said that the average increase in sea level had been about 2.6 millimeter per year in the past 30 years, 0.9 millimeter higher than the world's average.
In 2009, the sea level along China's coastal areas rose 8 millimeters than that in 2008, reaching the highest level in the past 30 years.
The sea level is estimated to rise 80 to 130 millimeters in the next three decades from 2009, said the report.
SOA spokesman Li Haiqing suggested the local governments improve sea level monitoring and take the impact of sea level rise into consideration when making economic development plans.
The continuous rise of sea level could add to damage caused by marine disasters such as storm tides, coast erosion, sea water encroachment and soil salinization, said Xu Sheng, director of National Marine Data and Information Service.
