April 22 this year is the 55th Earth Day. At the main venue of the event held in Linyi, Shandong Province, the Ministry of Natural Resources released the 2023 China Marine Disaster Bulletin and the 2023 China Sea Level Bulletin. Wang Hua, Director General of the Marine Early Warning and Monitoring Department of the Ministry of Natural Resources, interpreted the two communiqués.
Storm surge and wave hazards are the main marine hazards affecting the continent
In 2023, the marine disasters affecting the mainland will be mainly storm surge and wave disasters, accompanied by ecological disasters such as red tide and green tide. The 13 marine disasters caused direct economic losses of nearly 2.51 billion yuan, and 8 people died and went missing. Compared with the average situation in the past decade (2014-2023), the overall situation of marine disasters in 2023 is relatively light, with direct economic losses and deaths and missing persons accounting for 44% and 29% of the average, respectively. Compared with 2022, the direct economic losses of marine disasters have increased in 2023, and the number of deaths and missing persons has almost remained the same. In 2023, there will be 14 storm surge processes along the coast of the mainland, causing disasters in 7 times and direct economic losses of 2.48 billion yuan. There were 28 waves of more than 4 meters (inclusive) in the offshore waters, 5 of which caused disasters, direct economic losses of about 26 million yuan, and 8 people died and went missing. In the winter of 2022/2023, the sea ice is slightly lighter than normal, with an ice level of 2.5 and a maximum distribution area of 24,000 square kilometers. In 2023, there were no tsunami disasters in the waters under the jurisdiction of the mainland. Red tides were found 46 times in offshore waters, with a cumulative area of about 1,500 square kilometers, of which 29 were toxic and harmful. In addition, the green tide of Turbulence moss in 2023 will continue to affect the Yellow Sea of the mainland, with a maximum coverage area of about 998 square kilometers, compared with the average situation in the past ten years, the green tide of Turbulence moss in 2023 has the characteristics of large overall scale, wide distribution range, and southerly location. Overall, storm surge disasters caused the heaviest direct economic losses, accounting for 99% of the total direct economic losses; From the perspective of a single marine disaster, the 2305 "Dusuri" typhoon storm surge disaster caused the heaviest losses, and the marine aquaculture, coastal protection projects and fishing vessels in Fujian Province were all damaged to varying degrees, with a direct economic loss of about 1.46 billion yuan. In terms of sub-regions, six provinces (autonomous regions), including Liaoning, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Fujian, Guangdong, and Guangxi, experienced disaster losses of varying degrees. Fujian Province had the heaviest direct economic losses and the largest number of deaths and missing persons, with 2.12 billion yuan and 7 people, accounting for 85% and 88% of the total direct economic losses and total deaths and missing persons, respectively.
Focus on the long-term cumulative effects of sea level rise
From 1980 to 2023, the rate of sea level rise along China's coast was 3.5 mm/year, and from 1993 to 2023, the rate of rise was 4.0 mm/year, higher than the global average of 3.4 mm/year during the same period. In 2023, China's coastal sea level is 72 mm higher than the average (1993-2011 average), still at the highest level since records began.
In terms of sub-regions, in 2023, the coastal sea levels of the Bohai Sea, the Yellow Sea, the East China Sea and the South China Sea will be 122 mm, 74 mm, 43 mm and 52 mm higher than normal, respectively, with the coastal sea level of the Bohai Rim reaching the highest since 1980 and the coastal sea level of the Taiwan Strait being the lowest in the past eight years. From the perspective of all provinces, the coastal sea level is higher than normal, among which Tianjin and Hebei are the most significant, with 145 mm and 143 mm higher, followed by Liaoning and Shandong, with 97 mm and 85 mm higher, respectively, and the coastal sea level rise in Shanghai and Fujian is small, both below 35 mm.
In terms of monthly changes, the sea level along the coast of Beibu Gulf in February 2023 and the coastal areas north of Hebei to the Yangtze River Estuary in May 2023 was the highest since 1980, and the sea level along the coast of China in November was the lowest in the same period in the past decade, down 94 mm from the same period in 2022, and the sea level along the coast of China in January, July and August decreased by more than 40 mm compared with the same period in 2022. Sea surface temperature, air temperature, wind and precipitation are important factors that cause coastal sea level anomalies.
In terms of impacts, in the past 40 years, the long-term cumulative effect of sea level rise has caused the squeezing of coastal ecosystems and the loss of tidal flats, affecting coastal groundwater resources, and the high sea level has increased the degree of storm surge, flooding in coastal cities and salty tide intrusion. At the same time, land subsidence in coastal areas leads to relative sea level rise, which increases the impact of disasters. In 2023, coastal erosion intensified in the coastal sections of Liaoning, Shandong, Jiangsu, and Hainan, with an average erosion distance of about 2.7 m on sandy coasts, and severe seawater intrusion in the monitored sections of northern Hebei, Shandong, and southern Jiangsu, with a distance of more than 6.8 km, and compared with 2022, the salty tide intrusion in the Yangtze River estuary, Qiantang estuary, and Pearl River estuary was generally reduced, and the number of salty tide intrusions and the number of days affected by salty tides were reduced. Guangxi and other countries have a greater impact.
Strengthen monitoring, observation and early warning mechanisms, and continue to improve response capabilities
On the mainland, marine disasters are characterized by many types, wide geographical distribution, and high frequency, and bring serious economic losses to the country and the people every year. Sea level rise is an important indicator of climate change, and in the context of global warming, the accelerated sea level rise has a wide impact on the coastal natural ecological environment and human economic and social development. Understanding the occurrence of marine disasters and sea level rise, and establishing a scientific monitoring, observation and early warning mechanism are of great significance for improving the response capacity of marine disasters and reducing the losses caused by marine disasters.
Since 1989, the mainland has issued the China Marine Disaster Bulletin and the China Sea Level Bulletin, and has established a relatively complete marine disaster investigation and assessment system and sea level change monitoring and assessment system. By analyzing the occurrence of marine disasters in 2023, sea level change and impact, the Ministry of Natural Resources organized the compilation of the 2023 China Marine Disaster Bulletin and the 2023 China Sea Level Communiqué.
In the next step, the relevant departments of the Ministry of Natural Resources will continue to be guided by Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, coordinate high-quality development and high-level security, continuously optimize the layout of the national marine observatory network, improve the impact investigation and monitoring system, strengthen marine disaster monitoring and early warning and sea level rise risk warning, strengthen coastal protection resilience, optimize the spatial layout of coastal zones, actively participate in global ocean governance, and promote the harmonious coexistence of man and nature.
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Source: China Natural Resources News
Author: Haven
Text Editor: Dai Lu New Media Editor: Liu Chuan
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