Review and Prospect of Measures for Coastal Cities in Response to Sea Level Rise

The global mean sea level (GMSL) is rising in the background of climate change, with GMSL in 2018 about 0.15－0.25 m higher than that in 1900, and GMSL in 2100 projected to rise by 0.63－1.02 m compared to 1945－2014. Continuously rising sea level can cause inundation in low-lying areas, flooding of coastal cities, coastal erosion, salty tides and other disasters, which significantly affect the sustainable socio-economic development and people's production and life in coastal areas. In order to cope with sea level rise, coastal cities in many countries have adopted a range of measures, mainly including protective measures, ecosystem adaptation measures, coastal adjustment measures, coastal expansion measures, and relocation and resettlement measures. China has actively responded to sea level rise by coastal protection, coastal ecological restoration, marine monitoring, and marine disaster risk assessment, and has achieved promising results. In the future, it is necessary to continue to strengthen the level of sea level monitoring, early warning and assessment, improve the capability of coastal protection, optimize the spatial layout of coastal zones and formulate laws and regulations on coastal protection, so as to gradually improve our measures for coping with sea level rise.