On the relative vertical movement between crust and sea level along the Chinese coastal zone: A national basic research project in China

There are about 18,000 km of coast lines in China, therefore the study of the relative vertical movement between crust and sea level along the Chinese coastal zone is one of the national basic research projects in China. This project is very important for the investigation of the effect of global change on the long‐term economic development plans of towns, cities, and rural areas located in the Chinese coastal zones. The project consists of four parts as follows:

1.	Monitoring and study of the vertical movement of sea level along Chinese coast lines, taking advantage of the 30‐year records of the main tide gauge stations in China to study the general rules and trends of the vertical movement of sea level for the Bohai Sea, the Yellow Sea, the East China Sea, and the South China Sea respectively.
2.	Monitoring and study of the vertical crustal movement in Chinese coastal zones with leveling, to densify and improve the local monitoring leveling networks in the coastal zone, to reposition the main tide gauge stations with GPS, and to review the stability of the Chinese vertical datum.
3.	To study the mechanism and behavior of vertical crustal movement in Chinese coastal zones from geological and geodynamic points of view.
4.	To establish a databank for monitoring data about the relative vertical movement of sea level.

Keywords:

• sea level
• crust
• Chinese coastal zone