2015年CRI Shanghai Takes Measures against Rising Sea Levels

Shanghai Takes Measures against Rising Sea Levels

Zhang Zhenyu, of the Shanghai Flood Risk Information Center spokesperson, said the seawalls virtually encircle half of the city.

"These are all the sea walls we have built, including from Hangzhou Bay to up at the top at the border with Jiangsu province, including Chongming island, Hengsha island and Changxing island – those three islands – all have sea walls."

Over 520 kilometers of Shanghai's shoreline is lined with those sea walls, which could reduce the threat brought by rising sea levels to some extent.

Many experts have predicted that Shanghai is facing a serious danger of flooding with annual rainfall in the city 20 percent higher than the global average, causing sea levels expected to rise between 20 and 60 centimeters by 2050.

Apart from rising sea levels due to melting ice caps, increasing temperatures could also bring more extreme weather events such as typhoons and torrential storms.

Zhang Zhenyu said Shanghai itself is hit by an average of 2 to 3 typhoons annually¹, and the effects could be utterly² severe if the torrential rains occur simultaneously³ with spring tides or Lake Tai floods.

But he also expressed confidence that the trend is still controllable.

"The sea levels here are rising, but although in recent years this trend has increased, it is still within the levels of being controlled. The controls we have in place already should be able to deal with the next 20, 50 – even 100 years of rising sea levels."

Apart from coastal⁴ protection, Shanghai also has a number of other river flood protection methods, such as a mechanical gate rising and falling once a day so as to regulate⁵ the water level in the Suzhou Creek⁶ which leads into the Huangpu River running through the center of Shanghai.

However, Shanghai doesn't only face rising water levels, but also has to deal with gradual sinking.

The city has sunk on average about 8 millimeters annually since the mid-1970s, but the trend has slowed to around 1 to 3 millimeters per year.

Shen Shuilong, a professor at Shanghai Jiaotong University, explained that the problem has come under control now thanks in part to government regulations that require strict outlines in the planning stages.

"Development is unavoidable, cities need to develop. But ground subsidence should be controllable if there is a plan in place for the protection of the ground and environment during planning and design stages."

For CRI, I'm Xie Cheng.

1 annually   

adv.一年一次，每年

参考例句：

• Many migratory birds visit this lake annually.许多候鸟每年到这个湖上作短期逗留。
• They celebrate their wedding anniversary annually.他们每年庆祝一番结婚纪念日。

2 utterly   

adv.完全地，绝对地

参考例句：

• Utterly devoted to the people,he gave his life in saving his patients.他忠于人民，把毕生精力用于挽救患者的生命。
• I was utterly ravished by the way she smiled.她的微笑使我完全陶醉了。

3 simultaneously   

adv.同时发生地，同时进行地

参考例句：

• The radar beam can track a number of targets almost simultaneously.雷达波几乎可以同时追着多个目标。
• The Windows allow a computer user to execute multiple programs simultaneously.Windows允许计算机用户同时运行多个程序。

4 coastal   

adj.海岸的，沿海的，沿岸的

参考例句：

• The ocean waves are slowly eating away the coastal rocks.大海的波浪慢慢地侵蚀着岸边的岩石。
• This country will fortify the coastal areas.该国将加强沿海地区的防御。

5 regulate   

vt.管理，控制，调节，调校，调整

参考例句：

• This system can regulate the temperature of the room.这种系统能调节室内温度。
• They regulate the flow of water by the sluice gate.他们用水闸门控制水的流量。

6 creek   

n.小溪，小河，小湾

参考例句：

• He sprang through the creek.他跳过小河。
• People sunbathe in the nude on the rocks above the creek.人们在露出小溪的岩石上裸体晒日光浴。