Rising Seas Threaten China's Sinking Coastal Cities

Sea levels off Shanghai and other Chinese coastal cities are rising at an alarming rate, leading to contamination of drinking water supplies and other threats, China's State Oceanic Administration reported Thursday. Waters off the industrial port city of Tianjin, 60 miles (100 kilometers) southeast of Beijing, rose by 7.72 inches (20 centimeters) over the past three decades, the administration said.
 
Seas off the business hub of Shanghai have risen by 4.53 inches (11.5 centimeters) over the same period, the report said.
 
Administration experts said global climate change and the sinking of coastal land due to the pumping of ground water were the major causes behind rising water levels.