Chinese researchers have revealed in their study that the sea level of the South China Sea has risen by 1500mm since 1900.

The study, carried out by researchers from the South China Sea Institute of Oceanology under the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and other institutions in the country, focused on Porites coral, a wide-spread coral in the South China Sea with a high growth rate, clear annual growth layer and sensitive response to the change of seawater environment.

The researchers analyzed the correlation mechanism between the oxygen stable isotopes of Porites coral and sea level, sea surface salinity, sea surface temperature and rainfall of the South China Sea, and reconstructed the sea level record at an annual resolution.

The study showed that the sea level fell by 0.73 mm per year from 1850 to 1900, and then rose by 1.31 mm per year from 1900 to 2015. The sea-level rise in the South China Sea has accelerated, rising by 3.75 mm per year since 1993.

According to the study, the main reason behind the rise is the combination of solar activity and greenhouse gases (GHG) from 1850 to 1950.

The study also revealed that the greenhouse gases could have been the major cause for the rapid rise of sea level from 1950 onwards.

The study was published in the journal Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology.