Sea Areas

Grade percentage of Water Quality in Sea Areas

General Situation:
In 2003, the Grade II marine area was 80,000 km², which was 31,000 km² less than the previous year; the Grade III marine area was 22,000 km², which was 3000 km² more than the previous year; the Grade IV marine area was 15,000 km², which was 3,000 km² less than the previous year; the marine area which was worse than Grade IV was 25,000 km², which was 1,000 km² less than the previous year; and the rest of the marine area was Grade I. The overall pollution trend was somewhat curbed.
In 2003, pollution in the offshore areas was alleviated to some extent. Among the 237 points monitored in the offshore areas, Grade I and II accounted for 50.2%, which was 0.5% more than the previous year; and Grade IV and worse accounted for 30%, which was 5.9% less than the previous year.
The main pollutants in China’s offshore areas were: inorganic nitrogen and activated phosphates; the amount of petroleum, lead, and COD in some areas; and soluble oxygen, copper, and mercury in a few areas exceeded the standard.

Provinces and Sea of China

The Water Quality of the Four Major Seas:
The water quality of the Yellow Sea and the South China Sea was generally good. Grade I and Grade II areas accounted for 68.7% and 57.9% respectively in these two seas, which were 9.5% and 6.5% respectively lower than the previous year. The water quality of Bohai Sea improved to some extent. Grade I and Grade II areas accounted for 50% of the Bohai Sea, which was 11.9% higher than the previous year. The water quality of the East China Sea was poor. No area of the East China Sea qualified for Grade I, and only 30.4% qualified for Grade II.

The Offshore Areas of Coastal Provinces, Autonomous Regions, and Municipalities:
The water quality of the offshore areas of Guangxi and Hainan was good. Grade I and Grade II seawater accounted for more than 70%. The water quality of the offshore areas of Tianjin, Zhejiang, and Jiangsu was poor. The water quality of the offshore areas of Shanghai was very poor.

Reference: Report on the State of the Environment of China (2003) State Environmental Protection Administration of China