The Yantai Institute of Coastal Zone Research (YIC) is affiliated with the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and is the sole Chinese academic institution that specializes in comprehensive research of the coastal zone. YIC, which is located in the beautiful coastal city of Yantai in Shandong Province, was founded in 2006. After a three-year preparatory period, the institute passed acceptance and was formally established by CAS, the Shandong Provincial Government and Yantai Municipal Government on December 1, 2009.
The mission of YIC is to explore the nature of the coastal zone and support its sustainable development. YIC focuses on the study of land-ocean interactions, the evolution and sustainable development of resources, and the nature of coastal zone environments, with particular attention to the influence of global climate change and human activities. The short-term goals of YIC are to create a theoretical, methodological and technological system of coastal science; build a center of excellence in science and technology research; train and foster leading researchers; improve the institute’s comprehensive research program; and support continuous innovation. The long-term goal of YIC is to become an internationally recognized coastal zone research institution involved in resource management, environmental protection, ecological processes, agricultural production and disaster prevention in China’s coastal areas.
The YIC campus occupies more than 10 hectares and includes one research building and three apartment buildings for researchers and students. YIC has a faculty of more than 230, including chief scientists for the National Basic Research Program of China (“973” Program), the State High-Tech Development Plan (“863” Program) and the National Science and Technology Support Plan. One YIC scholar is supported by the National Plan for the Special Support of High-level Talent; one is supported by National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars; four receive support from the Shandong Province Natural Science Fund for Outstanding Youth.
YIC has master’s, Ph.D. and postdoctoral programs in environmental science and engineering and in marine science. YIC has a total of 190 graduate students and postdoctoral scholars.
YIC is home to the CAS Key Laboratory of Coastal Environmental Processes and Ecological Remediation; the YIC-CAS Key Laboratory of Coastal Biology and Biological Resources Utilization; the YIC-CAS Laboratory of Coastal Information Integration and Management; and the Shandong Province Key Laboratory of Coastal Environmental Processes. It also runs several field stations, such as the CAS Muping Integrated Experimental Station for the Coastal Environment; the CAS Yellow River Delta Ecological Experimental Station for Coastal Wetlands; Yellow River Delta Saline-alkali Agro-ecosystem Observation and Research Station and the Research Center for Coastal Environmental Engineering and Technology of Shandong Province.
YIC attaches great importance to international cooperation and exchange. It has established the Land-Ocean Interactions in the Coastal Zone (LOICZ) East Asia Node and built partnerships with many academic institutions and research organizations in Germany, the UK, France and other countries. In addition, it is strengthening its cooperation with local governments, universities and large enterprises within China. YIC has already recorded many significant achievements in natural resource science and sustainable development in the coastal zone and is currently undertaking hundreds of research projects supported by national, provincial and municipal governments, including research under the important “863” and “973” programs.
The Orientation
The mission of YIC is to “explore the nature of the coastal zone and support its sustainable development”. Facing the national strategic needs and the international scientific and technological frontier, YIC is now committed to studying land-ocean interactions, evolution and sustainable development of resources and environment in the coastal zone under the influence of global climate change and human activities.
The short-term goals of YIC are to create a theoretical, methodological and technological system of coastal science; to build a center of science and technology research, development and achievement transformation, and a base of senior talent training, and to improve its comprehensive and continuous innovation ability. The long-term goal of YIC is to develop into an internationally recognized institution of coastal zone research to make basic, strategic and prospective contributions to resource management, environmental protection, ecological construction, agricultural production and disaster prevention in the coastal zone of China.
Main Research Fields:
1. The coastal resources and their sustainable use
2. The processes, monitoring and remediation of the coastal environment
3. Biodiversity and ecosystem health in the coastal zone
4. Risk assessment and early warning of coastal disaster
5. Coastal information integration and management
Development Program
Based on the orientation, YIC makes the objectives of “major breakthroughs” and “key developing directions” in the next 5-10 years to solve important scientific and technological problems to meet national strategic needs.
Major Breakthroughs:
1. Land-sea interfacial processes, ecological evolution and remediation technology in the Yellow River Delta
2. Coastal environment capacity and pollution control techniques
3. Key techniques and integrated demonstration of the construction of salt-tolerant plants value chain in the coastal zone
Key Developing Directions:
1. Coastal environment microbiology and its application
2. The function, evolution and protection of the intertidal zone
3. Risk assessment and early warning of coastal disaster
4. Ecological-safety and high-value utilization techniques of seawater
5. Coupling analysis and integration of land and sea information in the coastal zone
