Cai, Y.-Y., Zhang, Z.-P., Yan, J.-S., Gong, W., and Zhao, Q.-M., 2019. Sea area grading methodology for coastal county-level administrative division in China: A case study. In: Gong, D.; Zhu, H., and Liu, R. (eds.), Selected Topics in Coastal Research: Engineering, Industry, Economy, and Sustainable Development. Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 94, pp. 237–242. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208.

Sea area grading of coastal county-level administrative division and sea area benchmark price formulation is a sea area use management work with Chinese characteristics. Sea area grading is the basis for formulating sea area benchmark price, and its essence is to perform suitability spatial differentiation evaluation for different sea uses. This study technical framework, and conducts an empirical research on the sea area grading for sea reclamation and structures in Zhuanghe City, Liaoning Province. The sea area grading range for sea reclamation and structures includes the marine functional zones except for the “marine protected areas”, “special utilization zones” and “reserved zones”. Six hundred sixty-three (663) 1 km×1 km sized grids are divided as the sea area grading units by the dynamic grid-based method. A sea area grading indicator system for sea reclamation and structures is established from three aspects: Sea area natural conditions, constraints of marine ecological spaces and sea area location conditions, The scores of the sea area grading units are calculated by the ArcGIS 10.2 software, and the sea area is divided into five grades. The final scheme is consistent with the sea area conditions in Zhuanghe City. About a half of the sea reclamation and non-permeable structures in Zhuanghe City are distributed in the grade 2 sea area, and the sea area benchmark price corresponding to the sea area grade will realize the value of the sea area resource assets to a greater extent.