The ecology succession and degradation in coastal sea is an important issue that can impact sustainable development of the coastal area in China, as well as a forefront research topic on marine ecology and environmental science recently in the world. Through long term collaboration, a creative research group focusing on the topic, mostly composed of young scientists and characterized by interdisciplinary study, comes into being. 　The creative research group belongs to the key laboratory of marine ecology and environmental science, Chinese academy of sciences, in which there are 3 scientists of “distinguished young scholars supported by NSFC”, 1 chief scientist of national basic research program of China (973 project) and 2 scientists of “CAS hundred talents project”. In the past five years, the creative research group had great achievements, including 277 papers (134 of SCI/EI papers), 10 patents for invention and 5 academic awards (second prize or above) at provincial or ministry level and higher, on biological and productive processes of the key species in marine ecology, biogeochemical processes of major nutrient elements, and response of marine ecology to abnormal environment.

　　In 2008, the group obtained science foundation of creative research group from National Natural Science Foundation of China (NNSFC). The creative research group will further take advantages of their interdisciplinary and integrated studies. Changjiang river estuary and its adjacent waters that exhibit the typical and serious ecological and environmental problems in China coastal sea will be taken as the research area. 　The creative research group will study on the change processes and mechanism of ecology system in the typical coastal sea of China. The objective of the project is to reveal the degradation mechanism of ecosystem in the waters and to lay the scientific foundation for coordinated development between economy and environment in the coastal area of China. Now the program is ongoing.