中国东部陆架边缘海是支撑中华民族伟大复兴的经济海域，其重要的战略地位及经济贡献对国家发展至关重要。对海洋环境和生物资源的了解有利于国家的根本利益，有利于加快创建和谐社会的宏伟目标，因而对该海域的深入研究是当前面临的迫切任务。国家重点基础研究发展计划（973）项目“中国东部陆架边缘海海洋物理环境演变及其环境效应”拟对中国东部陆架边缘海这样一个层化结构多变、多种运动形态耦合的复杂动力学系统中的物理环境的演变及其环境效应进行深入研究，进而揭示海洋环境演变规律，为国防安全、渔业生产等提供科学支持；同时对该项目研究的目的、科学意义、关键科学问题及预期目标等进行了简要介绍。

The East marginal seas of China is the most important economical sea area supporting the prosperity of the Chinese nation. Its strategic status and economy contribution are extremely important to the development of our country. The in-depth research and understanding of the ocean environment and biological materials, help achieve fundamental benefit of our country and the grand goal of speeding the establishment of a Harmonious society. Therefore, the emergent mission we have to face now is to carry out in-depth research on this sea area. In order to lay groundwork for revealing the tendency of ocean environment evolvement and providing scientific support for the security of national defense and fishery production, a National Key Basic Research Science Foundation (973 project) “Marine Physical Variations in Eastern Marginal Seas of China and their Environmental Impacts” (2005CB422300) has been designed to make an in-depth study of the evolvement of physical environment and the environment impacts on the east seas of China which is a complex dynamics system in possession of changeable stratification structure and coupled multi-movement form. The research purpose, science significance, key scientific problems and expected goals are briefly introduced in this article.