Fifty Years of the London Convention and Protocol: A Scientometric Review and Marine Environmental Governance Perspective

Man-Deok Seo; Hye-won Jang; Chang‑Joon Kim

doi:10.4217/OPR.2025016

All Issue

2025 Vol.47 Preview Page Next Page

Article

Fifty Years of the London Convention and Protocol: A Scientometric Review and Marine Environmental Governance Perspective

10 November 2025. pp. 1-15

PDF XML

Abstract

Ocean-dumping research has been fragmented, with bibliometric reviews confined to single waste categories such as plastic litter and structural analyses encompassing broader ocean dumping issues relatively lacking. Therefore, we present a comprehensive scientometric assessment of 865 articles published between 1953 and 2024 and indexed in the Web of Science Core Collection (Clarivate) that address ocean dumping within the governance framework of the London Convention and Protocol (LC/LP). Publication output, national and institutional productivity, co-authorship networks, and keyword co-occurrence patterns were analyzed to trace the thematic evolution, international collaboration, and the coupling of these factors with regulatory milestones. The findings revealed that scholarly output surged after each key LC/LP milestone, namely, the 1996 Protocol, 2006 carbon capture and storage (CCS) decision, and 2013 geoengineering amendment, and showed that every new domain (CCS and geoengineering) swiftly developed its own research cluster. Five dominant thematic clusters emerged: (i) pollutants in sediments; (ii) international conventions and regulatory policies; (iii) carbon capture and marine geoengineering; (iv) toxicity and ecological effects; and (v) hazardous military waste. Although output is dominated by developed nations (especially the United States and the United Kingdom), contributions are increasing from East Asia but remain underrepresented from equatorial and least-developed regions. Building on these results, we outline a concise indicator suite that includes research intensity, thematic diversity, and policy-coupling indices to support future LC/LP performance reviews. This evidence base highlights where scientific capacity and cross-domain integration should be strengthened, thereby informing more inclusive and adaptive marine-environment governance.

Keywords

ocean dumping

london convention

london protocol

scientometrics

marine governance

References

Agamuthu P, Mehran SB, Norkhairah A, Norkhairiyah A (2019) Marine debris: a review of impacts and global initiatives. Waste Manag Res 37(10):987–1002. doi:10.1177/0734242X19845041

10.1177/0734242X19845041

Birchenough A, Haag F (2020) The London convention and London protocol and their expanding mandate. Ocean Yearbook Online 34(1):255–278. doi:10.1163/9789004426214_011

10.1163/9789004426214_011

Blondel VD, Guillaume J, Lambiotte R, Lefebvre E (2008) Fast unfolding of communities in large networks. J Stat Mech 2008:P1000. doi:10.1088/1742-5468/2008/10/P10008

10.1088/1742-5468/2008/10/P10008

Clarke C, Lonsdale JA, Judd A, Cormier R, Martini N, Agius S, Cavallaro K, Oliver J, Van Bloemestein U, de Toit J (2022) Cumulative effect assessment in the marine environment: a focus on the London protocol/London convention. Environ Sci Policy 136:428–441. doi:10.1016/j.envsci.2022.07.006

10.1016/j.envsci.2022.07.006

Donthu N, Kumar S, Mukherjee D, Pandey N, Lim WM (2021) How to conduct a bibliometric analysis: an overview and guidelines. J Bus Res 133:285–296. doi:10.1016/j.jbusres.2021.04.070

10.1016/j.jbusres.2021.04.070

Freeman LC (1978) Centrality in social networks: conceptual clarification. Soc Netw 1(3):215–239. doi:10.1016/0378-8733(78)90021-7

10.1016/0378-8733(78)90021-7

Hong GH, Lee YJ (2015) Transitional measures to combine two global ocean dumping treaties into a single treaty. Mar Policy 55:47–56. doi:10.1016/j.marpol.2015.01.007

10.1016/j.marpol.2015.01.007

IMO (2016) London convention and London protocol. International Maritime Organization, London, 95 p. doi:10.62454/KB532E

10.62454/KB532E

IMO (2024) Report of the forty-sixth consultative meeting and the nineteenth meeting of contracting parties. International Maritime Organization, London, 53 p

Kasavan S, Yusoff S, Rahmat Fakri MF, Siron R (2021) Plastic pollution in water ecosystems: a bibliometric analysis from 2000 to 2020. J Clean Prod 313:127946. doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2021.127946

10.1016/j.jclepro.2021.127946

Lee J, Hyeon S, Park M, Lee J, Seo D (2022) Identifying regional centrality of Seoul Metropolitan area in the context of relocating public agencies to regional areas: social network analysis using O-D data. J Korea Plan Assoc 57(3):52–67. doi:10.17208/jkpa.2022.06.57.3.52

10.17208/jkpa.2022.06.57.3.52

Mishra M, Sudarsan D, Santos CAG, Silva RM, Beja SK, Paul S, Bhanja P, Sethy M (2024) Current patterns and trends of microplastic pollution in the marine environment: a bibliometric analysis. Environ Sci Pollut Res 31:22925–22944. doi:10.1007/s11356-024-32511-x

10.1007/s11356-024-32511-x

Quan Y, Jin J (2024) A bibliometric review on marine ecological environment governance: Development and prospects (1990–2022). Environ Sustain Indic 22:100406. doi:10.1016/j.indic.2024.100406

10.1016/j.indic.2024.100406

Tomojiri D, Takaya K, Ise T (2022) Temporal trends and spatial distribution of research topics in anthropogenic marine debris study: topic modelling using latent Dirichlet allocation. Mar Pollut Bull 182:113917. doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2022.113917

10.1016/j.marpolbul.2022.113917

Zhang Y, Pu S, Lv X, Gao Y, Ge L (2020) Global trends and prospects in microplastics research: a bibliometric analysis. J Hazard Mater 400:123110. doi:10.1016/j.jhazmat.2020.123110

10.1016/j.jhazmat.2020.123110

Information

Publisher :Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology
Publisher(Ko) :한국해양과학기술원
Journal Title :Ocean and Polar Research
Journal Title(Ko) :Ocean and Polar Research
Volume : 47
Pages :1-15
Received Date : 2025-08-29
Revised Date : 2025-10-13
Accepted Date : 2025-10-14
Published Date : 2025-11-10
DOI :https://doi.org/10.4217/OPR.2025016

Ocean and Polar Research ISSN:2234-7313(Online) Ocean and Polar Research

All Issue