Marine industrial ecologicalization in China's Bohai Rim: A spatial structure perspective

Industrial ecologicalization plays a crucial role in promoting high-quality economic development in coastal regions. Building on existing research, this study investigates the mutual feedback dynamics and spatial transmission mechanisms of marine industrial ecologicalization. By integrating a systems engineering perspective with industrial ecology principles, we construct an evaluation framework for assessing the ecological quality of marine industries. Employing a geographical spatial approach, we analyze the spatiotemporal evolution and spatial heterogeneity of marine industrial ecological quality in the Bohai Rim cities. The results indicate that: (1) The ecological quality of marine industries in the Bohai Rim region exhibited steady growth from 2012 to 2022, shifting from low-value clustering to high-value dispersion. Spatially, it displays a pattern of “higher in the west and south, lower in the east and north,” with noticeable regional clustering. (2) The global spatiotemporal autocorrelation transitioned from heterogeneity to clustering, showing a gradual—though still modest—increase. Local autocorrelation patterns formed three major clusters centered around Dalian, Yantai–Qingdao, and Tianjin, alongside low-aggregation areas and scattered L–H spatiotemporal heterogeneous units. (3) Ecological transformation of marine industries demonstrates positive—albeit limited—spatial spillover effects. • Ecologicalization is needed between marine industrial and high-quality economic development in coastal regions. • The ecological transformation of marine industries is analyzed from a geographical spatial perspective. • The ecological quality of marine industries increased in the Bohai Rim's cities between 2012 and 2022. • Central cities experienced the most significant growth in ecological quality of marine industries. • The ecological transformation of marine industries is predicted to keep increasing.