ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Mar. Sci.

Sec. Global Change and the Future Ocean

Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fmars.2025.1619275

Mapping the Research Framework and Key Trends of Coral Reefs in the South China Sea

Provisionally accepted
Junhui  ChenJunhui Chen1*Fei  TangFei Tang2Heshan  LinHeshan Lin2Bo  HuangBo Huang2Xueping  LinXueping Lin2
  • 1Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Beijing, China
  • 2Island Research Center, Ministry of Natural Resources, Fuzhou, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

The South China Sea, a key biodiversity hotspot in the Central Indo-Pacific, hosts a rich array of coral reef species and marine life but faces growing threats from climate change and human activities. This study systematically analyzes coral reef research in the region using a bibliometric analysis of records from the Web of Science Core Collection. The analysis highlights the diverse roles of contributing countries and their collaborations, with China emerging as a significant contributor to the regional scientific output. Our findings categorize the research into five principal themes through text mining and bibliographic coupling: (1) fundamental physical-biological interactions within reef systems, (2) biodiversity and symbiotic relationships in response to environmental stress, (3) climatic influences and the adaptive responses of reef systems, (4) conservation strategies and management practices for reef resilience, and (5) remote sensing and algorithmic approaches for reef mapping and monitoring.The discussion addresses regional challenges, outlines the identified research framework, and details key trends in South China Sea coral reef research, thereby providing essential information to guide future development and conservation efforts.

Keywords: coral reefs, South China Sea, bibliometric analysis, Climate Change, Research development

Received: 28 Apr 2025; Accepted: 11 Jun 2025.

Copyright: © 2025 Chen, Tang, Lin, Huang and Lin. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

* Correspondence: Junhui Chen, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Beijing, China

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