Online submission Editor-in-chief Editorial Board Peer review Staff login
Feature article More
  • The continental shelf regime under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) marked the first time that the scope of coastal states’ sovereignty rights was extended to the deep-sea areas beyond 200 nautical miles. This provision not only endows coastal states with legal standing for the exploitation of deep-sea resources, but also fosters an institutional linkage between geoscience and international law. To date, a total of 109 submissions have been formally lodged with the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS), signifying that global continental shelf delineation has entered a new phase characterized by the high integration of scientific practice and legal procedures. Nevertheless, driven by the rapid advancement of science and technology and the sensitive impacts of geopolitics, continental shelf delineation is confronted with unprecedented challenges, which will exert a major influence on global ocean governance. Based on the 109 submissions received and 44 recommendations issued by the CLCS, this paper systematically sorts out the major progress and challenges in the delineation of continental shelves beyond 200 nautical miles from three dimensions: legal regimes, geoscientific theories, and practices. It aims to reveal how continental shelf delineation has evolved into a crucial driving force reshaping the global marine spatial order within the international deep-sea governance system where scientific evidence and legal institutions intersect, and further looks ahead to the development direction of continental shelf delineation in the context of scientific and technological progress, international cooperation, and global ocean governance.

  • Analysis of the characteristics and mechanism of cold wave-induced storm surge water elevation in the Bohai Sea, Yellow Sea, and East China Sea: Take the severe cold wave of winter 2022 as an example
    LIU Yuexuan, BAO Min, CAO Zhenyi, DING Yang, ZHOU Feng
    2026, 44(2):1-12. DOI:10.3969/j.issn.1001-909X.2026.02.001
    Abstract ( 7 ) HTML ( 7 ) PDF ( 5805KB ) ( 2 )   
  • Characteristics and dynamic mechanisms of storm surge induced by northward-tracking typhoons along the Zhejiang coast
    ZU Tao, GOU Xiaoxiao, LIANG Huidi, CAI Tinglu
    2026, 44(2):13-26. DOI:10.3969/j.issn.1001-909X.2026.02.002
    Abstract ( 9 ) HTML ( 9 ) PDF ( 6347KB ) ( 1 )   
  • Response differences and causes of the East Asian Summer Monsoon to the Holocene Thermal Maximum and current warming
    ZHANG Liyue, CHENG Jun, LIU Yitao
    2026, 44(2):27-34. DOI:10.3969/j.issn.1001-909X.2026.02.003
    Abstract ( 9 ) HTML ( 9 ) PDF ( 3353KB ) ( 1 )   
  • Statistical classification and sea surface temperature characteristics of mesoscale eddies in the Northwestern Pacific
    YAO Xiangyu, SHI Yunlong, CHEN Shi
    2026, 44(2):35-42. DOI:10.3969/j.issn.1001-909X.2026.02.004
    Abstract ( 11 ) HTML ( 14 ) PDF ( 3886KB ) ( 13 )   
  • Flexure of the outer rise of the South Sumatra-Java Trench Segment: Lithospheric deformation at the subduction front simulated by geoid undulation
    LIU Hongqin, SUN Weitao, YANG Yining, ZHAO Lihong, LING Zilong, WU Shiguo
    2026, 44(2):43-50. DOI:10.3969/j.issn.1001-909X.2026.02.005
    Abstract ( 4 ) HTML ( 3 ) PDF ( 1720KB ) ( 1 )   
  • Accumulation period of Yongle 10-6 Structure in the southern step-fault zone, Baodao Sag of Qiongdongnan Basin
    JIANG Zhonghui, HU Lin, LIU Xianfeng, HE Xiaohu, YUAN Feifei, GAN Jun, FENG Yong
    2026, 44(2):51-64. DOI:10.3969/j.issn.1001-909X.2026.02.006
    Abstract ( 6 ) HTML ( 5 ) PDF ( 5554KB ) ( 1 )   
  • Numerical simulation of wave reflection and transmission characteristics over a cross-section of coral atoll topography based on the modified mild-slope equation
    LI Xianli, NI Yunlin, CHEN Songgui, CHEN Jingren, XIE Jianjian
    2026, 44(2):65-73. DOI:10.3969/j.issn.1001-909X.2026.02.007
    Abstract ( 4 ) HTML ( 4 ) PDF ( 2173KB ) ( 0 )   
  • Transcriptome analysis of genes expressed in the brittle star Ophiothrix exigua in response to manganese exposure
    MENG Fanxu, SUN Haobo, WANG Xiaogu
    2026, 44(2):74-84. DOI:10.3969/j.issn.1001-909X.2026.02.008
    Abstract ( 6 ) HTML ( 5 ) PDF ( 2721KB ) ( 0 )   
  • Ecotoxicological effects of mercury pollution on marine organisms under global climate change
    CHEN Yao, SU Rong, WANG Fangzhou
    2026, 44(2):85-92. DOI:10.3969/j.issn.1001-909X.2026.02.009
    Abstract ( 6 ) HTML ( 5 ) PDF ( 1481KB ) ( 1 )   
  • Vertical variability of phytoplankton in the Southern Ocean-Indian sector revealed by satellite and BGC-Argo data
    WU Yizhe, HU Qiwei, WU Fang, WANG Zhengping, XIE Rui, HUAN Yu
    2026, 44(2):93-102. DOI:10.3969/j.issn.1001-909X.2026.02.010
    Abstract ( 5 ) HTML ( 6 ) PDF ( 3949KB ) ( 2 )   
  • Spatial and temporal distribution characteristics of organic carbon in the river-estuary-coastal sea continuum: A case study of the Oujiang River
    SHEN Siyuan, LU Shasha, LI Zhongqiao, ZHENG Jun, WANG Daoling
    2026, 44(2):103-112. DOI:10.3969/j.issn.1001-909X.2026.02.011
    Abstract ( 7 ) HTML ( 7 ) PDF ( 2331KB ) ( 2 )   
Please wait a minute...
Special issueMore