Assessing spatiotemporal accessibility and disparities in maritime search and rescue

A case study in cross-national responsibility waters of the East China Sea

Bibliographic Data

ID21602605
AuthorsYixuan Wang (0000-0002-5084-2455, Nanjing University of Science and Technology), Tianyang Lu (Nanjing University of Science and Technology), Peixiu Han (0000-0002-7063-6114, China University of Petroleum, East China), Xingru Qu (Dalian Minzu University, corresponding author)
Year2026
Volume135
Pages104727
Publication date2026-07-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Transport Geography (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0966-6923 • E-ISSN: 1873-1236
PublisherElsevier BV (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2026.104727
OpenAlexW7163775526
LanguageEN
References cited54

Maritime search and rescue (SAR) pose a distinctive accessibility problem for transport geography, as service delivery occurs in open-water areas lacking fixed transport networks, while demand exposure and travel impedance vary with changing marine conditions. This study develops a spatiotemporal accessibility framework for maritime SAR, extends location-based accessibility analysis to non-networked service environments. The framework integrates GIS-based route estimation, time-varying vessel capability, and vessel-traffic-based demand exposure, and assesses accessibility through cumulative-opportunity and potential accessibility measures. Applied to the cross-national responsibility waters of the East China Sea, the framework reveals marked monthly variation in SAR accessibility across rescue stations in China, Japan, and South Korea. These results demonstrate that dynamic marine conditions and mobile demand jointly reshape accessibility patterns, leading to substantial spatial and temporal disparities in service provision. More broadly, the study extends accessibility analysis to transnational, non-networked, and environmentally dynamic service spaces, offering implications for cross-border coordination, offshore service deprivation, and dynamic supply-demand mismatches

China · China sea · East Asia · Poison control · Climate Change, Adaptation, Migration · Maritime Navigation and Safety · Oil Spill Detection and Mitigation

Tools

Open DOIOpen Access