Integration of Marine and Terrestrial Ecological Economies in the Cities of the Bohai Rim, China, Based on the Concept of Viscosity

Abstract

The integration of sea and land ecological economies is crucial for the development of a high-quality sea–land economy. This study explores and proposes the concept of a sea–land-integrated ecological economy. By constructing the evaluation index system for developing a sea–land-integrated ecological economy, the development level, evolution process, and development trend prediction of a sea–land-integrated ecological economy were evaluated and analysed in cities around the Bohai Sea from 2009 to 2019 using methods such as a model for assessing the development level, a spatio-temporal autocorrelation model, and an exploratory spatio-temporal data analysis model. The results of the study show that (1) the development level of the ecological economy of the cities of Bohai Rim’s sea–land integration generally had an upward trend; however, the magnitude significantly varied between cities; (2) the spatio-temporal autocorrelation pattern formed three major agglomerations with Dalian in the north, Yantai and Qingdao in the south, and Tianjin and Tangshan in the centre as the core cities and contained low agglomerations and scattered L–H spatio-temporal heterogeneous units; and (3) the integration prediction curve for 2020–2029 indicates that the level value for integration of most cities will improve over time.