Acoustics and Anthropogenic Underwater Noise in the IWC Scientific Committee (1951–2024): a Systematic Document Review and Scientometric Synthesis

Anthropogenic underwater noise has become a major environmental and ocean-governance concern affecting marine mammals worldwide, motivating increasing attention within international conservation bodies such as the International Whaling Commission (IWC). Here, we reconstruct how acoustics and anthropogenic underwater noise emerged, expanded, and diversified within the IWC Scientific Committee through a PRISMA-guided document screening combined with scientometric and qualitative classification analyzes. A total of 7,830 Scientific Committee documents produced between 1951 and 2024 were compiled and screened using an automated keyword strategy, yielding 2,949 records for eligibility assessment. Following screening, 644 documents were retained for analysis, encompassing both acoustic-related studies and documents addressing anthropogenic underwater noise as an environmental or management issue. Among these, 594 documents (7.4%) addressed acoustics, spanning 50 years (1962–2024) with a marked increase from the late 1990s onwards. Explicit underwater-noise content was identified in 180 documents (2.16%), first appearing in 1979 and recurring across 38 years, with contributions concentrated in the Environmental Concerns, Small Cetaceans, and Whale Watching subcommittees. Ten standardized sound-source categories were identified, dominated by shipping, seismic surveys, and sonar, while additional sources emerged progressively over time. Reported impacts were primarily behavioral and spatial, whereas auditory damage and mortality were associated with high-intensity sources. Institutional participation was extensive, involving 559 institutions across 75 countries, but remained highly concentrated among a limited number of recurrent contributors. Together, these findings provide the first long-term synthesis of how underwater noise evolved within the Scientific Committee from a specialized acoustic topic into a policy-relevant environmental issue, revealing how scientific knowledge, institutional priorities, and governance discussions co-evolved within the IWC framework.