We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
Microplastic and Heavy Metal Toxicity: a Bibliometric Analysis on Marine Environment
Summary
This bibliometric study analyzed 147 Scopus publications on the combined marine toxicity of microplastics and heavy metals, mapping research trends using VOSviewer. The analysis found rapid growth in the field since 2015, with co-contamination studies and metal adsorption to plastic surfaces emerging as the most active research clusters.
Research on microplastic and heavy metal pollution in marine environments has rapidly expanded, with key publications and institutions contributing to the development of standardised methodologies and definitions. This study employs bibliometric analysis to evaluate research trends, using tools such as VOSviewer and Microsoft Excel to systematically analyse 147 publications from the Scopus database (2014-2024). Accordingly, the analysis reveals significant growth in the field, particularly driven by research from China and India. In addition, the findings indicate that China and India are leading contributors, with a substantial increase in research output since 2018. Recent trends focus on microplastics in wastewater, human consumption, and emerging sources such as synthetic fibres. Furthermore, the study identifies Estuarine, Coastal, and Shelf Science as the most cited journal and highlights the dominance of environmental and marine science in the research landscape. Overall, these results underscore the increasing significance of addressing these pollutants and offer valuable insights for guiding future research and policy development in the management of microplastic and heavy metal pollution in marine environments.