Bibliometric analysis and current research in the field of microplastics (MPs) in mangrove

The marine MPs’ hazard to ecological safety and environmental health has been confirmed. However, mangrove forests are a special land-sea interface, and their MP pollution characteristics and ecological risks have been studied more broadly. It is necessary to sort out the current status of mangrove MP research among the existing homogeneous and limited literatures, to summarize the representative views and point out the direction for future research trends. In this paper, the bibliometrics method was adopted for text mining and knowledge mapping analysis. The development process, knowledge structure, hotspots, and potential trends were discussed to provide researchers with a macro perspective. A total of 71 articles were selected from 93 articles focused on MPs in mangroves, downloaded from Science Citation Index and China Knowledge Network. The number of studies on MPs in mangroves has increased over time in which China had the most research literature (41%), followed by Brazil (7%), Indonesia (6%), and Colombia (6%). From 2019 onwards, the intensity and density of research in Chinese literature increased rapidly. The MPs’ abundance in mangrove sediments was majorly attributed to their degree of self-aggregation and deposition rate. The mechanism underlying the correlation between mangrove sediment structure and volatilized characteristics of MPs remains to be further studied. Further studies should focus on the carbon sink process, ecological risk, environmental behavior, barrier mechanism, and combined pollution.