Microplastic Research Trends in the Gulf Region from a Global Perspective

Reshadi, Mir Amir Mohammad

https://ror.org/01aff2v68

University of Waterloo

https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7975-5083

Shabib, Ahmad

https://ror.org/01km6p862

United Arab Emirates University

https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8196-8213

Rezanezhad, Fereidoun

-;https://ror.org/01aff2v68

Ecohydrology Research Group, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, N2L 3G1;University of Waterloo

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9608-8005

Maraqa, Munjed

-;https://ror.org/01km6p862

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain P.O. Box 15551, United Arab Emirates;United Arab Emirates University

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9849-0866

2000-01-01/2024-07-04

2024-12-02T21:06:49Z

2024-12-02T21:06:49Z

2024-12-02

https://doi.org/10.20383/103.01145

https://www.frdr-dfdr.ca/repo/dataset/9aae70aa-8da8-43d4-aaae-2d5e15c4bced

This study provides the first bibliometric analysis on the current state and emerging trends of microplastic (MP) pollution research globally and within the Gulf region. The analysis reveals a robust global research trajectory with an exponential increase in publications, particularly from 2015 onwards, contrasting sharply with the more modest but growing body of research focused on the Gulf region, which accounts for only about 1.1% of global outputs. This regional research gap is highlighted by the unique challenges in the Gulf region linked to its dense industrial activities and substantial waste production. This bibliometric analysis study also identifies leading countries and institutions, with China and Iran emerging as significant players in their respective scopes, globally and in the Gulf region, respectively. Despite the increasing number of studies, the Gulf region exhibits underrepresentation, suggesting the need for enhanced regional research to better integrate this area into the global discourse on MPs. Significant insights from the keyword analysis reveal spots of MP research have remained unexplored in the Gulf region. Trend topics analysis further illustrates an evolving focus from basic interactions of MPs with marine environments to more complex issues like environmental health and ecosystem impacts, suggesting a maturing field that increasingly addresses the broader implications of MP pollution. This study systematically explores the current state of MP research on both the global and in the Gulf region, while identifying specific topics of MP research for future studies on the topic at hand.

Federated Research Data Repository / dépôt fédéré de données de recherche

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Microplastic

Gulf region

Bibliometric analysis

Cluster analysis

Marine pollution

Microplastic Research Trends in the Gulf Region from a Global Perspective

f163c1b3-9c88-42f6-a7bb-5839ed6c4063

/2/published/publication_1140/

2024

2024-07-04/2024-07-04

Dataset

Global coverage;-;-;-

Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC)

ALLRP 558435 – 20

Plastics science for a cleaner future

RDF1050706

Earth and related environmental sciences

Hydrology

Water quality

Sciences de la Terre et sciences de l'environnement connexes

Hydrologie

La qualité d'eau