Gattuso JP, Dawson NA, Duarte CM, Middelburg JJ "Patterns of publication effort in coastal biogeochemistry: a bibliometric survey (1971 to 2003)" MARINE ECOLOGY-PROGRESS SERIES 294: 9-22 2005

[Eugene Garfield]

Jean-Pierre Gattuso : E-mail Addresses: gattuso at obs-vlfr.fr


Title: Patterns of publication effort in coastal biogeochemistry: a
bibliometric survey (1971 to 2003)

Author(s): Gattuso JP, Dawson NA, Duarte CM, Middelburg JJ

Source: MARINE ECOLOGY-PROGRESS SERIES 294: 9-22 2005

Document Type: Article    Language: English
Cited References: 22      Times Cited: 0

Abstract:
A bibliographic database comprising 17 604 references on biogeochemistry
and disturbances in coastal ecosystems was compiled for the period 1971 to
2004 from the Aquatic Science and Fisheries Abstracts and the Web of
Science databases. The coastal ocean received increased attention starting
in the early 1990s, as shown by the increase in the rate of publication,
both in absolute number (2-fold increase of the yearly rate) and relative
to the publication rate of all disciplines (3-fold increase). The number of
publications on each ecosystem type and the geographic location of study
sites are not proportional to their respective surface area. By this
measure, estuaries and the open continental shelf are, respectively, over-
and under-investigated, and the research effort is disproportionately high
in some areas (e.g. the North Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea, the
subjects of 41% of the publications) and low in other areas (e.g. high-
latitude coastal zones and the western Pacific). The cycling of inorganic
nutrients is the biogeochemical process receiving the highest research
effort (46% of the publications). Although controversial, exchanges with
the atmosphere, including CO2, have been poorly investigated, with only
1.3% of the publications. The magnitude of scientific community publishing
increased 13-fold during the period of investigation, also demonstrating
the growing interest in coastal biogeochemistry and disturbances. Moreover,
the lists of authors have become longer, perhaps indicating research
projects wider in scope. Senior authors from 137 countries contributed
papers; the EU25 and the USA contributed about. 1/3 of the publications
each, The number of publications per million inhabitants is highly
correlated to the gross domestic product per inhabitant, but some countries
perform better (the Scandinavian countries, Australia, New Zealand and
Canada) or less well (Japan, the USA and Italy) than average. The number of
citations of the publications is highly variable and indicates that
barriers between disciplines still exist. At least 2 specialized journals
(Estuaries and Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science) are among the most
relevant journals, but Marine Ecology Progress Series is the single most
important source of literature in the fields of coastal biogeochemistry and
disturbances. This diagnostic should be useful to the research community
and funding agencies to address the present imbalances in research
allocation and to steer attention to geographical areas and processes that
remain poorly investigated. Only then can the role of the coastal ocean on
the global biogeochemical cycles and its response to climatic and
anthropogenic disturbances be clarified.


Addresses: Gattuso JP (reprint author), Univ Paris 06, CNRS, Oceanog Lab,
BP 28, Villefranche Sur Mer, F-06234 France
Univ Paris 06, CNRS, Oceanog Lab, Villefranche Sur Mer, F-06234 France
UIB, CSIC, IMEDEA, Esporles, Islas Baleares 07190 Spain
Netherlands Inst Ecol, NIOO, KNAW, Yerseke, NL-4400 AC Netherlands

E-mail Addresses: gattuso at obs-vlfr.fr

Publisher: INTER-RESEARCH, NORDBUNTE 23, D-21385 OLDENDORF LUHE, GERMANY

IDS Number: 943XA

ISSN: 0171-8630

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