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[Display omitted] • Scientometric analysis of MPs in soil ecosystems was performed. • A total of 2210 articles on MPs from 2012 to 2022 were analyzed. • Knowledge bases, trends, and hotspots in MP research were identified. • China was the top country in terms of publications and funding. • The migration of MPs from terrestrial to aquatic systems should be considered in the future. Soil microplastic (MP) pollution is a growing global environmental issue leading to a series of ecosystem problems and functional losses. However, understanding the advances and trends in soil MP pollution research proved to be difficult based on individual studies. Herein, CiteSpace visualization analysis software was used to sort the literature obtained on soil MP research from the Web of Science (WoS) TM core collection database, and bibliometric analysis of publication volume, country/region, keywords and other information was conducted. Results showed that soil microplastics (MP) research had much lower publication volume than hydrological system MP research, and was still in its developing stage. However, the number of research hotspots in soil MP research increased continuously since 2018. Countries such as China, the United States, the Netherlands and Australia have published more papers in this field than other countries, and collaboration among research institutions is strong. The source, pollution status, analysis methods and toxic effects of MPs in soils are current research hotspots. In the future, the focus of MP research in terrestrial ecosystems should shift from ecotoxicology to the impact of MPs on ecosystems and earth system feedback. The bibliometric analysis results of this study can serve as a reference for in-depth studies of the pollution status of MPs in soils. For MP soil pollution research, cross-background, cross-institution, cross-country cooperation and cross-disciplinary roles should be encouraged to accelerate the growth and diversification of the field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Chinese environmental flows research was characterized based on bibliometric analysis for the period 1967–2019. • This body of research was compared to e-flows research trends within and outside of China. • Prominent Chinese authors and important ideas in e-flows research were identified. • This body of work helps identify prevailing trends in Chinese e-flows research. Advances in water resources research in China has blossomed in recent decades. Although historically many Chinese scientific publications had been limited to regional, language-specific outlets, the more recent emergence of Chinese scholarship in water resources sustainability and engineering suggests that broader recognition within the scientific community is needed. In this study, we explore the recent evolution of Chinese environmental flows research through the bibliometric analysis of two prominent databases. This paper highlights trends in environmental flow publication rates, emerging areas of research, and citation networks for prominent authors in the Chinese context as compared to the global network of environmental flows research. Results indicate that China's environmental flows research developed rapidly over the past two decades (2005–2019) and that Chinese authors are among the most productive in the field (60% of the top 20 authors). However, based on the number of citations, few Chinese articles are among the most highly cited (5 out of 800). The field of environmental flows research has identified the need to minimize parochial boundaries, and this analysis suggests a rich, yet untapped, literature to promote scientific integration. Differences in journal selection, keyword choice, and lesser-known authors to readers outside of China were identified as potential limitations to broader global integration. This approach to systematic bibliometric analysis can be used to identify prominent authors and important studies such that new ideas in environmental flows research can flow across continental boundaries, from East to West, to accelerate global understanding of prevailing trends and best practices in river management [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The HKH is the water tower of Asia providing ES to half of the humanity. • First review showed increasing trend with 62% papers published in last 5 years. • There has been strong collaboration with 57 countries for research in the HKH. • Research is skewed to eastern part mainly focusing on biophysical aspects. • Holistic analysis needed considering both services and disservices at scales. The study presents the first comprehensive overview of ecosystem services (ES) research from the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH), a region often referred to as the 'water tower of Asia'. Through a systematic literature search, we consolidated 439 peer-reviewed journal articles related to ecosystem services in the HKH. A bibliometric analysis was carried out to examine the temporal trend, geographical distribution, journal coverage, keywords used, authorship patterns, and collaboration networks in ES research on the region. The results showed an increasing trend in the publication of ecosystem services research on the HKH, with nearly 62 per cent of the journal articles being published in just the last five years. Most of the research has been carried out in China, followed by Nepal and India. Among the 166 scholarly journals publishing ecosystem services research on the HKH, Ecosystem Services and Sustainability are the most-used, followed by Science of the Total Environment. The keywords analysis identified a total of 1,460 keywords used in the articles on ES. Among them, 'ecosystem services' is the most commonly used, followed by 'China', 'Nepal', conservation', and 'biodiversity.' The authorship analysis revealed that of the total of 1,386 authors, 1,000 co-authored ES publications. The top publishing authors are from the region; however, they are either affiliated with an international organization or based in developed countries. Research institutions from 56 countries have networked to conduct collaborative ES research in the HKH, so far. Although China has the highest number of publications, Nepal was identified as a principal collaborator with the widest country network. The existing research focuses on biophysical elements of ecosystem services, with very few published studies covering its social and political aspects and the management of ecosystem services. As the HKH is a contiguous ecosystem shared by eight countries, there is a need for regional analyses of ecosystem services. Our study concludes that ecosystem services being a multidisciplinary concept, research into it requires regional collaboration between multiple actors from varied disciplines, with a greater emphasis on social and political science, together with the biophysical sciences, for a more holistic understanding. Furthermore, it is important that ES research include the local context and issues to avoid the dominance of international perspectives and the marginalization of local concerns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]