The evolving landscape of sea-level rise science from 1990 to 2021

Abstract

AbstractAs sea-level rise (SLR) accelerates due to climate change, its multidisciplinary field of science has similarly expanded, from about 50 documents in 1990 to nearly 15,000 documents from 1990 to 2021. Here, big data, bibliometric techniques are adopted to systematically analyse this growing, large-scale literature. Four main research clusters (themes) emerge: (I) geological dimensions and biogeochemical cycles, (II) impacts, risks, and adaptation, (III) physical components of sea-level change, and (IV) coastal ecosystems and habitats, with 16 associated sub-themes. This analysis provides insights into the prioritisation of research agendas, the challenges and opportunities of future integrative, global scale assessment processes (e.g., next IPCC report), and how effectively this discipline is achieving societal impact. For example, the relative importance of sub-themes evolves consistently with a decline in pure science analysis towards solution-focused topics associated with SLR risks such as surface elevation change, flooding, ice sheets dynamics, coastal erosion and squeeze, and engineered shorelines.