Global Leaf Area Index Research over the Past 75 Years: A Comprehensive Review and Bibliometric Analysis

Abstract

The leaf area index (LAI) is widely used as an important indicator and ecological parameter of vegetation structure and growth status, but the LAI lacks bibliometric analysis. To further understand the LAI’s research status and frontier dynamics, we used 75 years of data (1947–2021) from the Web of Science for scientific bibliometric analysis. The results showed that 22,276 LAI re-search papers were published from 1947 to 2021. According to the characteristics of the literature growth, LAI research can be divided into five stages: incubation, cultivation, acceleration, evolution, and outbreak periods. The research power at the different stages had different characteristics. The overall research power of the United States is number one globally, followed by China, Canada, and France. The related disciplines were widely varied, involving agriculture (the most studied field of LAI research), environmental science and ecology, remote sensing, and other fields. The development of the Google Earth engine, cloud computing platforms, and unmanned aerial vehicle technology will provide more critical support for LAI research. The results of this paper quantitatively show the development history, research hotspots, and application of LAI research and provide a reference for understanding the current situation and development trends of global LAI research.