Sandy beaches: Publication features, thematic areas and collaborative networks between 2009 and 2019

Abstract

This work evaluates the academic publications related to any of the multiple scientific disciplines around sandy beaches across the world. Research on sandy beaches since its beginning has produced a substantial accumulation of knowledge across various fields. Knowing the ways in which research is developed as well as its magnitude, growth, disciplinary components and cooperative relationships are of interest from the fundamental and applied points of view. Scientific production was quantified through bibliometric indicators, and the relationships between and within the major areas of research were analysed by science mapping. The results showed that sandy beaches still do not receive the same scientific attention as other coastal environments; however, scientific production is growing at a moderate rate. The production of articles by countries followed the general trends of all scientific research and was correlated with development indicators such as Gross Domestic Product and tourism arrivals. Collaboration networks between different countries broadly followed geographical or cultural proximity. It was noted that 10 journals published more than 33% of the works on sandy beaches while the most frequent subject areas were biology, geology and environmental sciences. Keyword co-occurrence analysis showed that the main research clusters on sandy beaches were the ecology of benthic fauna, human impacts such as pollution and urbanisation and dunes-related topics. It is suggested to strengthen research efforts, engage in intercontinental collaboration and involve social and economic disciplines to address governance and management challenges in light of the increasing multidimensional pressures on sandy beaches.