What Do We Know about Water Scarcity in Semi-Arid Zones? A Global Analysis and Research Trends

Water supply is strategic for the development of society. The water distribution in nature follows patterns linked to geographic and territorial issues. Climate fluctuations aggravate shortage problems in semi-arid regions. This study aims to develop a systematic review of research on water scarcity...

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Main Authors: Fernando Morante-Carballo, Néstor Montalván-Burbano, Ximena Quiñonez-Barzola, María Jaya-Montalvo, Paúl Carrión-Mero
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2022-08-01
Series:Water
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/14/17/2685
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author Fernando Morante-Carballo
Néstor Montalván-Burbano
Ximena Quiñonez-Barzola
María Jaya-Montalvo
Paúl Carrión-Mero
author_facet Fernando Morante-Carballo
Néstor Montalván-Burbano
Ximena Quiñonez-Barzola
María Jaya-Montalvo
Paúl Carrión-Mero
author_sort Fernando Morante-Carballo
collection DOAJ
description Water supply is strategic for the development of society. The water distribution in nature follows patterns linked to geographic and territorial issues. Climate fluctuations aggravate shortage problems in semi-arid regions. This study aims to develop a systematic review of research on water scarcity in semi-arid areas through bibliometric methods that allow the analysis of its structure, performance, evolution, and future trends. The methodology considers three phases: (i) literature review, (ii) data cleaning and processing, and (iii) analysis of the research field and future trends. The intellectual structure of water scarcity in semi-arid zones covers 2206 documents with the collaboration of sixty-one countries, distributed in studies carried out in 54 years (1967 to 2021). This field of research has been growing, especially since the 21st century (93.1% of the documents). The countries that study the issue the most are those with high population rates and large consumption patterns, such as the United States and China. There are two central areas of interest led by the terms "water scarcity" and "water stress" due to the intensive use of the resource for agriculture and the management of the water–energy–climate nexus. Thus, the most significant journals studied relate remote sensing to resource management, and the most cited are related to agriculture. This research made it possible to consider future topics such as the study of anthropogenic effects and climate change, the accuracy and applicability of models, and future trends in conventional and unconventional agriculture and resources.
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spelling doaj.art-75b54d7e650a4d15baed6f47a17084ac2023-11-23T14:26:35ZengMDPI AGWater2073-44412022-08-011417268510.3390/w14172685What Do We Know about Water Scarcity in Semi-Arid Zones? A Global Analysis and Research TrendsFernando Morante-Carballo0Néstor Montalván-Burbano1Ximena Quiñonez-Barzola2María Jaya-Montalvo3Paúl Carrión-Mero4Centro de Investigaciones y Proyectos Aplicados a las Ciencias de la Tierra (CIPAT), ESPOL Polytechnic University, Guayaquil P.O. Box 09-01-5863, EcuadorCentro de Investigaciones y Proyectos Aplicados a las Ciencias de la Tierra (CIPAT), ESPOL Polytechnic University, Guayaquil P.O. Box 09-01-5863, EcuadorCentro de Investigaciones y Proyectos Aplicados a las Ciencias de la Tierra (CIPAT), ESPOL Polytechnic University, Guayaquil P.O. Box 09-01-5863, EcuadorCentro de Investigaciones y Proyectos Aplicados a las Ciencias de la Tierra (CIPAT), ESPOL Polytechnic University, Guayaquil P.O. Box 09-01-5863, EcuadorCentro de Investigaciones y Proyectos Aplicados a las Ciencias de la Tierra (CIPAT), ESPOL Polytechnic University, Guayaquil P.O. Box 09-01-5863, EcuadorWater supply is strategic for the development of society. The water distribution in nature follows patterns linked to geographic and territorial issues. Climate fluctuations aggravate shortage problems in semi-arid regions. This study aims to develop a systematic review of research on water scarcity in semi-arid areas through bibliometric methods that allow the analysis of its structure, performance, evolution, and future trends. The methodology considers three phases: (i) literature review, (ii) data cleaning and processing, and (iii) analysis of the research field and future trends. The intellectual structure of water scarcity in semi-arid zones covers 2206 documents with the collaboration of sixty-one countries, distributed in studies carried out in 54 years (1967 to 2021). This field of research has been growing, especially since the 21st century (93.1% of the documents). The countries that study the issue the most are those with high population rates and large consumption patterns, such as the United States and China. There are two central areas of interest led by the terms "water scarcity" and "water stress" due to the intensive use of the resource for agriculture and the management of the water–energy–climate nexus. Thus, the most significant journals studied relate remote sensing to resource management, and the most cited are related to agriculture. This research made it possible to consider future topics such as the study of anthropogenic effects and climate change, the accuracy and applicability of models, and future trends in conventional and unconventional agriculture and resources.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/14/17/2685water scarcitywater stresssemi-arid zonebibliometric analysisintellectual structure
spellingShingle Fernando Morante-Carballo
Néstor Montalván-Burbano
Ximena Quiñonez-Barzola
María Jaya-Montalvo
Paúl Carrión-Mero
What Do We Know about Water Scarcity in Semi-Arid Zones? A Global Analysis and Research Trends
Water
water scarcity
water stress
semi-arid zone
bibliometric analysis
intellectual structure
title What Do We Know about Water Scarcity in Semi-Arid Zones? A Global Analysis and Research Trends
title_full What Do We Know about Water Scarcity in Semi-Arid Zones? A Global Analysis and Research Trends
title_fullStr What Do We Know about Water Scarcity in Semi-Arid Zones? A Global Analysis and Research Trends
title_full_unstemmed What Do We Know about Water Scarcity in Semi-Arid Zones? A Global Analysis and Research Trends
title_short What Do We Know about Water Scarcity in Semi-Arid Zones? A Global Analysis and Research Trends
title_sort what do we know about water scarcity in semi arid zones a global analysis and research trends
topic water scarcity
water stress
semi-arid zone
bibliometric analysis
intellectual structure
url https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/14/17/2685
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