Abstract

This comprehensive bibliometric analysis examines the evolving landscape of soil science research from 2000 to 2024, with particular emphasis on climate change impacts, soil contamination, and nutrient cycling dynamics. Through systematic analysis of 112,911 publications across 39 major soil science journals, this study reveals significant research trends and emerging hotspots in contemporary soil science. The analysis demonstrates a marked acceleration in publication output post-2015, coinciding with increased global awareness of climate change impacts on terrestrial ecosystems. Key findings indicate that soil organic carbon research has emerged as a dominant theme, with interdisciplinary approaches increasingly prevalent. Climate change impacts on soil-plant interactions, heavy metal contamination remediation, and microbial nutrient cycling represent the fastest-growing research areas. The bibliometric mapping reveals strong geographical clustering of research activities, with North America, Europe, and East Asia leading publication outputs. Emerging trends include precision agriculture applications, controlled-release fertilizer technologies, and microplastic pollution in soil systems. This analysis provides critical insights for researchers, policymakers, and funding agencies to understand current research priorities and identify future research directions in soil science