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Mapping the Evolution of Mercury (Hg) Research in the Amazon (1991–2017): A Scientometric Analysis

Because the Amazon rain forest is ecologically relevant on a global scale, we applied scientometric techniques to integrate studies dealing with mercury research in this unique ecosystem between 1991 and 2017. Using a combination of co-authorship and co-citation analyses, keyword mapping and overlay...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales: Moraes Pinto, Lilian de C., Dórea, José G., Bernardi, José Vicente Elias, Gomes, Leonardo Fernandes
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: MDPI 2019
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6479522/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30925692
http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16071111
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author Moraes Pinto, Lilian de C.
Dórea, José G.
Bernardi, José Vicente Elias
Gomes, Leonardo Fernandes
author_facet Moraes Pinto, Lilian de C.
Dórea, José G.
Bernardi, José Vicente Elias
Gomes, Leonardo Fernandes
author_sort Moraes Pinto, Lilian de C.
collection PubMed
description Because the Amazon rain forest is ecologically relevant on a global scale, we applied scientometric techniques to integrate studies dealing with mercury research in this unique ecosystem between 1991 and 2017. Using a combination of co-authorship and co-citation analyses, keyword mapping and overlay visualization of topics in the field, this article identified three major areas in the 26-year period of mercury research: (1) human exposure to mercury (artisanal small-scale gold mining-ASGM) and methylmercury through fish consumption, and their respective risks for human health; (2) mercury accumulation in the environment and its relation to ASGM and atmospheric concentration; and (3) mercury geochemistry and its presence in soils, sediments, and water. The paper also identified the leading institutions related to the published research and respective influential scholars in the context of this study. Overall, the analyses revealed patterns of convergence and divergence between authors, specialization, and interdisciplinary engagement in mercury investigation, thus highlighting strengths and weaknesses of research topics in the field. This scientometric approach could be a useful tool to monitor/assess the implementation of the Minamata Convention.
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spelling pubmed-64795222019-04-29 Mapping the Evolution of Mercury (Hg) Research in the Amazon (1991–2017): A Scientometric Analysis Moraes Pinto, Lilian de C. Dórea, José G. Bernardi, José Vicente Elias Gomes, Leonardo Fernandes Int J Environ Res Public Health Article Because the Amazon rain forest is ecologically relevant on a global scale, we applied scientometric techniques to integrate studies dealing with mercury research in this unique ecosystem between 1991 and 2017. Using a combination of co-authorship and co-citation analyses, keyword mapping and overlay visualization of topics in the field, this article identified three major areas in the 26-year period of mercury research: (1) human exposure to mercury (artisanal small-scale gold mining-ASGM) and methylmercury through fish consumption, and their respective risks for human health; (2) mercury accumulation in the environment and its relation to ASGM and atmospheric concentration; and (3) mercury geochemistry and its presence in soils, sediments, and water. The paper also identified the leading institutions related to the published research and respective influential scholars in the context of this study. Overall, the analyses revealed patterns of convergence and divergence between authors, specialization, and interdisciplinary engagement in mercury investigation, thus highlighting strengths and weaknesses of research topics in the field. This scientometric approach could be a useful tool to monitor/assess the implementation of the Minamata Convention. MDPI 2019-03-28 2019-04 /pmc/articles/PMC6479522/ /pubmed/30925692 http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16071111 Text en © 2019 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
spellingShingle Article
Moraes Pinto, Lilian de C.
Dórea, José G.
Bernardi, José Vicente Elias
Gomes, Leonardo Fernandes
Mapping the Evolution of Mercury (Hg) Research in the Amazon (1991–2017): A Scientometric Analysis
title Mapping the Evolution of Mercury (Hg) Research in the Amazon (1991–2017): A Scientometric Analysis
title_full Mapping the Evolution of Mercury (Hg) Research in the Amazon (1991–2017): A Scientometric Analysis
title_fullStr Mapping the Evolution of Mercury (Hg) Research in the Amazon (1991–2017): A Scientometric Analysis
title_full_unstemmed Mapping the Evolution of Mercury (Hg) Research in the Amazon (1991–2017): A Scientometric Analysis
title_short Mapping the Evolution of Mercury (Hg) Research in the Amazon (1991–2017): A Scientometric Analysis
title_sort mapping the evolution of mercury (hg) research in the amazon (1991–2017): a scientometric analysis
topic Article
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6479522/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30925692
http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16071111
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