Special Topic: Oil Spills> Top 20 Nations

Published September 2010

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Top 20 Nations

The stricken Bahamas registered tanker Prestige, loaded with 77,000 tonnes of fuel oil, drifts powerless off northwestern Spain November 14, 2002. The tanker spilled tonnes of fuel oil into the sea leaving a slick over 200 metres wide and 30 kilometres long as rescue services battled to tow it further out to sea. Twenty-four crew members were airlifted to safety yesterday. REUTERS/Miguel Vidal.
REUTERS/Miguel Vidal


Workers shovel fuel oil on Cap Ferret beach, southwestern France, January 4, 2003. Thousands of birds, fish and other wildlife have been affected after the Prestige tanker laden with 70,000 tonnes of fuel oil split in two and sank, triggering what ecologists said could become one of the world's worst oil spills. REUTERS/Regis Duvignau.
REUTERS/Regis Duvignau

The biggest players among nations are very evident in the lists of nations ranked by cites and papers. US researchers, with their studies of the Valdez spill and other US-based sources of petroleum contamination, have helped the nation's rankings immensely. Canada's extensive research places it in the #2 slot on both lists. Spain, whose researchers have spent so much time on the Prestige spill, also ranks in the top five on both lists.

The countries of origin of several other highly cited researchers and institutions also feature prominently on these lists; for example, Australia boasts Ian Snape, who ranks at #4 by total number of papers, and German researchers Tillman Lueders and Christian Griebler both have papers on the two-year list.

Some unique nations trickle into the cites per paper list. Some of these nations are doing oil contamination research in relation to their respective areas; for instance, Ireland has papers studying sediments in Cork Harbour, Scottish researchers are looking at contamination in the Firth of Forth and the Shetland Islands, Israel is on the list with papers about oil spills off the Mediterranean coast of their shores, Ecuador is concerned with the 2001 Jessica oil spill in the Galapagos Islands.

 

Citations
   

Rank Nations Citations Papers Cites per paper
1 USA 13,462 1,420 9.48
2 Canada 4,164 481 8.66
3 England 2,351 228 10.31
4 Spain 2,235 374 5.98
5 Japan 1,922 208 9.24
6 France 1,743 274 6.36
7 Peoples R China 1,630 432 3.77
8 Germany 1,607 247 6.51
9 Australia 1,595 187 8.53
10 India 1,246 143 8.71
11 Italy 1,063 186 5.72
12 Brazil 977 204 4.79
13 Switzerland 828 68 12.18
14 Scotland 742 80 9.28
15 Norway 737 117 6.30
16 South Korea 700 146 4.79
17 Austria 602 28 21.50
18 Sweden 556 48 11.58
19 Netherlands 525 62 8.47
20 Denmark 484 63 7.68

Papers
   

Rank Nations Citations Papers Cites per paper
1 USA 13,462 1,420 9.48
2 Canada 4,164 481 8.66
3 Peoples R China 1,630 432 3.77
4 Spain 2,235 374 5.98
5 France 1,743 274 6.36
6 Germany 1,607 247 6.51
7 England 2,351 228 10.31
8 Japan 1,922 208 9.24
9 Brazil 977 204 4.79
10 Russia 478 199 2.40
11 Australia 1,595 187 8.53
12 Italy 1,063 186 5.72
13 Nigeria 341 155 2.20
14 South Korea 700 146 4.79
15 India 1,246 143 8.71
16 Norway 737 117 6.30
17 Mexico 481 116 4.15
18 Greece 259 80 3.24
19 Poland 249 80 3.11
20 Scotland 742 80 9.28

Cites Per Paper (>= 12 paper threshold)
   

Rank Nations Citations Papers Cites per paper
1 Austria 602 28 21.50
2 Monaco 237 16 14.81
3 New Zealand 327 26 12.58
4 Switzerland 828 68 12.18
5 Sweden 556 48 11.58
6 Israel 258 24 10.75
7 England 2,351 228 10.31
8 USA 13,462 1,420 9.48
9 Wales 356 38 9.37
10 Singapore 355 38 9.34
11 Scotland 742 80 9.28
12 Japan 1,922 208 9.24
13 Ecuador 114 13 8.77
14 India 1,246 143 8.71
15 Canada 4,164 481 8.66
16 North Ireland 103 12 8.58
17 Australia 1,595 187 8.53
18 Netherlands 525 62 8.47
19 Denmark 484 63 7.68
20 Germany 1,607 247 6.51

About The Nations


The resulting database contained 117 nations. Ranked by three separate measures: citations, papers, and citations per paper. Source dates: 2000-June 30, 2010 (third bimonthly period 2010). *Unless otherwise specified, all rankings have a >= 5 paper threshold for all measures.

Look for complelte threshold information for the Special Topic of Oil Spills in the "Methodology & Threshold" tab of the opening page for this topic.

Overall General Information

 
Top 20 Scientists, Institutions, Journals, & Nations

Citation tables allow us to map compelling trends:

  • Are there particular nations or institutions that might be expected to dominate research in the Topic area, and do the numbers bear out these expectations, or are there surprises?
  • Who are the leading scientists and where are they located?

While these tables cannot offer a complete picture, the number of trends and anomalies that can be spotlighted or connected across categories is striking. The tables often lead to renewed perspectives to further explore and validate.

What are Special Topics?


Special Topics, from ScienceWatch.com, is designed to complement Essential Science IndicatorsSM from Thomson Reuters in providing citation analyses and commentary for selected scientific research areas that have experienced notable recent advances or are of special current interest.

Read about the overall methodology for Special Topics in the "What are Special Topics?" page.

 

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Top: The stricken Bahamas registered tanker Prestige, loaded with 77,000 tonnes of fuel oil, drifts powerless off northwestern Spain November 14, 2002. REUTERS/Miguel Vidal.

Bottom: Workers shovel fuel oil on Cap Ferret beach, southwestern France, January 4, 2003. REUTERS/Regis Duvignau.

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