Geography matters: geographically based flood studies in Spain between 1990 and 2023. A bibliometric/hermeneutical analysis

Abstract Geographical research in Spain on natural risks has grown significantly over the last three decades (1990–2023), becoming one of the most notable fields within the Geography discipline. This article conducts a bibliometric review based on the bibliographic data mainly obtained from the Web of Science (WOS). For this analysis, the VOSviewer tool has been used. The results have supported both a bibliometric and a hermeneutic analysis of the evolution of flood risk studies in Spain (1990–2023), the principal authors and collaboration networks of articles, the principal authors and collaboration networks in highly cited articles (> 25 citations), the institutions to which the authors are affiliated and the countries of origin of the foreign co-authors, the principal journals and additional indexed thematic fields, keywords and key concepts in flood-related research in Spain. All of this allows us to conclude that natural risk studies in Spain have evolved from descriptive approaches to applied studies, thanks to new tools such as GIS or climate modelling tools, enabling administrations to implement more effective measures to create resilient territories through risk management, and are expected to become more widely used in future research. In conclusion, the geography discipline is found to be important in the studies as it plays a crucial role in the current management and mitigation of natural risks and defines the line of future studies.