Research Progress on Hotspots and Trends of Eco-hydrology

Eco-hydrology is an interdisciplinary field that combines ecology and hydrology, primarily focusing on the interactions between water and ecosystems on Earth. To explore the current state and hotspots of research in the field of eco-hydrology, this study employed bibliometric analysis methods and utilized tools such as VOSviewer to conduct a visual analysis of eco-hydrology-related literature indexed in the China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) and the Web of Science databases from 2000 to 2024. During the data screening process, this study established keyword matching criteria to exclude irrelevant literature and identified research hotspots and development trends through co-occurrence analysis and cluster analysis. Additionally, the parameter settings for VOSviewer included the establishment of a minimum co-occurrence frequency threshold to ensure the reliability of the analysis results. Furthermore, the results of mutation point analysis show that the mutation year is 2012, and global research on eco-hydrology has shifted its focus at specific time points (such as adjustments in climate change policies and an increase in extreme hydrological events), providing new directions for future water resource management and ecosystem protection. The research findings show that the overall volume of global eco-hydrology-related publications is on the rise, with international publications significantly outnumbering publications in China. Chinese research on eco-hydrology mainly focuses on water resource management, ecological restoration, and climate change, emphasizing the rational allocation of water resources and the impact of climate change on hydrological processes. In contrast, international research places greater emphasis on ecosystem services, interdisciplinary integration, and the development of social hydrology, highlighting the interactions between hydrology and social, economic, and other factors.