Mapping satellite based research on climate change impacts and environmental responses through bibliometric analysis

Abstract

Climate change affects ecosystems, water resources, and human systems worldwide, while satellite remote sensing provides large-scale and repeated observations of environmental change. However, existing bibliometric assessments often examine individual environmental applications, methodological domains, or broader Earth observation research, providing limited understanding of the integrated development of satellite-based climate–environment research. This study addresses this gap by systematically examining the growth, scientific structure, collaboration patterns, and thematic evolution of satellite-based research on climate change impacts and environmental responses from 2001 to 2025. A dataset of 1,112 documents was compiled from the Web of Science Core Collection and Scopus and analyzed using bibliometric indicators, network analysis, Multiple Correspondence Analysis, thematic mapping, and thematic evolution. The results demonstrate sustained growth in the research field, concentration within a relatively small group of core journals, and a semi-centralized collaboration structure involving prominent authors, countries, and institutions. The thematic analysis reveals continuity of established MODIS- and NDVI-based environmental research alongside the emergence of climate-change-oriented, machine-learning, and cloud-based approaches, particularly random forest and Google Earth Engine. The study provides an integrated view of how satellite-based climate–environment research has developed across interconnected ecosystems, hydrological processes, vegetation dynamics, and climate-related environmental responses. The findings can support researchers in identifying major knowledge structures, emerging research directions, collaboration opportunities, and methodological trends, while also highlighting the need to interpret bibliometric patterns within the coverage limitations of WoS- and Scopus-indexed English-language literature.