World's Best Scientists 2026 revealed!
Global and Planetary Change
H-index 41

Global and Planetary Change

Ranking & Metrics

Discipline name Position Best Scientists Publications D-Index
Earth Science 48 688 687 37
Environmental Sciences 126 170 196 31

Additional Metrics

Number of Best Scientists*: 979
Documents by Best Scientists*: 853
Top 100 Ranked Scientists*: 26
SCIMAGO H-index: 172
SCIMAGO SJR: 1.431
Impact Factor: 4

Overview

Top Research Topics at Global and Planetary Change?

Global and Planetary Change generally zeroes in on subjects such as Climatology, Climate change, Paleontology, Oceanography and Precipitation. Climatology research presented in the journal encompasses a variety of subjects, including Global warming, Period (geology), Climate model and Atmospheric sciences. Hydrology and Physical geography are some topics wherein Climate change research discussed in it have an impact.

The Physical geography study featured in the journal draws parallels with the field of Vegetation. The tackled Paleontology research is interrelated with Extinction event which concerns subjects like Permian. The concepts on Oceanography presented in it can also apply to other research fields, including Glacial period and Sediment.

The research on Glacial period featured in it combines topics in other fields like Glacier, Quaternary and Ice sheet. The majority of Glacier studies are focused on the issues of Glacier mass balance. Sea level works presented in Global and Planetary Change have a specific focus on Tide gauge.

  • Climatology (30.25%)
  • Climate change (19.34%)
  • Paleontology (18.82%)

What are the most cited papers published in the journal?

  • Climate change projections for the Mediterranean region (1935 citations)
  • Processes and impacts of Arctic amplification: A research synthesis (1101 citations)
  • Anthropogenic sediment retention: major global impact from registered river impoundments (827 citations)

Research areas of the most cited articles at Global and Planetary Change:

The most cited papers aim to foster the development of research in Climatology, Climate change, Precipitation, Oceanography and Hydrology. The most cited publications focus on Climatology but the discussions also offer insight into other areas such as Glacial period, Atmospheric sciences, Global warming, Glacier and Sea level. The published articles facilitate discussions on Climate change that incorporate concepts from other fields like Plateau and Physical geography.

What topics the last edition of the journal is best known for?

  • Ecology
  • Climate change
  • World War II

The previous edition focused in particular on these issues:

The aim of Global and Planetary Change is to expand the discussion of research in Paleontology, Structural basin, Oceanography, Climate change and Extinction event. As a part of Global and Planetary Change, discussions in Oceanography involve topics like Holocene, Foraminifera, Sea level, Ocean current and Water column. In addition to Climate change research, it aims to explore topics under Climatology and Physical geography.

The journal explores research in Plateau and overlapping concepts in Precipitation to expand the discourse in Physical geography. Issues in Precipitation were discussed, taking into consideration concepts from other disciplines like Monsoon, Atmospheric sciences and Paleoclimatology. The research on Extinction event tackled can also make contributions to studies in the areas of Permian, Phanerozoic and Terrestrial ecosystem.

The most cited articles from the last journal are:

  • Quantification and interpretation of the climate variability record (5 citations)
  • Marine osmium isotope record during the Carnian “pluvial episode” (Late Triassic) in the pelagic Panthalassa Ocean (5 citations)
  • The polyphase rifting and inversion of the Danube Basin revised (5 citations)

Papers citation over time

A key indicator for each journal is its effectiveness in reaching other researchers with the papers published at that venue.

The chart below presents the interquartile range (first quartile 25%, median 50% and third quartile 75%) of the number of citations of articles over time.

The top authors publishing in Global and Planetary Change (based on the number of publications) are:

  • Zhong-Qiang Chen (16 papers) published 12 papers at the last edition,
  • Sierd Cloetingh (10 papers) published 1 paper at the last edition,
  • Vijay P. Singh (10 papers) absent at the last edition,
  • Gary S. Wilson (9 papers) absent at the last edition,
  • Jan Šafanda (9 papers) absent at the last edition.

The overall trend for top authors publishing in this journal is outlined below. The chart shows the number of publications at each edition of the journal for top authors.

Only papers with recognized affiliations are considered

The top affiliations publishing in Global and Planetary Change (based on the number of publications) are:

  • Chinese Academy of Sciences (194 papers) published 31 papers at the last edition, 6 more than at the previous edition,
  • Centre national de la recherche scientifique (65 papers) published 4 papers at the last edition, 4 less than at the previous edition,
  • Spanish National Research Council (55 papers) published 5 papers at the last edition, 1 less than at the previous edition,
  • Utrecht University (53 papers) published 11 papers at the last edition the same number as at the previous edition,
  • China University of Geosciences (Wuhan) (52 papers) published 22 papers at the last edition, 16 more than at the previous edition.

The overall trend for top affiliations publishing in this journal is outlined below. The chart shows the number of publications at each edition of the journal for top affiliations.

Publication chance based on affiliation

The publication chance index shows the ratio of articles published by the best research institutions in the journal edition to all articles published within that journal. The best research institutions were selected based on the largest number of articles published during all editions of the journal.

The chart below presents the percentage ratio of articles from top institutions (based on their ranking of total papers).Top affiliations were grouped by their rank into the following tiers: top 1-10, top 11-20, top 21-50, and top 51+. Only articles with a recognized affiliation are considered.

During the most recent 2021 edition, 4.87% of publications had an unrecognized affiliation. Out of the publications with recognized affiliations, 33.95% were posted by at least one author from the top 10 institutions publishing in the journal. Another 14.42% included authors affiliated with research institutions from the top 11-20 affiliations. Institutions from the 21-50 range included 16.74% of all publications and 34.88% were from other institutions.

Returning Authors Index

A very common phenomenon observed among researchers publishing scientific articles is the intentional selection of journals they have already attended in the past. In particular, it is worth analyzing the case when the authors participate in the same journal from year to year.

The Returning Authors Index presented below illustrates the ratio of authors who participated in both a given as well as the previous edition of the journal in relation to all participants in a given year.

Returning Institution Index

The graph below shows the Returning Institution Index, illustrating the ratio of institutions that participated in both a given and the previous edition of the conference in relation to all affiliations present in a given year.

The experience to innovation index

Our experience to innovation index was created to show a cross-section of the experience level of authors publishing in a journal. The index includes the authors publishing at the last edition of a journal, grouped by total number of publications throughout their academic career (P) and the total number of citations of these publications ever received (C).

The group intervals were selected empirically to best show the diversity of the authors' experiences, their labels were selected as a convenience, not as judgment. The authors were divided into the following groups:

  • Novice - P < 5 or C < 25 (the number of publications less than 5 or the number of citations less than 25),
  • Competent - P < 10 or C < 100 (the number of publications less than 10 or the number of citations less than 100),
  • Experienced - P < 25 or C < 625 (the number of publications less than 25 or the number of citations less than 625),
  • Master - P < 50 or C < 2500 (the number of publications less than 50 or the number of citations less than 2500),
  • Star - P ≥ 50 and C ≥ 2500 (both the number of publications greater than 50 and the number of citations greater than 2500).

The chart below illustrates experience levels of first authors in cases of publications with multiple authors.

Top Publications

  • Large deltas, small deltas: Toward a more rigorous understanding of coastal marine deltas

    Unknown

    (2022)
    127 Citations
  • Mercury linked to Deccan Traps volcanism, climate change and the end-Cretaceous mass extinction

    Gerta Keller;Paula Mateo;Johannes Monkenbusch;Nicolas Thibault

    (2020)
    116 Citations
  • The roles of NDVI and Land Surface Temperature when using the Vegetation Health Index over dry regions

    Virgílio A. Bento;Célia M. Gouveia;Célia M. Gouveia;Carlos C. DaCamara;Renata Libonati;Renata Libonati

    (2020)
    116 Citations
  • A volcanic scenario for the Frasnian–Famennian major biotic crisis and other Late Devonian global changes: More answers than questions?

    Grzegorz Racki

    (2020)
    110 Citations
  • How will the progressive global increase of arid areas affect population and land-use in the 21st century?

    Jonathan Spinoni;Paulo Barbosa;Michael Cherlet;Giovanni Forzieri

    (2021)
    101 Citations
  • Analysis of climate variability and droughts in East Africa using high-resolution climate data products

    Solomon H. Gebrechorkos;Solomon H. Gebrechorkos;Stephan Hülsmann;Christian Bernhofer

    (2020)
    98 Citations
  • Molecular paleothermometry of the early Toarcian climate perturbation

    Wolfgang Ruebsam;Matias Reolid;Nadia Sabatino;Daniele Masetti

    (2020)
    94 Citations
  • Triple-stage India-Asia collision involving arc-continent collision and subsequent two-stage continent-continent collision

    Unknown

    (2022)
    89 Citations
  • Increase in compound dry-warm and wet-warm events under global warming in CMIP6 models

    (2022)
    82 Citations
  • Tibetan Plateau amplification of climate extremes under global warming of 1.5 °C, 2 °C and 3 °C

    Qinglong You;Fangying Wu;Liucheng Shen;Nick Pepin

    (2020)
    68 Citations

Related Online Degrees & Career Pathways

For those interested in studying Environmental Sciences in the USA, there are various related online degrees that can complement or expand career opportunities. One growing area is environmental health and safety, which focuses on protecting ecosystems and human health through regulations and sustainable practices. Exploring the best online environmental health and safety degree programs can provide valuable insights into how to mitigate environmental risks effectively.

Beyond environmental fields, some students may consider roles in counseling to address the human and community dimensions of environmental challenges. Understanding the types of counseling degrees helps prospective students identify whether marriage and family counseling, mental health counseling, or other specialties align with their career goals.

For example, pursuing a master’s in counseling—such as the programs listed under marriage and family masters programs—can open pathways to supporting families and individuals affected by environmental stressors. Additionally, healthcare-oriented careers like psychiatric nurse practitioners combine clinical care with mental health expertise, and researching pmhnp salary by state can aid in making informed decisions about education and location.

Ultimately, students and professionals benefit from understanding the diverse educational options and career pathways that intersect with environmental sciences, allowing for a well-rounded and impactful approach to sustainability and human well-being.

Best Scientists Contributing to This Journal

Recently Published Articles