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Environmental Sciences
USA
2026

D-Index & Metrics

Discipline name D-Index World Ranking Current World Ranking National Ranking Current National Ranking Publications Citations
Environmental Sciences 138 52 49 20 18 547 81923
Biology and Biochemistry 138 293 262 199 175 525 81321

Hans W. Paerl publications per year

The chart shows the history of publications by Hans W. Paerl between 1972 and 2025, highlighting the no. of papers published in each year and offering an overview of the publication velocity of this scholar. Hans W. Paerl published across 54 years, from 1972 to 2025, averaging 10.9 papers a year. Output peaked at 27 publications in 2025. 39 of the 588 publications appeared in the last two years.

No. of publications
5 10 15 20 25
Bar chart. Horizontal axis: year, 1972 to 2025. Vertical axis: number of publications, 0 to 27. Peak 27 publications in 2025. 1972: 1 publication 1973: 1 publication 1974: 1 publication 1975: 3 publications 1976: 6 publications 1977: 4 publications 1978: 7 publications 1979: 3 publications 1980: 3 publications 1981: 3 publications 1982: 6 publications 1983: 5 publications 1984: 6 publications 1985: 8 publications 1986: 1 publication 1987: 7 publications 1988: 7 publications 1989: 3 publications 1990: 6 publications 1991: 7 publications 1992: 3 publications 1993: 13 publications 1994: 10 publications 1995: 11 publications 1996: 13 publications 1997: 7 publications 1998: 11 publications 1999: 14 publications 2000: 8 publications 2001: 14 publications 2002: 17 publications 2003: 13 publications 2004: 8 publications 2005: 10 publications 2006: 10 publications 2007: 13 publications 2008: 15 publications 2009: 11 publications 2010: 21 publications 2011: 17 publications 2012: 11 publications 2013: 7 publications 2014: 18 publications 2015: 15 publications 2016: 23 publications 2017: 20 publications 2018: 20 publications 2019: 25 publications 2020: 25 publications 2021: 17 publications 2022: 24 publications 2023: 17 publications 2024: 12 publications 2025: 27 publications
1972 2025

588 publications in total across all disciplines

View publications per year as a table
Hans W. Paerl: publications per year, 1972 to 2025
Year Publications
1972 1
1973 1
1974 1
1975 3
1976 6
1977 4
1978 7
1979 3
1980 3
1981 3
1982 6
1983 5
1984 6
1985 8
1986 1
1987 7
1988 7
1989 3
1990 6
1991 7
1992 3
1993 13
1994 10
1995 11
1996 13
1997 7
1998 11
1999 14
2000 8
2001 14
2002 17
2003 13
2004 8
2005 10
2006 10
2007 13
2008 15
2009 11
2010 21
2011 17
2012 11
2013 7
2014 18
2015 15
2016 23
2017 20
2018 20
2019 25
2020 25
2021 17
2022 24
2023 17
2024 12
2025 27
Total 588
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Hans W. Paerl publication distribution in Environmental Sciences in 2026

The chart shows the distribution of publications by all Research.com ranked scientists in the field of Environmental Sciences in 2026. The highlighted bar marks where Hans W. Paerl sits on this spectrum.

No. of scientists
200 400 600
Bar chart with 66 bars. Horizontal axis: publications, 41–50 to 690+. Vertical axis: number of scientists, 0 to 617. Most scientists, 617, have 121–130 publications. The last bar groups every scientist with 690 publications or more. The highlighted bar, 541–550 publications, is where this scientist sits. 41–50 publications: 21 scientists 51–60 publications: 62 scientists 61–70 publications: 133 scientists 71–80 publications: 257 scientists 81–90 publications: 361 scientists 91–100 publications: 440 scientists 101–110 publications: 492 scientists 111–120 publications: 541 scientists 121–130 publications: 617 scientists 131–140 publications: 544 scientists 141–150 publications: 541 scientists 151–160 publications: 539 scientists 161–170 publications: 444 scientists 171–180 publications: 444 scientists 181–190 publications: 400 scientists 191–200 publications: 377 scientists 201–210 publications: 318 scientists 211–220 publications: 282 scientists 221–230 publications: 263 scientists 231–240 publications: 220 scientists 241–250 publications: 217 scientists 251–260 publications: 180 scientists 261–270 publications: 181 scientists 271–280 publications: 155 scientists 281–290 publications: 130 scientists 291–300 publications: 127 scientists 301–310 publications: 130 scientists 311–320 publications: 85 scientists 321–330 publications: 106 scientists 331–340 publications: 80 scientists 341–350 publications: 83 scientists 351–360 publications: 75 scientists 361–370 publications: 69 scientists 371–380 publications: 52 scientists 381–390 publications: 54 scientists 391–400 publications: 56 scientists 401–410 publications: 44 scientists 411–420 publications: 40 scientists 421–430 publications: 36 scientists 431–440 publications: 25 scientists 441–450 publications: 25 scientists 451–460 publications: 32 scientists 461–470 publications: 29 scientists 471–480 publications: 21 scientists 481–490 publications: 26 scientists 491–500 publications: 26 scientists 501–510 publications: 17 scientists 511–520 publications: 19 scientists 521–530 publications: 15 scientists 531–540 publications: 22 scientists 541–550 publications: 12 scientists 551–560 publications: 15 scientists 561–570 publications: 11 scientists 571–580 publications: 19 scientists 581–590 publications: 9 scientists 591–600 publications: 9 scientists 601–610 publications: 7 scientists 611–620 publications: 11 scientists 621–630 publications: 5 scientists 631–640 publications: 5 scientists 641–650 publications: 6 scientists 651–660 publications: 3 scientists 661–670 publications: 3 scientists 671–680 publications: 4 scientists 681–689 publications: 4 scientists 690+ publications: 100 scientists
41–50 publications 690+

This scientist: 547 publications — 98th percentile

98% of scientists in this discipline score the same or lower.

The last bar groups every scientist with 690 publications or more.

View publications distribution as a table
Number of Environmental Sciences scientists by publication count, Research.com 2026 ranking edition. Based on 9,676 ranked scientists.
Publications Scientists This scientist
41–50 21
51–60 62
61–70 133
71–80 257
81–90 361
91–100 440
101–110 492
111–120 541
121–130 617
131–140 544
141–150 541
151–160 539
161–170 444
171–180 444
181–190 400
191–200 377
201–210 318
211–220 282
221–230 263
231–240 220
241–250 217
251–260 180
261–270 181
271–280 155
281–290 130
291–300 127
301–310 130
311–320 85
321–330 106
331–340 80
341–350 83
351–360 75
361–370 69
371–380 52
381–390 54
391–400 56
401–410 44
411–420 40
421–430 36
431–440 25
441–450 25
451–460 32
461–470 29
471–480 21
481–490 26
491–500 26
501–510 17
511–520 19
521–530 15
531–540 22
541–550 12 547
551–560 15
561–570 11
571–580 19
581–590 9
591–600 9
601–610 7
611–620 11
621–630 5
631–640 5
641–650 6
651–660 3
661–670 3
671–680 4
681–689 4
690+ 100
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Hans W. Paerl D-index placement in Environmental Sciences in 2026

The chart shows the D-index (discipline H-index) distribution of Environmental Sciences scientists ranked by Research.com in 2026. The highlighted bar marks where Hans W. Paerl sits on this spectrum.

No. of scientists
100 200 300
Bar chart with 97 bars. Horizontal axis: D-Index, 30 to 126+. Vertical axis: number of scientists, 0 to 348. Most scientists, 348, have 45 D-Index. The last bar groups every scientist with 126 D-Index or more. The highlighted bar, 126+ D-Index, is where this scientist sits. 30 D-Index: 12 scientists 31 D-Index: 26 scientists 32 D-Index: 51 scientists 33 D-Index: 88 scientists 34 D-Index: 123 scientists 35 D-Index: 163 scientists 36 D-Index: 206 scientists 37 D-Index: 267 scientists 38 D-Index: 265 scientists 39 D-Index: 275 scientists 40 D-Index: 321 scientists 41 D-Index: 343 scientists 42 D-Index: 305 scientists 43 D-Index: 336 scientists 44 D-Index: 330 scientists 45 D-Index: 348 scientists 46 D-Index: 291 scientists 47 D-Index: 275 scientists 48 D-Index: 272 scientists 49 D-Index: 273 scientists 50 D-Index: 263 scientists 51 D-Index: 232 scientists 52 D-Index: 266 scientists 53 D-Index: 217 scientists 54 D-Index: 198 scientists 55 D-Index: 177 scientists 56 D-Index: 202 scientists 57 D-Index: 204 scientists 58 D-Index: 166 scientists 59 D-Index: 177 scientists 60 D-Index: 166 scientists 61 D-Index: 152 scientists 62 D-Index: 143 scientists 63 D-Index: 150 scientists 64 D-Index: 124 scientists 65 D-Index: 119 scientists 66 D-Index: 120 scientists 67 D-Index: 118 scientists 68 D-Index: 82 scientists 69 D-Index: 98 scientists 70 D-Index: 94 scientists 71 D-Index: 105 scientists 72 D-Index: 74 scientists 73 D-Index: 84 scientists 74 D-Index: 70 scientists 75 D-Index: 67 scientists 76 D-Index: 78 scientists 77 D-Index: 60 scientists 78 D-Index: 59 scientists 79 D-Index: 52 scientists 80 D-Index: 47 scientists 81 D-Index: 38 scientists 82 D-Index: 48 scientists 83 D-Index: 42 scientists 84 D-Index: 42 scientists 85 D-Index: 43 scientists 86 D-Index: 29 scientists 87 D-Index: 37 scientists 88 D-Index: 29 scientists 89 D-Index: 30 scientists 90 D-Index: 34 scientists 91 D-Index: 20 scientists 92 D-Index: 22 scientists 93 D-Index: 17 scientists 94 D-Index: 19 scientists 95 D-Index: 24 scientists 96 D-Index: 21 scientists 97 D-Index: 20 scientists 98 D-Index: 24 scientists 99 D-Index: 17 scientists 100 D-Index: 17 scientists 101 D-Index: 21 scientists 102 D-Index: 25 scientists 103 D-Index: 18 scientists 104 D-Index: 26 scientists 105 D-Index: 20 scientists 106 D-Index: 15 scientists 107 D-Index: 10 scientists 108 D-Index: 13 scientists 109 D-Index: 15 scientists 110 D-Index: 12 scientists 111 D-Index: 8 scientists 112 D-Index: 7 scientists 113 D-Index: 9 scientists 114 D-Index: 6 scientists 115 D-Index: 12 scientists 116 D-Index: 7 scientists 117 D-Index: 8 scientists 118 D-Index: 3 scientists 119 D-Index: 5 scientists 120 D-Index: 7 scientists 121 D-Index: 2 scientists 122 D-Index: 4 scientists 123 D-Index: 8 scientists 124 D-Index: 7 scientists 125 D-Index: 9 scientists 126+ D-Index: 92 scientists
30 D-Index 126+

This scientist: 138 D-Index — 99th percentile

99% of scientists in this discipline score the same or lower.

The last bar groups every scientist with 126 D-Index or more.

View D-Index distribution as a table
Number of Environmental Sciences scientists by D-index, Research.com 2026 ranking edition. Based on 9,676 ranked scientists.
D-Index Scientists This scientist
30 12
31 26
32 51
33 88
34 123
35 163
36 206
37 267
38 265
39 275
40 321
41 343
42 305
43 336
44 330
45 348
46 291
47 275
48 272
49 273
50 263
51 232
52 266
53 217
54 198
55 177
56 202
57 204
58 166
59 177
60 166
61 152
62 143
63 150
64 124
65 119
66 120
67 118
68 82
69 98
70 94
71 105
72 74
73 84
74 70
75 67
76 78
77 60
78 59
79 52
80 47
81 38
82 48
83 42
84 42
85 43
86 29
87 37
88 29
89 30
90 34
91 20
92 22
93 17
94 19
95 24
96 21
97 20
98 24
99 17
100 17
101 21
102 25
103 18
104 26
105 20
106 15
107 10
108 13
109 15
110 12
111 8
112 7
113 9
114 6
115 12
116 7
117 8
118 3
119 5
120 7
121 2
122 4
123 8
124 7
125 9
126+ 92 138
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Research.com Recognitions

  • 2026 - Research.com Environmental Sciences in United States Leader Award
  • 2025 - Research.com Environmental Sciences in United States Leader Award
  • 2023 - Research.com Environmental Sciences in United States Leader Award
  • 2015 - Fellow of American Geophysical Union (AGU)

Overview

Hans W. Paerl is affiliated with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in the United States. Their research primarily spans the fields of Environmental Science and Earth and Planetary Sciences, with substantial contributions in subfields such as Environmental Chemistry, Oceanography, Ecology, Global and Planetary Change, and Atmospheric Science.

Their work focuses on several main topics, including:

  • Aquatic Ecosystems and Phytoplankton Dynamics
  • Marine and coastal ecosystems
  • Soil and Water Nutrient Dynamics
  • Microbial Community Ecology and Physiology
  • Marine Biology and Ecology Research
  • Coastal wetland ecosystem dynamics
  • Fish Ecology and Management Studies

Paerl has a strong publication record with frequent appearances in venues such as:

  • UNC Libraries
  • Limnology and Oceanography
  • Faculty Opinions - Post-Publication Peer Review of the Biomedical Literature
  • Water Research
  • SSRN Electronic Journal

Notable recent papers by Paerl include:

  • "Toxic Cyanobacteria: A Growing Threat to Water and Air Quality," 2020, Environmental Science & Technology
  • "Shifting states, shifting services: Linking regime shifts to changes in ecosystem services of shallow lakes," 2020, Freshwater Biology
  • "Contributions of external nutrient loading and internal cycling to cyanobacterial bloom dynamics in Lake Taihu, China: Implications for nutrient management," 2021, Limnology and Oceanography
  • "Mitigating the global expansion of harmful cyanobacterial blooms: Moving targets in a human- and climatically-altered world," 2020, Harmful Algae
  • "Extreme Climate Anomalies Enhancing Cyanobacterial Blooms in Eutrophic Lake Taihu, China," 2021, Water Resources Research

The scientist has collaborated frequently with colleagues such as Nathan S. Hall, Boqiang Qin, Haley E. Plaas, Yunlin Zhang, and Malcolm A. Barnard. These collaborations suggest an interdisciplinary approach integrating environmental chemistry, aquatic ecology, and climatology.

Hans W. Paerl was recognized as a Fellow of the American Geophysical Union (AGU) in 2015, reflecting a professional acknowledgment within the geophysical and environmental science community.

Best Publications

  • Controlling Eutrophication: Nitrogen and Phosphorus

    Daniel J. Conley;Hans W. Paerl;Robert W. Howarth;Donald F. Boesch

  • Cyanobacterial blooms

    Unknown

  • Blooms like it hot

    Hans W. Paerl;Jef Huisman

  • Harmful cyanobacterial blooms: causes, consequences, and controls.

    Hans W. Paerl;Timothy G. Otten;Timothy G. Otten

  • Climate change: A catalyst for global expansion of harmful cyanobacterial blooms

    Hans W. Paerl;Jef Huisman

  • Climate change: links to global expansion of harmful cyanobacteria.

    Hans W. Paerl;Valerie J. Paul

  • Trichodesmium, a Globally Significant Marine Cyanobacterium

    Douglas G. Capone;Jonathan P. Zehr;Hans W. Paerl;Birgitta Bergman

  • Harmful freshwater algal blooms, with an emphasis on cyanobacteria.

    Hans W. Paerl;Rolland S. Fulton;Pia H. Moisander;Julianne Dyble

  • Ecological Thresholds: The Key to Successful Environmental Management or an Important Concept with No Practical Application?

    Peter M. Groffman;Jill S. Baron;Tamara Blett;Arthur J. Gold

  • Nuisance phytoplankton blooms in coastal, estuarine, and inland waters1

    Hans W. Paerl

  • Controlling harmful cyanobacterial blooms in a world experiencing anthropogenic and climatic-induced change

    Hans W. Paerl;Nathan S. Hall;Elizabeth S. Calandrino

  • Nitrogen and phosphorus inputs control phytoplankton growth in eutrophic Lake Taihu, China.

    Hai Xu;Hans W. Paerl;Boqiang Qin;Guangwei Zhu

  • Controlling harmful cyanobacterial blooms in a hyper-eutrophic lake (Lake Taihu, China): The need for a dual nutrient (N & P) management strategy

    Hans W. Paerl;Hai Xu;Mark J. McCarthy;Mark J. McCarthy;Guangwei Zhu

  • Coastal eutrophication and harmful algal blooms : Importance of atmospheric deposition and groundwater as new nitrogen and other nutrient sources

    Hans W. Paerl

  • A review of the global ecology, genomics, and biogeography of the toxic cyanobacterium, Microcystis spp.

    Matthew J. Harke;Morgan M. Steffen;Christopher J. Gobler;Timothy G. Otten

  • A Drinking Water Crisis in Lake Taihu, China: Linkage to Climatic Variability and Lake Management

    Boqiang Qin;Guangwei Zhu;Guang Gao;Yunlin Zhang

  • Nutrients, eutrophication and harmful algal blooms along the freshwater to marine continuum

    Wayne A. Wurtsbaugh;Hans W. Paerl;Walter K. Dodds

  • The oceanic fixed nitrogen and nitrous oxide budgets: Moving targets as we enter the anthropocene?*

    L. A. Codispoti;Jay A. Brandes;J. P. Christensen;A. H. Devol

  • The role of microbes in accretion, lamination and early lithification of modern marine stromatolites

    R. P. Reid;P. T. Visscher;A. W. Decho;J. F. Stolz

  • Dinitrogen fixation in the world's oceans

    D. Karl;A. Michaels;B. Bergman;D.G. Capone

  • Allied attack: climate change and eutrophication

    B. Moss;S. Kosten;M. Meerhoff;R.W. Battarbee

Frequent Co-Authors

James L. Pinckney
James L. Pinckney University of South Carolina
Boqiang Qin
Boqiang Qin Chinese Academy of Sciences
Michael F. Piehler
Michael F. Piehler University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Guangwei Zhu
Guangwei Zhu Chinese Academy of Sciences
Pia H. Moisander
Pia H. Moisander University of Massachusetts Dartmouth
Christopher L. Osburn
Christopher L. Osburn North Carolina State University
Mark J. McCarthy
Mark J. McCarthy Wright State University
Hai Xu
Hai Xu Tianjin University
Steven W. Wilhelm
Steven W. Wilhelm University of Tennessee at Knoxville
Yunlin Zhang
Yunlin Zhang Chinese Academy of Sciences

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