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Earth Science
South Africa
2026

D-Index & Metrics

Discipline name D-Index World Ranking Current World Ranking National Ranking Current National Ranking Publications Citations
Earth Science 57 2278 2068 7 4 225 11094

Ian D L Foster publications per year

The chart shows the history of publications by Ian D L Foster between 1975 and 2025, highlighting the no. of papers published in each year and offering an overview of the publication velocity of this scholar. Ian D L Foster published across 51 years, from 1975 to 2025, averaging 5.1 papers a year. Output peaked at 18 publications in 2008. 7 of the 258 publications appeared in the last two years.

No. of publications
5 10 15
Bar chart. Horizontal axis: year, 1975 to 2025. Vertical axis: number of publications, 0 to 18. Peak 18 publications in 2008. 1975: 1 publication 1976: 0 publications 1977: 0 publications 1978: 2 publications 1979: 2 publications 1980: 1 publication 1981: 1 publication 1982: 2 publications 1983: 0 publications 1984: 1 publication 1985: 2 publications 1986: 4 publications 1987: 4 publications 1988: 0 publications 1989: 3 publications 1990: 17 publications 1991: 6 publications 1992: 0 publications 1993: 2 publications 1994: 4 publications 1995: 2 publications 1996: 6 publications 1997: 4 publications 1998: 3 publications 1999: 6 publications 2000: 8 publications 2001: 4 publications 2002: 7 publications 2003: 6 publications 2004: 4 publications 2005: 4 publications 2006: 8 publications 2007: 3 publications 2008: 18 publications 2009: 15 publications 2010: 8 publications 2011: 7 publications 2012: 16 publications 2013: 1 publication 2014: 9 publications 2015: 7 publications 2016: 8 publications 2017: 15 publications 2018: 4 publications 2019: 5 publications 2020: 7 publications 2021: 2 publications 2022: 9 publications 2023: 3 publications 2024: 5 publications 2025: 2 publications
1975 2025

258 publications in total across all disciplines

View publications per year as a table
Ian D L Foster: publications per year, 1975 to 2025
Year Publications
1975 1
1976 0
1977 0
1978 2
1979 2
1980 1
1981 1
1982 2
1983 0
1984 1
1985 2
1986 4
1987 4
1988 0
1989 3
1990 17
1991 6
1992 0
1993 2
1994 4
1995 2
1996 6
1997 4
1998 3
1999 6
2000 8
2001 4
2002 7
2003 6
2004 4
2005 4
2006 8
2007 3
2008 18
2009 15
2010 8
2011 7
2012 16
2013 1
2014 9
2015 7
2016 8
2017 15
2018 4
2019 5
2020 7
2021 2
2022 9
2023 3
2024 5
2025 2
Total 258
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Ian D L Foster publication distribution in Earth Science in 2026

The chart shows the distribution of publications by all Research.com ranked scientists in the field of Earth Science in 2026. The highlighted bar marks where Ian D L Foster sits on this spectrum.

No. of scientists
100 200 300 400 500
Bar chart with 58 bars. Horizontal axis: publications, 38–47 to 603+. Vertical axis: number of scientists, 0 to 557. Most scientists, 557, have 128–137 publications. The last bar groups every scientist with 603 publications or more. The highlighted bar, 218–227 publications, is where this scientist sits. 38–47 publications: 5 scientists 48–57 publications: 33 scientists 58–67 publications: 94 scientists 68–77 publications: 161 scientists 78–87 publications: 278 scientists 88–97 publications: 376 scientists 98–107 publications: 404 scientists 108–117 publications: 484 scientists 118–127 publications: 540 scientists 128–137 publications: 557 scientists 138–147 publications: 491 scientists 148–157 publications: 495 scientists 158–167 publications: 458 scientists 168–177 publications: 490 scientists 178–187 publications: 414 scientists 188–197 publications: 401 scientists 198–207 publications: 333 scientists 208–217 publications: 292 scientists 218–227 publications: 290 scientists 228–237 publications: 262 scientists 238–247 publications: 243 scientists 248–257 publications: 208 scientists 258–267 publications: 185 scientists 268–277 publications: 147 scientists 278–287 publications: 128 scientists 288–297 publications: 119 scientists 298–307 publications: 120 scientists 308–317 publications: 107 scientists 318–327 publications: 93 scientists 328–337 publications: 87 scientists 338–347 publications: 64 scientists 348–357 publications: 87 scientists 358–367 publications: 60 scientists 368–377 publications: 60 scientists 378–387 publications: 34 scientists 388–397 publications: 50 scientists 398–407 publications: 44 scientists 408–417 publications: 31 scientists 418–427 publications: 39 scientists 428–437 publications: 27 scientists 438–447 publications: 36 scientists 448–457 publications: 27 scientists 458–467 publications: 29 scientists 468–477 publications: 30 scientists 478–487 publications: 19 scientists 488–497 publications: 15 scientists 498–507 publications: 18 scientists 508–517 publications: 19 scientists 518–527 publications: 16 scientists 528–537 publications: 10 scientists 538–547 publications: 11 scientists 548–557 publications: 14 scientists 558–567 publications: 11 scientists 568–577 publications: 7 scientists 578–587 publications: 14 scientists 588–597 publications: 5 scientists 598–602 publications: 4 scientists 603+ publications: 100 scientists
38–47 publications 603+

This scientist: 225 publications — 71st percentile

71% of scientists in this discipline score the same or lower.

The last bar groups every scientist with 603 publications or more.

View publications distribution as a table
Number of Earth Science scientists by publication count, Research.com 2026 ranking edition. Based on 9,176 ranked scientists.
Publications Scientists This scientist
38–47 5
48–57 33
58–67 94
68–77 161
78–87 278
88–97 376
98–107 404
108–117 484
118–127 540
128–137 557
138–147 491
148–157 495
158–167 458
168–177 490
178–187 414
188–197 401
198–207 333
208–217 292
218–227 290 225
228–237 262
238–247 243
248–257 208
258–267 185
268–277 147
278–287 128
288–297 119
298–307 120
308–317 107
318–327 93
328–337 87
338–347 64
348–357 87
358–367 60
368–377 60
378–387 34
388–397 50
398–407 44
408–417 31
418–427 39
428–437 27
438–447 36
448–457 27
458–467 29
468–477 30
478–487 19
488–497 15
498–507 18
508–517 19
518–527 16
528–537 10
538–547 11
548–557 14
558–567 11
568–577 7
578–587 14
588–597 5
598–602 4
603+ 100
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Ian D L Foster D-index placement in Earth Science in 2026

The chart shows the D-index (discipline H-index) distribution of Earth Science scientists ranked by Research.com in 2026. The highlighted bar marks where Ian D L Foster sits on this spectrum.

No. of scientists
100 200 300
Bar chart with 77 bars. Horizontal axis: D-Index, 30 to 106+. Vertical axis: number of scientists, 0 to 389. Most scientists, 389, have 36 D-Index. The last bar groups every scientist with 106 D-Index or more. The highlighted bar, 57 D-Index, is where this scientist sits. 30 D-Index: 144 scientists 31 D-Index: 215 scientists 32 D-Index: 278 scientists 33 D-Index: 379 scientists 34 D-Index: 366 scientists 35 D-Index: 372 scientists 36 D-Index: 389 scientists 37 D-Index: 366 scientists 38 D-Index: 344 scientists 39 D-Index: 349 scientists 40 D-Index: 296 scientists 41 D-Index: 289 scientists 42 D-Index: 277 scientists 43 D-Index: 279 scientists 44 D-Index: 248 scientists 45 D-Index: 257 scientists 46 D-Index: 212 scientists 47 D-Index: 202 scientists 48 D-Index: 207 scientists 49 D-Index: 204 scientists 50 D-Index: 183 scientists 51 D-Index: 178 scientists 52 D-Index: 182 scientists 53 D-Index: 178 scientists 54 D-Index: 163 scientists 55 D-Index: 117 scientists 56 D-Index: 163 scientists 57 D-Index: 120 scientists 58 D-Index: 113 scientists 59 D-Index: 136 scientists 60 D-Index: 135 scientists 61 D-Index: 96 scientists 62 D-Index: 103 scientists 63 D-Index: 83 scientists 64 D-Index: 103 scientists 65 D-Index: 83 scientists 66 D-Index: 89 scientists 67 D-Index: 92 scientists 68 D-Index: 89 scientists 69 D-Index: 78 scientists 70 D-Index: 75 scientists 71 D-Index: 53 scientists 72 D-Index: 62 scientists 73 D-Index: 54 scientists 74 D-Index: 35 scientists 75 D-Index: 52 scientists 76 D-Index: 50 scientists 77 D-Index: 32 scientists 78 D-Index: 37 scientists 79 D-Index: 20 scientists 80 D-Index: 33 scientists 81 D-Index: 36 scientists 82 D-Index: 34 scientists 83 D-Index: 34 scientists 84 D-Index: 24 scientists 85 D-Index: 19 scientists 86 D-Index: 18 scientists 87 D-Index: 26 scientists 88 D-Index: 30 scientists 89 D-Index: 17 scientists 90 D-Index: 21 scientists 91 D-Index: 19 scientists 92 D-Index: 15 scientists 93 D-Index: 14 scientists 94 D-Index: 20 scientists 95 D-Index: 9 scientists 96 D-Index: 10 scientists 97 D-Index: 15 scientists 98 D-Index: 13 scientists 99 D-Index: 3 scientists 100 D-Index: 13 scientists 101 D-Index: 3 scientists 102 D-Index: 9 scientists 103 D-Index: 4 scientists 104 D-Index: 6 scientists 105 D-Index: 6 scientists 106+ D-Index: 98 scientists
30 D-Index 106+

This scientist: 57 D-Index — 76th percentile

76% of scientists in this discipline score the same or lower.

The last bar groups every scientist with 106 D-Index or more.

View D-Index distribution as a table
Number of Earth Science scientists by D-index, Research.com 2026 ranking edition. Based on 9,176 ranked scientists.
D-Index Scientists This scientist
30 144
31 215
32 278
33 379
34 366
35 372
36 389
37 366
38 344
39 349
40 296
41 289
42 277
43 279
44 248
45 257
46 212
47 202
48 207
49 204
50 183
51 178
52 182
53 178
54 163
55 117
56 163
57 120 57
58 113
59 136
60 135
61 96
62 103
63 83
64 103
65 83
66 89
67 92
68 89
69 78
70 75
71 53
72 62
73 54
74 35
75 52
76 50
77 32
78 37
79 20
80 33
81 36
82 34
83 34
84 24
85 19
86 18
87 26
88 30
89 17
90 21
91 19
92 15
93 14
94 20
95 9
96 10
97 15
98 13
99 3
100 13
101 3
102 9
103 4
104 6
105 6
106+ 98
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Research.com Recognitions

  • 2026 - Research.com Earth Science in South Africa Leader Award
  • 2025 - Research.com Earth Science in South Africa Leader Award
  • 2022 - Research.com Earth Science in South Africa Leader Award

Overview

Ian D L Foster is affiliated with Rhodes University in South Africa. Their research primarily focuses on environmental science, with significant contributions to agricultural and biological sciences. Their subfields of study include soil science, ecology, water science and technology, atmospheric science, and electrical and electronic engineering.

The main topics of their work cover soil erosion and sediment transport, hydrology and sediment transport processes, hydrology and watershed management studies, geology and paleoclimatology research, soil and water nutrient dynamics, archaeology and ancient environmental studies, and optimal power flow distribution.

Foster has published recent papers addressing various aspects of sediment and environmental monitoring. These include:

  • Sediment source fingerprinting: benchmarking recent outputs, remaining challenges and emerging themes (2020, Journal of Soils and Sediments)
  • Abiotic predictors of fine sediment accumulation in lowland rivers (2021, International Journal of Sediment Research)
  • Comparison of observed and DEM-driven field-to-river routing of flow from eroding fields in an arable lowland catchment (2021, CATENA)
  • Evaluating the performance of taxonomic and trait-based biomonitoring approaches for fine sediment in the UK (2021, Ecological Indicators)
  • Monitoring soil erosion on agricultural land: results and implications for the Rother valley, West Sussex, UK (2020, Earth Surface Processes and Landforms)

Their frequent co-authors include John Boardman, Adrian L. Collins, Kate Rowntree, Simon Pulley, and Yusheng Zhang.

Foster often publishes in specific venues such as Hydrological Processes, Earth Surface Processes and Landforms, Environmental Archaeology, arXiv (Cornell University), and Goldschmidt2021 abstracts.

Best Publications

  • Groundwater vulnerability and risk mapping for the Basaltic aquifer of the Azraq basin of Jordan using GIS, Remote sensing and DRASTIC

    Rida A.N. Al-Adamat;Ian D.L. Foster;Serwan M.J. Baban

  • Turbidity dynamics during spring storm events in an urban headwater river system: the Upper Tame, West Midlands, UK.

    Damien M. Lawler;Geoffrey E. Petts;Ian D.L. Foster;S. Harper

  • Heavy metals in the hydrological cycle: Trends and explanation

    I. D. L. Foster;S. M. Charlesworth

  • Soil erosion on agricultural land.

    J. Boardman;I. D. L. Foster;J. A. Dearing

  • Sediment source fingerprinting as an aid to catchment management: A review of the current state of knowledge and a methodological decision-tree for end-users

    A.L Collins;S. Pulley;I.D.L Foster;Allen Gellis

  • Rivers and landscape

    Geoffrey E. Petts;Ian D.L. Foster

  • What can we learn about soil erosion from the use of 137Cs

    A J Parsons;Ian D L Foster;Ian D L Foster

  • Sediment and water quality in river catchments

    Ian Foster;A. M. Gurnell;Bruce Webb

  • The Holocene Storegga Slide tsunami in the United Kingdom

    David E. Smith;S. Shi;Robin A. Cullingford;Alastair G. Dawson

  • Tracers in geomorphology

    Ian Foster

  • VARIATIONS IN THE NATURAL CHEMICAL CONCENTRATION OF RIVER WATER DURING FLOOD FLOWS, AND THE LAG EFFECT: SOME FURTHER COMMENTS

    D.E. Walling;I.D.L. Foster

  • Using reservoir deposits to reconstruct changing sediment yields and sources in the catchment of the Old Mill Reservoir, South Devon, UK, over the past 50 years

    I. D. L. Foster;D. E. Walling

  • Sediment source fingerprinting: benchmarking recent outputs, remaining challenges and emerging themes

    Adrian L. Collins;Martin Blackwell;Pascal Boeckx;Charlotte-Anne Chivers;Charlotte-Anne Chivers

  • Assessing lake eutrophication using chironomids: understanding the nature of community response in different lake types

    Peter G. Langdon;Zoe Ruiz;Klaus P. Brodersen;Ian D. L. Foster

  • Sediment sources and transport pathways in a rural catchment, Herefordshire, UK

    K.E. Gruszowski;Ian D.L. Foster;J.A. Lees;S.M. Charlesworth

  • Soil erosion on the South Downs: a review.

    J. Boardman;I.D.L. Foster;J.A. Dearing

  • Sediment targets for informing river catchment management: international experience and prospects

    A L Collins;A L Collins;P S Naden;D A Sear;J I Jones

  • Sediment tracing and environmental history for two small catchments, Karoo Uplands, South Africa

    Ian D.L. Foster;Ian D.L. Foster;John Boardman;James Keay-Bright

  • The role of urban surfaces (permeable pavements) in regulating drainage and evaporation: development of a laboratory simulation experiment

    C. T. Andersen;I. D. L. Foster;C. J. Pratt

  • The use of caesium-137 measurements to establish a sediment budget for the Start catchment, Devon, UK

    Philip N. Owens;Desmond E. Walling;Qingping He;Jo Shanahan

  • HYDROLOGICAL FORECASTING

    Unknown

  • Soil Erosion on Agricultural Land

    John Gerrard;J. Boardman;I. D. L. Foster;J. A. Dearing

Frequent Co-Authors

John Boardman
John Boardman University of Oxford
Adrian L. Collins
Adrian L. Collins Rothamsted Research
John A. Dearing
John A. Dearing University of Southampton
Desmond E. Walling
Desmond E. Walling University of Exeter
David E. Smith
David E. Smith University of Virginia
Philip N. Owens
Philip N. Owens University of Northern British Columbia
Anthony J. Parsons
Anthony J. Parsons University of Sheffield
Jamie Woodward
Jamie Woodward University of Manchester
Peter Wadhams
Peter Wadhams University of Cambridge
Tim Burt
Tim Burt Durham University

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Related Online Degrees & Career Pathways

For those interested in Earth Science, expanding your expertise through related online degrees can open diverse career opportunities. For instance, pursuing an online mfa creative writing can enhance your ability to communicate complex scientific concepts effectively, a valuable skill in education and public outreach.

Alternatively, combining Earth Science knowledge with leadership skills through an online masters degree in human resource management prepares graduates for managerial roles in environmental organizations and research institutions.

Earth Science careers are not limited by age, and there are excellent options tailored for mature students. Many find the best degrees for older adults offer the flexibility needed to balance education with other life commitments, making it a great choice for lifelong learners.

Moreover, those interested in library sciences and research may consider ala accredited mls programs, which can complement Earth Science studies by focusing on information management within scientific libraries or archives.

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