research paper on environmental science

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

• View all journals
• Explore content
• About the journal
• Publish with us
• Sign up for alerts

Collection  06 March 2024

Earth, Environment and Ecology Top 100 of 2023

This collection highlights the most downloaded* Earth science, environmental science and ecology research papers published by Scientific Reports in 2023. Featuring authors from around the world, these papers highlight valuable research from an international community.

You can also view the journal's overall Top 100 or the Top 100 within various subject areas . *Data obtained from SN Insights, which is based on Digital Science’s Dimensions.

An extraordinary fossil captures the struggle for existence during the Mesozoic

• Jordan C. Mallon

A new spinosaurid dinosaur species from the Early Cretaceous of Cinctorres (Spain)

• Andrés Santos-Cubedo
• Carlos de Santisteban
• Sergi Meseguer

Generation of equatorial plasma bubble after the 2022 Tonga volcanic eruption

• Atsuki Shinbori
• Takuya Sori
• Iku Shinohara

An ethological analysis of close-contact inter-cat interactions determining if cats are playing, fighting, or something in between

• N. Gajdoš-Kmecová
• D. S. Mills

The largest amber-preserved flower revisited

• Eva-Maria Sadowski
• Christa-Charlotte Hofmann

Climate warming and increasing Vibrio vulnificus infections in North America

• Elizabeth J. Archer
• Craig Baker-Austin
• Iain R. Lake

First terror bird footprints reveal functionally didactyl posture

• Ricardo N. Melchor
• Silverio F. Feola
• Lorena Herazo

New theropod dinosaur from the Lower Cretaceous of Japan provides critical implications for the early evolution of ornithomimosaurs

• Soki Hattori
• Masateru Shibata
• Yoichi Azuma

Carbon dioxide reduction by photosynthesis undetectable even during phytoplankton blooms in two lakes

• Karla Münzner
• Silke Langenheder
• Eva S. Lindström

The rise of macropredatory pliosaurids near the Early-Middle Jurassic transition

• Daniel Madzia
• Benjamin P. Kear

Large-scale effects of offshore wind farms on seabirds of high conservation concern

• Stefan Garthe
• Henriette Schwemmer
• Moritz Mercker

Symbolic innovation at the onset of the Upper Paleolithic in Eurasia shown by the personal ornaments from Tolbor-21 (Mongolia)

• Solange Rigaud
• Evgeny P. Rybin
• Nicolas Zwyns

Observed increases in North Atlantic tropical cyclone peak intensification rates

• Andra J. Garner

High probability of successive occurrence of Nankai megathrust earthquakes

• Yo Fukushima
• Tomoaki Nishikawa
• Yasuyuki Kano

A simple soil mass correction for a more accurate determination of soil carbon stock changes

• Ames F. Fowler
• Bruno Basso
• William F. Brinton

Bone aerophones from Eynan-Mallaha (Israel) indicate imitation of raptor calls by the last hunter-gatherers in the Levant

• Laurent Davin
• José-Miguel Tejero
• François Valla

Spontaneous action matching in dog puppies, kittens and wolf pups

• Claudia Fugazza
• Andrea Temesi
• Ákos Pogány

Characterization of the spontaneously recharging natural hydrogen reservoirs of Bourakebougou in Mali

• Eric Deville
• Aliou Boubacar Diallo

Reappraising the evolutionary history of the largest known gecko, the presumably extinct Hoplodactylus delcourti , via high-throughput sequencing of archival DNA

• Matthew P. Heinicke
• Stuart V. Nielsen
• Tony Gamble

Brazilian Amazon indigenous territories under deforestation pressure

• Celso H. L. Silva-Junior
• Fabrício B. Silva
• Maycon Melo

The risk of being bitten by a dog is higher on hot, sunny, and smoggy days

• Tanujit Dey
• Antonella Zanobetti
• Clas Linnman

Thousands of domestic and public supply wells face failure despite groundwater sustainability reform in California’s Central Valley

• Darcy Bostic
• Linda Mendez-Barrientos
• Victoria MacClements

Physics-informed deep learning to forecast \({\widehat{{\varvec{M}}}}_{{\varvec{m}}{\varvec{a}}{\varvec{x}}}\) during hydraulic fracturing

• David W. Eaton
• Jörn Davidsen

A new, rare, small-ranged, and endangered mountain snake of the genus Elaphe from the Southern Levant

• Daniel Jablonski
• Marco Antônio Ribeiro-Júnior

A widely-used eddy covariance gap-filling method creates systematic bias in carbon balance estimates

• Henriikka Vekuri
• Juha-Pekka Tuovinen
• Annalea Lohila

Spatial integration framework of solar, wind, and hydropower energy potential in Southeast Asia

• Anjar Dimara Sakti
• Pitri Rohayani
• Ketut Wikantika

Rapid population growth and high management costs have created a narrow window for control of introduced hippos in Colombia

• Amanda L. Subalusky
• Suresh A. Sethi

The provenance of the stones in the Menga dolmen reveals one of the greatest engineering feats of the Neolithic

• José Antonio Lozano Rodríguez
• Leonardo García Sanjuán
• Francisco Martínez-Sevilla

Beaver exploitation, 400,000 years ago, testifies to prey choice diversity of Middle Pleistocene hominins

• Sabine Gaudzinski-Windheuser
• Lutz Kindler
• Wil Roebroeks

Household energy-saving behavior, its consumption, and life satisfaction in 37 countries

• Xiangdan Piao
• Shunsuke Managi

Comparison of Oxford Nanopore Technologies and Illumina MiSeq sequencing with mock communities and agricultural soil

• Bo Maxwell Stevens
• Tim B. Creed
• Daniel K. Manter

The impact of floating photovoltaic power plants on lake water temperature and stratification

• Konstantin Ilgen
• Dirk Schindler

Partial COVID-19 closure of a national park reveals negative influence of low-impact recreation on wildlife spatiotemporal ecology

• Alissa K. Anderson
• John S. Waller
• Daniel H. Thornton

Sampling environmental DNA from trees and soil to detect cryptic arboreal mammals

• Michael C. Allen
• Robert Kwait
• Julie L. Lockwood

A new silesaurid from Carnian beds of Brazil fills a gap in the radiation of avian line archosaurs

• Rodrigo T. Müller
• Maurício S. Garcia

Assessing the climate change mitigation potential from food waste composting

• Tibisay Pérez
• Sintana E. Vergara
• Whendee L. Silver

Volcanic glass from the 1.8 ka Taupō eruption (New Zealand) detected in Antarctic ice at ~ 230 CE

• Stephen B. Piva
• Simon J. Barker
• Rewi M. Newnham

Land-use change is associated with multi-century loss of elephant ecosystems in Asia

• Shermin de Silva
• Peter Leimgruber

Impact of the Tambora volcanic eruption of 1815 on islands and relevance to future sunlight-blocking catastrophes

• Nick Wilson
• Veronika Valler
• Stefan Brönnimann

Statistical evaluation of character support reveals the instability of higher-level dinosaur phylogeny

• David Černý
• Ashley L. Simonoff

Climate change multi-model projections in CMIP6 scenarios in Central Hokkaido, Japan

• Shilei Peng
• Chunying Wang
• Ryusuke Hatano

An extinct deep-snouted Alligator species from the Quaternary of Thailand and comments on the evolution of crushing dentition in alligatorids

• Gustavo Darlim
• Kantapon Suraprasit
• Márton Rabi

A new Carboniferous edaphosaurid and the origin of herbivory in mammal forerunners

• Amy C. Henrici
• Stephanie E. Pierce

The difference between two brachycephalic and one mesocephalic dog breeds’ problem-solving performance suggests evidence for paedomorphism in behaviour

• Dorottya Júlia Ujfalussy
• Zsófia Bognár
• Enikő Kubinyi

35,000 years of recurrent visits inside Nerja cave (Andalusia, Spain) based on charcoals and soot micro-layers analyses

• Mª Ángeles Medina-Alcaide
• Ségolène Vandevelde
• Diego Garate

Anthropogenic influence on extremes and risk hotspots

• Francisco Estrada
• Pierre Perron
• Yohei Yamamoto

Neuroanatomy of the late Cretaceous Thescelosaurus neglectus (Neornithischia: Thescelosauridae) reveals novel ecological specialisations within Dinosauria

• David J. Button
• Lindsay E. Zanno

A new hazard scenario at Vesuvius: deadly thermal impact of detached ash cloud surges in 79CE at Herculaneum

• Alessandra Pensa
• Guido Giordano
• Pier Paolo Petrone

GlobalUsefulNativeTrees, a database documenting 14,014 tree species, supports synergies between biodiversity recovery and local livelihoods in landscape restoration

• Roeland Kindt
• Lars Graudal
• Ramni Jamnadass

Marine records reveal multiple phases of Toba’s last volcanic activity

• G. Del Manzo

The degree of urbanisation reduces wild bee and butterfly diversity and alters the patterns of flower-visitation in urban dry grasslands

• Johann Herrmann
• Sascha Buchholz
• Panagiotis Theodorou

Episodic transient deformation revealed by the analysis of multiple GNSS networks in the Noto Peninsula, central Japan

• Takuya Nishimura
• Yoshihiro Hiramatsu
• Yusaku Ohta

Unraveling Amazon tree community assembly using Maximum Information Entropy : a quantitative analysis of tropical forest ecology

• Luiz de Souza Coelho
• Hans ter Steege

An assessment of whether long-term global changes in waves and storm surges have impacted global coastlines

• Mandana Ghanavati
• Arjen P. Luijendijk

Organic geochemical evidence of human-controlled fires at Acheulean site of Valdocarros II (Spain, 245 kya)

• Lavinia M. Stancampiano
• Susana Rubio-Jara
• Clayton R. Magill

Playing “hide and seek” with the Mediterranean monk seal: a citizen science dataset reveals its distribution from molecular traces (eDNA)

• Elena Valsecchi
• Giacomo Tavecchia
• Paolo Galli

Air-conditioning adoption and electricity demand highlight climate change mitigation–adaptation tradeoffs

• Francesco Pietro Colelli
• Ian Sue Wing
• Enrica De Cian

Assessing the United Nations sustainable development goals from the inclusive wealth perspective

• Yogi Sugiawan
• Robi Kurniawan

Palaeoenvironments and hominin evolutionary dynamics in southeast Asia

• Anne-Marie Bacon
• Nicolas Bourgon
• Jean-Jacques Hublin

Robust acceleration of Earth system heating observed over the past six decades

• Audrey Minière
• Karina von Schuckmann

A bolder conservation future for Indonesia by prioritising biodiversity, carbon and unique ecosystems in Sulawesi

• Wulan Pusparini
• Andi Cahyana
• David W. Macdonald

Assessing the relative impacts and economic costs of Japanese knotweed management methods

• Sophie Hocking
• Trisha Toop
• Daniel Eastwood

Machine learning and statistical classification of birdsong link vocal acoustic features with phylogeny

• Moises Rivera
• Jacob A. Edwards
• Sarah M. N. Woolley

Genetic diversity patterns of lionfish in the Southwestern Atlantic Ocean reveal a rapidly expanding stepping-stone bioinvasion process

• Rodrigo Maggioni
• Rafael S. Rocha
• Marcelo O. Soares

AMOC decline and recovery in a warmer climate

• Paulo Nobre
• Sandro F. Veiga
• Carlos A. Nobre

A collaborative and near-comprehensive North Pacific humpback whale photo-ID dataset

• Ted Cheeseman
• Ken Southerland
• Phil Clapham

Explaining population booms and busts in Mid-Holocene Europe

• Dániel Kondor
• James S. Bennett
• Peter Turchin

Centenarian lifespans of three freshwater fish species in Arizona reveal the exceptional longevity of the buffalofishes ( Ictiobus )

• Alec R. Lackmann
• Stuart A. Black
• Jeffrey A. Lackmann

Necrophagy by insects in Oculudentavis and other lizard body fossils preserved in Cretaceous amber

• Mónica M. Solórzano‑Kraemer
• Enrique Peñalver
• Adolf M. Peretti

The first description of dermal armour in snakes

• Petra Frýdlová
• Veronika Janovská
• Daniel Frynta

Seafood label quality and mislabelling rates hamper consumer choices for sustainability in Australia

• Megan E. Cundy
• Julia Santana-Garcon
• Chris Wilcox

The first petrographic characterisation of a prehistoric rock crystal mine in the Swiss Alps

• Thomas Hess
• Josef Mullis
• Leander Franz

Data driven pathway analysis and forecast of global warming and sea level rise

• Jiecheng Song
• Guanchao Tong

Scenarios of land use and land cover change in the Colombian Amazon to evaluate alternative post-conflict pathways

• William-J. Agudelo-Hz
• Natalia-C. Castillo-Barrera
• Murcia-García Uriel

The median eyes of trilobites

• Brigitte Schoenemann
• Euan N. K. Clarkson

Subsistence of early anatomically modern humans in Europe as evidenced in the Protoaurignacian occupations of Fumane Cave, Italy

• Ana B. Marín-Arroyo
• Gabriele Terlato
• Marco Peresani

Possible origins and implications of atypical morphologies and domestication-like traits in wild golden jackals ( Canis aureus )

• Ayelet Barash
• Shlomo Preiss-Bloom
• Yaron Dekel

Environmental ranking of European industrial facilities by toxicity and global warming potentials

• Szilárd Erhart
• Kornél Erhart

Three-dimensional dental microwear in type-Maastrichtian mosasaur teeth (Reptilia, Squamata)

• Femke M. Holwerda
• Jordan Bestwick
• Anne S. Schulp

Understanding physical climate risks and their implication for community adaptation in the borana zone of southern Ethiopia using mixed-methods research

• Mulugeta Shibru
• Alfred Opere
• Maina Gichaba

Multiple mitogenomes indicate Things Fall Apart with Out of Africa or Asia hypotheses for the phylogeographic evolution of Honey Bees ( Apis mellifera )

• Steven M. Carr

Skeletal convergence in thunniform sharks, ichthyosaurs, whales, and tunas, and its possible ecological links through the marine ecosystem evolution

• Ryosuke Motani
• Kenshu Shimada

A new toothless pterosaur from the Early Cretaceous Jehol Biota with comments on the Chaoyangopteridae

• Xiaolin Wang
• Alexander W. A. Kellner
• Zhonghe Zhou

Hunting behavior of a solitary sailfish Istiophorus platypterus and estimated energy gain after prey capture

• Ryan K. Logan
• Sarah M. Luongo
• Mahmood S. Shivji

Critically endangered Rice’s whales ( Balaenoptera ricei ) selectively feed on high-quality prey in the Gulf of Mexico

• Jeremy J. Kiszka
• Michelle Caputo
• Lance P. Garrison

Machine learning-based country-level annual air pollutants exploration using Sentinel-5P and Google Earth Engine

• Bijay Halder
• Iman Ahmadianfar
• Zaher Mundher Yaseen

Climate-driven habitat shifts of high-ranked prey species structure Late Upper Paleolithic hunting

• Peter M. Yaworsky
• Shumon T. Hussain
• Felix Riede

Regional and temporal variability of Indian summer monsoon rainfall in relation to El Niño southern oscillation

• K. S. Athira
• Raju Attada

Applying an ecosystem services framework on nature and mental health to recreational blue space visits across 18 countries

• Joanne K. Garrett
• Mathew P. White
• Lora E. Fleming

Exponential increases in high-temperature extremes in North America

• Ali Davariashtiyani
• Mohsen Taherkhani
• Sean Vitousek

Human-mediated dispersal drives the spread of the spotted lanternfly ( Lycorma delicatula )

• Zachary S. Ladin
• Donald A. Eggen
• Vincent D’Amico

The environmental controls on efficiency of enhanced rock weathering in soils

• Eric Sonnenthal

Resolving the 21st century temperature trends of the upper troposphere–lower stratosphere with satellite observations

• Florian Ladstädter
• Andrea K. Steiner
• Hans Gleisner

Regionally high risk increase for precipitation extreme events under global warming

• Cristian Martinez-Villalobos
• J. David Neelin

Effects of Climate change on temperature and precipitation in the Lake Toba region, Indonesia, based on ERA5-land data with quantile mapping bias correction

• Hendri Irwandi
• Mohammad Syamsu Rosid

A probable koala from the Oligocene of central Australia provides insights into early diprotodontian evolution

• Arthur I. Crichton
• Robin M. D. Beck
• Gavin J. Prideaux

Overwintering and breeding patterns of monarch butterflies ( Danaus plexippus ) in coastal plain habitats of the southeastern USA

• Michael R. Kendrick
• John W. McCord

Ancient DNA re-opens the question of the phylogenetic position of the Sardinian pika Prolagus sardus (Wagner, 1829), an extinct lagomorph

• Valerio Joe Utzeri
• Elisabetta Cilli
• Luca Fontanesi

Increase in the wave power caused by decreasing sea ice over the Sea of Okhotsk in winter

• Shinsuke Iwasaki

Identification of illegally dumped plastic waste in a highly polluted river in Indonesia using Sentinel-2 satellite imagery

• Emenda Sembiring
• Danang Surya Candra

Quick links

• Explore articles by subject
• Guide to authors
• Editorial policies

Research Topics & Ideas: Environment

100+ Environmental Science Research Topics & Ideas

Finding and choosing a strong research topic is the critical first step when it comes to crafting a high-quality dissertation, thesis or research project. Here, we’ll explore a variety research ideas and topic thought-starters related to various environmental science disciplines, including ecology, oceanography, hydrology, geology, soil science, environmental chemistry, environmental economics, and environmental ethics.

NB – This is just the start…

The topic ideation and evaluation process has multiple steps . In this post, we’ll kickstart the process by sharing some research topic ideas within the environmental sciences. This is the starting point though. To develop a well-defined research topic, you’ll need to identify a clear and convincing research gap , along with a well-justified plan of action to fill that gap.

If you’re new to the oftentimes perplexing world of research, or if this is your first time undertaking a formal academic research project, be sure to check out our free dissertation mini-course. Also be sure to also sign up for our free webinar that explores how to develop a high-quality research topic from scratch.

Overview: Environmental Topics

• Ecology /ecological science
• Atmospheric science
• Oceanography
• Soil science
• Environmental chemistry
• Environmental economics
• Environmental ethics
• Examples  of dissertations and theses

Topics & Ideas: Ecological Science

• The impact of land-use change on species diversity and ecosystem functioning in agricultural landscapes
• The role of disturbances such as fire and drought in shaping arid ecosystems
• The impact of climate change on the distribution of migratory marine species
• Investigating the role of mutualistic plant-insect relationships in maintaining ecosystem stability
• The effects of invasive plant species on ecosystem structure and function
• The impact of habitat fragmentation caused by road construction on species diversity and population dynamics in the tropics
• The role of ecosystem services in urban areas and their economic value to a developing nation
• The effectiveness of different grassland restoration techniques in degraded ecosystems
• The impact of land-use change through agriculture and urbanisation on soil microbial communities in a temperate environment
• The role of microbial diversity in ecosystem health and nutrient cycling in an African savannah

Topics & Ideas: Atmospheric Science

• The impact of climate change on atmospheric circulation patterns above tropical rainforests
• The role of atmospheric aerosols in cloud formation and precipitation above cities with high pollution levels
• The impact of agricultural land-use change on global atmospheric composition
• Investigating the role of atmospheric convection in severe weather events in the tropics
• The impact of urbanisation on regional and global atmospheric ozone levels
• The impact of sea surface temperature on atmospheric circulation and tropical cyclones
• The impact of solar flares on the Earth’s atmospheric composition
• The impact of climate change on atmospheric turbulence and air transportation safety
• The impact of stratospheric ozone depletion on atmospheric circulation and climate change
• The role of atmospheric rivers in global water supply and sea-ice formation

Topics & Ideas: Oceanography

• The impact of ocean acidification on kelp forests and biogeochemical cycles
• The role of ocean currents in distributing heat and regulating desert rain
• The impact of carbon monoxide pollution on ocean chemistry and biogeochemical cycles
• Investigating the role of ocean mixing in regulating coastal climates
• The impact of sea level rise on the resource availability of low-income coastal communities
• The impact of ocean warming on the distribution and migration patterns of marine mammals
• The impact of ocean deoxygenation on biogeochemical cycles in the arctic
• The role of ocean-atmosphere interactions in regulating rainfall in arid regions
• The impact of ocean eddies on global ocean circulation and plankton distribution
• The role of ocean-ice interactions in regulating the Earth’s climate and sea level

Tops & Ideas: Hydrology

• The impact of agricultural land-use change on water resources and hydrologic cycles in temperate regions
• The impact of agricultural groundwater availability on irrigation practices in the global south
• The impact of rising sea-surface temperatures on global precipitation patterns and water availability
• Investigating the role of wetlands in regulating water resources for riparian forests
• The impact of tropical ranches on river and stream ecosystems and water quality
• The impact of urbanisation on regional and local hydrologic cycles and water resources for agriculture
• The role of snow cover and mountain hydrology in regulating regional agricultural water resources
• The impact of drought on food security in arid and semi-arid regions
• The role of groundwater recharge in sustaining water resources in arid and semi-arid environments
• The impact of sea level rise on coastal hydrology and the quality of water resources

Topics & Ideas: Geology

• The impact of tectonic activity on the East African rift valley
• The role of mineral deposits in shaping ancient human societies
• The impact of sea-level rise on coastal geomorphology and shoreline evolution
• Investigating the role of erosion in shaping the landscape and impacting desertification
• The impact of mining on soil stability and landslide potential
• The impact of volcanic activity on incoming solar radiation and climate
• The role of geothermal energy in decarbonising the energy mix of megacities
• The impact of Earth’s magnetic field on geological processes and solar wind
• The impact of plate tectonics on the evolution of mammals
• The role of the distribution of mineral resources in shaping human societies and economies, with emphasis on sustainability

Topics & Ideas: Soil Science

• The impact of dam building on soil quality and fertility
• The role of soil organic matter in regulating nutrient cycles in agricultural land
• The impact of climate change on soil erosion and soil organic carbon storage in peatlands
• Investigating the role of above-below-ground interactions in nutrient cycling and soil health
• The impact of deforestation on soil degradation and soil fertility
• The role of soil texture and structure in regulating water and nutrient availability in boreal forests
• The impact of sustainable land management practices on soil health and soil organic matter
• The impact of wetland modification on soil structure and function
• The role of soil-atmosphere exchange and carbon sequestration in regulating regional and global climate
• The impact of salinization on soil health and crop productivity in coastal communities

Topics & Ideas: Environmental Chemistry

• The impact of cobalt mining on water quality and the fate of contaminants in the environment
• The role of atmospheric chemistry in shaping air quality and climate change
• The impact of soil chemistry on nutrient availability and plant growth in wheat monoculture
• Investigating the fate and transport of heavy metal contaminants in the environment
• The impact of climate change on biochemical cycling in tropical rainforests
• The impact of various types of land-use change on biochemical cycling
• The role of soil microbes in mediating contaminant degradation in the environment
• The impact of chemical and oil spills on freshwater and soil chemistry
• The role of atmospheric nitrogen deposition in shaping water and soil chemistry
• The impact of over-irrigation on the cycling and fate of persistent organic pollutants in the environment

Topics & Ideas: Environmental Economics

• The impact of climate change on the economies of developing nations
• The role of market-based mechanisms in promoting sustainable use of forest resources
• The impact of environmental regulations on economic growth and competitiveness
• Investigating the economic benefits and costs of ecosystem services for African countries
• The impact of renewable energy policies on regional and global energy markets
• The role of water markets in promoting sustainable water use in southern Africa
• The impact of land-use change in rural areas on regional and global economies
• The impact of environmental disasters on local and national economies
• The role of green technologies and innovation in shaping the zero-carbon transition and the knock-on effects for local economies
• The impact of environmental and natural resource policies on income distribution and poverty of rural communities

Topics & Ideas: Environmental Ethics

• The ethical foundations of environmentalism and the environmental movement regarding renewable energy
• The role of values and ethics in shaping environmental policy and decision-making in the mining industry
• The impact of cultural and religious beliefs on environmental attitudes and behaviours in first world countries
• Investigating the ethics of biodiversity conservation and the protection of endangered species in palm oil plantations
• The ethical implications of sea-level rise for future generations and vulnerable coastal populations
• The role of ethical considerations in shaping sustainable use of natural forest resources
• The impact of environmental justice on marginalized communities and environmental policies in Asia
• The ethical implications of environmental risks and decision-making under uncertainty
• The role of ethics in shaping the transition to a low-carbon, sustainable future for the construction industry
• The impact of environmental values on consumer behaviour and the marketplace: a case study of the ‘bring your own shopping bag’ policy

Examples: Real Dissertation & Thesis Topics

While the ideas we’ve presented above are a decent starting point for finding a research topic, they are fairly generic and non-specific. So, it helps to look at actual dissertations and theses to see how this all comes together.

Below, we’ve included a selection of research projects from various environmental science-related degree programs to help refine your thinking. These are actual dissertations and theses, written as part of Master’s and PhD-level programs, so they can provide some useful insight as to what a research topic looks like in practice.

• The physiology of microorganisms in enhanced biological phosphorous removal (Saunders, 2014)
• The influence of the coastal front on heavy rainfall events along the east coast (Henson, 2019)
• Forage production and diversification for climate-smart tropical and temperate silvopastures (Dibala, 2019)
• Advancing spectral induced polarization for near surface geophysical characterization (Wang, 2021)
• Assessment of Chromophoric Dissolved Organic Matter and Thamnocephalus platyurus as Tools to Monitor Cyanobacterial Bloom Development and Toxicity (Hipsher, 2019)
• Evaluating the Removal of Microcystin Variants with Powdered Activated Carbon (Juang, 2020)
• The effect of hydrological restoration on nutrient concentrations, macroinvertebrate communities, and amphibian populations in Lake Erie coastal wetlands (Berg, 2019)
• Utilizing hydrologic soil grouping to estimate corn nitrogen rate recommendations (Bean, 2019)
• Fungal Function in House Dust and Dust from the International Space Station (Bope, 2021)
• Assessing Vulnerability and the Potential for Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA) in Sudan’s Blue Nile Basin (Mohamed, 2022)
• A Microbial Water Quality Analysis of the Recreational Zones in the Los Angeles River of Elysian Valley, CA (Nguyen, 2019)
• Dry Season Water Quality Study on Three Recreational Sites in the San Gabriel Mountains (Vallejo, 2019)
• Wastewater Treatment Plan for Unix Packaging Adjustment of the Potential Hydrogen (PH) Evaluation of Enzymatic Activity After the Addition of Cycle Disgestase Enzyme (Miessi, 2020)
• Laying the Genetic Foundation for the Conservation of Longhorn Fairy Shrimp (Kyle, 2021).

Looking at these titles, you can probably pick up that the research topics here are quite specific and narrowly-focused , compared to the generic ones presented earlier. To create a top-notch research topic, you will need to be precise and target a specific context with specific variables of interest . In other words, you’ll need to identify a clear, well-justified research gap.

Need more help?

If you’re still feeling a bit unsure about how to find a research topic for your environmental science dissertation or research project, be sure to check out our private coaching services below, as well as our Research Topic Kickstarter .

Need a helping hand?

You Might Also Like:

10 Comments

research topics on climate change and environment

I wish to learn things in a more advanced but simple way and with the hopes that I am in the right place.

Thank so much for the research topics. It really helped

the guides were really helpful

Research topics on environmental geology

Thanks for the research topics….I need a research topic on Geography

hi I need research questions ideas

I want the research on environmental planning and management

I want a topic on environmental sustainability

It good coaching

Submit a Comment Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

• Print Friendly

Environmental Science: Water Research & Technology  

About Environmental Science: Water Research & Technology

Innovation for Sustainable Water Editor-in-chief: Graham Gagnon Impact factor: 5.0 Time to first decision (peer reviewed only): 52 days

Find an article

Find issues by year (2015 - present), related journals.

• Environmental Science: Processes & Impacts (2013-Present)
• Environmental Science: Nano (2014-Present)
• Environmental Science: Advances (2022-Present)
• Environmental Science: Atmospheres (2021-Present)
• Journal of Environmental Monitoring (1999-2012)

Journal information

• About this Journal
• Editorial Board
• Subscription Information
• Follow   |    |  

Advertisements

More From Forbes

Enhancing environmental research: web scraping and sustainability.

• Share to Facebook
• Share to Twitter
• Share to Linkedin

Founder & CEO at Datamam .

Climate change, pollution, environmental degradation and resource depletion are just a few of the greatest challenges facing the world in the 21st century. Tackling these challenges means carrying out thorough research involving a huge pool of world data from sources such as satellite imagery, environmental monitoring stations and local field studies, providing an array of information on human interaction with nature.

But the real challenge comes in capturing massive amounts of real-time data so wise decisions can be made within the shortest time possible. To do this, we must better understand the role of modern data collection technologies in environmental research and how we can adapt our strategies to leverage these technologies more effectively.

Introduction To Environmental Research

Historical records show that concern for the environment goes back thousands of years. In fact, in 2700 BC, some of the first known laws were implemented to protect trees from continued deforestation in Ur, Mesopotamia. Centuries later, the establishment of Scotland's Coal Smoke Abatement Society in 1898 marked a significant community-driven response to environmental issues.

These movements have been fueled in the 21st century by advancements in technology—particularly in computing and data analysis—that have significantly impacted the research industry as a whole, beyond just the environmental sector. This then begs the question: With large-scale, global environmental data collection, how do we integrate and put such information to use to address environmental challenges?

Saw The Eclipse And Aurora Now Comes A Third Once In A Lifetime Event

Netflix’s new #1 movie is an overlooked, must-watch crime comedy thriller, reacher season 3 casts a villain that looks like he ate reacher, worldwide data collection for environmental insights.

Environmental monitoring is critical for evaluating vital factors such as air and water quality. Across the globe, various organizations and research groups deploy sophisticated data collection techniques to track environmental health.

For instance, the World Air Quality Index project collects data from over 12,000 stations in more than 1,000 cities worldwide. This project aggregates real-time data on air pollution levels, which is crucial for assessing health risks, informing the public and shaping policy decisions. Most of this data is publicly available, allowing analysts and researchers to utilize it for further studies and environmental assessments.

In the U.S., the National Weather Service gathers data from weather stations nationwide. This data, essential for generating accurate weather forecasts, plays a crucial role in emergency preparedness, particularly in areas susceptible to extreme weather events. This information is also generally accessible to the public, supporting a variety of applications from academic research to commercial use in weather-related industries.

Furthermore, conservation organizations like the World Wildlife Fund monitor deforestation, wildlife trafficking and illegal fishing activities. Public access to this data can vary, with some information available for open use to aid in raising awareness and promoting conservation efforts.

This transparency not only promotes accountability but also fosters a collaborative approach to tackling environmental challenges.

The Impact Of Web Scraping On Environmental Policy And Advocacy

In the context of environmental research and policymaking, the ability to access information without source limitations can be a significant advantage. Web scraping can be a useful tool in this scenario, enabling researchers, policymakers and advocates to gather and analyze data from virtually any online source, irrespective of geographical and linguistic boundaries. This capability is particularly helpful in environmental science, in which the global nature of challenges like climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss demands a comprehensive understanding that spans across nations.

Considerations When Using Web Scraping For Environmental Purposes

Ensure data integrity..

Credibility checking of sources is important to confirm the dependability of data collected using web scraping. If the data that web scraping provides is incorrect, it could lead to misguided decisions and policymaking; hence, data accuracy is the top-most priority. The data needs to be updated regularly to keep it relevant, and using as many sources as possible for cross-verification will add strength to your dataset.

Use data effectively.

Data can be used to track changes in the environment, monitor ecosystem health and inform policymakers. Actively participate in the collection and data analysis processes to ensure optimal environmental management.

Use high-level analytic tools.

Integrate advanced analytical tools and technologies to further enhance the value of the data collected through web scraping. Tools like AI and machine learning can help identify patterns and predictions that might not be evident through traditional analysis methods. Incorporating these technologies can provide deeper insights into environmental data, leading to more effective strategies and solutions.

Looking Ahead: The Evolving Role Of Data In Environmental Advocacy

Web scraping has emerged as one important tool in environmental research, offering a method to rapidly collect and analyze data from a multitude of sources. As technology advances, the capabilities of data collection technology will expand, offering even more sophisticated tools for data extraction and analysis. These advancements will not only enhance the accuracy and depth of environmental research but also open new avenues for public engagement and policy influence.

Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?

• Editorial Standards
• Reprints & Permissions

• Future Students
• Current Students
• Faculty/Staff

News and Media

• News & Media Home
• Research Stories
• School's In
• In the Media

You are here

Stanford-led study links school environment to brain development.

For decades, researchers have linked differences in school-age children’s brain development to their out-of-school environment, using indirect socioeconomic factors such as parental income and neighborhood characteristics. 

In a new paper , researchers from Stanford Graduate School of Education (GSE) demonstrate for the first time that, even when controlling for those other factors, there is a direct link between a child’s school environment and the development of their white matter, or the network of nerve fibers that allows different parts of the brain to communicate. 

In other words, schools that do better than average at promoting learning are showing greater year-by-year advances in brain development, even for students coming from a wide range of socioeconomic environments. 

For their study, the authors, including GSE doctoral candidate Ethan Roy , Professor Bruce McCandliss , and Associate Professor Jason Yeatman , leveraged data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study, the largest long-term study of brain development and child health in the United States, and the Stanford Education Data Archive (SEDA), a national database of academic performance developed by the Educational Opportunity Project at Stanford University. 

Their findings show that children who attend higher-performing schools have accelerated white matter development, including in an area of the brain closely associated with reading skills.

Roy said the results, published in Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience on April 26, were “striking.”

“What jumped off the page for us is that, even when controlling for things like parental income, parental education, neighborhood context, and household conflict levels, we were still able to observe a significant relationship between the school environment of an individual and growth properties of their brain,” he said.

Filling a gap in learning science research

Yeatman, who along with McCandliss serves as an advisor to Roy, said the study is the first to show how variation in the educational opportunities afforded to children is related to brain development.

“Essentially, two children from similar families who are born on two sides of a school boundary have measurable differences in how their brains wire together,” said Yeatman, who holds a joint faculty appointment at the GSE and Stanford Medicine, is a faculty affiliate of the Stanford Accelerator for Learning , and directs the Brain Development & Education Lab and Rapid Online Assessment of Reading . 

The study looked at fractional anisotropy, a measure of how water moves through brain tissue and an indication of how insulated, or myelinated, a neuron’s axons are (higher myelination increases the speed of transmission between neurons and is associated with improved learning). The observational results show that fractional anisotropy is directly linked to a school’s national grade equivalence score, or a measure of how third graders from that school perform compared with the national average.

The paper fills a gap in learning science research. Although past studies have linked socioeconomic status to white matter development, they have not been able to focus in on specific attributes of a child’s development, such as the school they attend. Other research — including from Yeatman’s lab — has shown that educational interventions can lead to changes in white matter, but those have been relatively small-scale studies with participants who are not representative of the broader population. 

“This is one of the first cases where we can measure the thing we actually care about at the population level,” Yeatman said.

The authors also trained a deep learning model to conduct a global analysis of white matter, finding that children who attend schools with higher SEDA scores had brains that appeared developmentally “more mature” than their chronological age.

A measurable impact

The implications are “potentially game-changing,” said McCandliss, who directs the Stanford Educational Neuroscience Initiative (SENSI) and is a faculty affiliate of the Stanford Accelerator for Learning. 

“National discussions of the importance of elementary school quality have never before been framed in terms of having a measurable impact on physical brain development of our young children,” he said. “I think this changes the frame of the discussion and decision-making around the impact of inequity.”

The study was only possible because of the comprehensive data included in the ABCD Study and SEDA, the researchers said. McCandliss, an investigator in the ABCD Study, first approached the ABCD team leaders about linking the SEDA data with the ABCD data in 2018, and his SENSI team spent about two years creating the resulting “crosswalk.” 

McCandliss called the ABCD study a “dream come true,” and the linked data a way to “finally” answer “elusive questions about how inequities in educational opportunities may actually be changing the course of physical and functional brain development during the vulnerable elementary school years across the nation.”

To analyze the brain white matter from the MRI data included in the ABCD study, the authors used pyAFQ , an open-source software developed by Yeatman’s lab. “It was a really fruitful collaboration across both labs,” Roy said.

The authors hope their methods and the newly linked ABCD and SEDA data, which is now freely available to a community of registered researchers around the world, will allow other scholars to pursue their own ideas and hypotheses at the intersection of education and neuroscience.

Yeatman said the methods and data used in the study will allow researchers to be more precise about environmental factors linked to brain development and the mechanisms behind those connections.

“The environment influences brain development,” he said. “That’s obvious. But what about the environment influences brain development? This is the first step in actually unraveling that specificity.”

More Stories

⟵ Go to all Research Stories

Get the Educator

Subscribe to our monthly newsletter.

Stanford Graduate School of Education

482 Galvez Mall Stanford, CA 94305-3096 Tel: (650) 723-2109

• Contact Admissions
• GSE Leadership
• Site Feedback
• Web Accessibility
• Career Resources
• Faculty Open Positions
• Explore Courses
• Academic Calendar
• Office of the Registrar
• Cubberley Library
• StanfordWho
• StanfordYou

Improving lives through learning

• Stanford Home
• Maps & Directions
• Search Stanford
• Emergency Info
• Terms of Use
• Non-Discrimination
• Accessibility

© Stanford University , Stanford , California 94305 .

Advances and perspectives in environmental health research in China

• Perspectives
• Open access
• Published: 10 May 2024
• Volume 18 , article number  76 , ( 2024 )

Cite this article

You have full access to this open access article

• Tong Zhu 1 , 2 ,
• Yingjun Liu 1 , 2 ,
• Shunqing Xu 3 ,
• Guanghui Dong 4 ,
• Cunrui Huang 5 ,
• Nan Sang 6 ,
• Yunhui Zhang 7 ,
• Guanyong Su 8 ,
• Jingwen Chen 9 ,
• Jicheng Gong 1 , 2 ,
• Guohua Qin 6 ,
• Xinghua Qiu 1 , 2 ,
• Jing Shang 1 , 2 ,
• Haobo Wang 9 ,
• Pengpeng Wang 10 &
• Mei Zheng 1 , 2  

77 Accesses

Explore all metrics

Environmental health research aims to identify environmental conditions suitable for the healthy living and reproduction of human beings. Through the interdisciplinary research bridging environmental sciences and health/medical sciences, the impacts of physical, chemical, and biological environmental factors on human health are investigated. This includes identifying environmental factors detrimental to human health, evaluating human exposure characteristics to environmental factors, clarifying causal relationships between environmental exposure and health effects, analyzing the underlying biochemical mechanisms, linking environmental factors to the onset and progression of diseases, establishing exposure-response relationships, and determining effect thresholds. Ultimately, the results of environmental health research can serve as a scientific basis for formulating environmental management strategies and guiding prevention and intervention measures at both the public and individual levels. This paper summarizes the recent advances and future perspectives of environmental health research in China, as reported by a group of Chinese scientists who recently attended a workshop in Hainan, China. While it is not intended to provide a comprehensive review of this expansive field, it offers a glimpse into the significant progress made in understanding the health impacts of environmental factors over the past decade. Looking ahead, it is imperative not only to sustain efforts in studying the health effects of traditional environmental pollution, but also to prioritize research on the health impacts of emerging pollutants and climate change.

Article PDF

Download to read the full article text

Similar content being viewed by others

Anthropocentrism: More than Just a Misunderstood Problem

Heat waves: a hot topic in climate change research

Addressing global environmental pollution using environmental control techniques: a focus on environmental policy and preventive environmental management

Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.

Dong G H, Zhang Y H, Zheng L, Liu W, Jin Y H, He Q C (2009). Chronic effects of perfluorooctanesulfonate exposure on immunotoxicity in adult male C57BL/6 mice. Archives of Toxicology, 83(9): 805–815

Article   CAS   Google Scholar  

Dong Q L, Meng X, Gong J C, Zhu T (2024). A review of advances in black carbon exposure assessment and health effects. Chinese Science Bulletin, 69(6): 703–716 (in Chinese)

Article   Google Scholar  

Hu J, Zhao H, Braun J M, Zheng T, Zhang B, Xia W, Zhang W, Li J, Zhou Y, Li H, et al. (2019). Associations of trimester-specific exposure to bisphenols with size at birth: a Chinese prenatal cohort study. Environmental Health Perspectives, 127(10): 107001

Hu X, He L, Zhang J, Qiu X, Zhang Y, Mo J, Day D B, Xiang J, Gong J (2020). Inflammatory and oxidative stress responses of healthy adults to changes in personal air pollutant exposure. Environmental Pollution, 263: 114503

Ji J S, Xia Y, Liu L, Zhou W, Chen R, Dong G, Hu Q, Jiang J, Kan H, Li T, et al. (2023). China’s public health initiatives for climate change adaptation. Lancet Regional Health. Western Pacific, 40: 100965

Ji S, Guo Y, Ding J, Hong W, Yan Z, Cai Z, Yue H, Qiu X, Sang N (2024). Nontargeted identification of organic components in fine particulate matter related to lung tumor metastasis based on an adverse outcome pathway strategy. Environmental Science & Technology, 58(9): 4083–4091

CAS   Google Scholar  

Jiang X, Han Y, Qiu X, Chai Q, Zhang H, Chen X, Cheng Z, Wang Y, Fan Y, Xue T, et al. (2021). Organic components of personal PM 2.5 exposure associated with inflammation: Evidence from an untargeted exposomic approach. Environmental Science & Technology, 55(15): 10589–10596

Li Y, Hou J, Wang Z, Dai X, Sun Y, Liu J, Liu Y (2023a). Phthalate levels in Chinese residences: seasonal and regional variations and the implication on human exposure. National Science Open, 2(6): 20230011

Li C, Liu Z, Li W, Lin Y, Hou L, Niu S, Xing Y, Huang J, Chen Y, Zhang S, Gao X, Xu Y, Wang C, Zhao Q, Liu Q, Ma W, Cai W, Gong P, Luo Y, et al. (2023b). Projecting future risk of dengue related to hydrometeorological conditions in the mainland of China under climate change scenarios: a modelling study. Lancet. Planetary Health, 7(5): e397–e406

Li Y F, Qiao L N, Ren N Q, Macdonald R W, Kannan K (2020). Gas/particle partitioning of semi-volatile organic compounds in the atmosphere: transition from unsteady to steady state. Science of the Total Environment, 710: 136394

Liu C, Chen R, Sera F, Vicedo-Cabrera A M, Guo Y, Tong S, Coelho M S Z S, Saldiva P H N, Lavigne E, Matus P, et al. (2019). Ambient particulate air pollution and daily mortality in 652 cities. New England Journal of Medicine, 381(8): 705–715

Liu W, Wang Z, Chen J, Tang W, Wang H (2023a). Machine learning model for screening thyroid stimulating hormone receptor agonists based on updated datasets and improved applicability domain metrics. Chemical Research in Toxicology, 36(6): 947–958

Liu Y, Yan M, Du H, Sun Q, Brooke Anderson G, Li T (2023b). Increased mortality risks from a spectrum of causes of tropical cyclone exposure — China, 2013–2018. China CDC Weekly, 5(6): 119–124

Luan M, Zhang T, Li X, Yan C, Sun J, Zhi G, Shen G, Liu X, Zheng M (2022). Investigating the relationship between mass concentration of particulate matter and reactive oxygen species based on residential coal combustion source tests. Environmental Research, 212: 113499

Meng W, Li J, Shen J, Deng Y, Letcher R J, Su G (2020). Functional group-dependent screening of organophosphate esters (OPEs) and discovery of an abundant OPE bis-(2-ethylhexyl)-phenyl phosphate in indoor dust. Environmental Science & Technology, 54(7): 4455–4464

Pan Y, Cui Q, Wang J, Sheng N, Jing J, Yao B, Dai J (2019). Profiles of emerging and legacy per-/polyfluoroalkyl substances in matched serum and semen samples: new implications for human semen quality. Environmental Health Perspectives, 127(12): 127005

Qiu J, Xie D, Li Y, Qu Y, Liu Y, Zhu T, Liu Y (2021). Dibasic esters observed as potential emerging indoor air pollutants in new apartments in Beijing, China. Environmental Science & Technology Letters, 8(6): 445–450

Shi G, Guo H, Sheng N, Cui Q, Pan Y, Wang J, Guo Y, Dai J (2018). Two-generational reproductive toxicity assessment of 6:2 chlorinated polyfluorinated ether sulfonate (F-53B, a novel alternative to perfluorooctane sulfonate) in zebrafish. Environmental Pollution, 243: 1517–1527

Sinharay R, Gong J, Barratt B, Ohman-Strickland P, Ernst S, Kelly F J, Zhang J, Collins P, Cullinan P, Chung K F (2018). Respiratory and cardiovascular responses to walking down a traffic-polluted road compared with walking in a traffic-free area in participants aged 60 years and older with chronic lung or heart disease and age-matched healthy controls: a randomised, crossover study. Lancet, 391(10118): 339–349

Tong M, Xu H, Wang R, Liu H, Li J, Li P, Qiu X, Gong J, Shang J, Zhu T, et al. (2023). Estimating birthweight reduction attributable to maternal ozone exposure in low- and middle-income countries. Science Advances, 9(49): eadh4363

Wang H, Liu W, Chen J, Wang Z (2023). Applicability domains based on molecular graph contrastive learning enable graph attention network models to accurately predict 15 environmental end points. Environmental Science & Technology, 57(44): 16906–16917

Wang H, Wang P, Li Q, Li J, Zhang L, Shi H, Li J, Zhang Y (2022). Prenatal exposure of organophosphate esters and its trimester-specific and gender-specific effects on fetal growth. Environmental Science & Technology, 56(23): 17018–17028

Wang Q, Li B, Benmarhnia T, Hajat S, Ren M, Liu T, Knibbs L D, Zhang H, Bao J, Zhang Y, et al. (2020). Independent and combined effects of heatwaves and PM 2.5 on preterm birth in Guangzhou, China: a survival analysis. Environmental Health Perspectives, 128(1): 017006

Wei J, Lin Y, Li Y, Ying C, Chen J, Song L, Zhou Z, Lv Z, Xia W, Chen X, et al. (2011). Perinatal exposure to bisphenol A at reference dose predisposes offspring to metabolic syndrome in adult rats on a high-fat diet. Endocrinology, 152(8): 3049–3061

World Health Organization (2021). WHO Global Air Quality Guidelines: Particulate Matter (PM2.5 and PM10), Ozone, Nitrogen Dioxide, Sulfur Dioxide and Carbon Monoxide. Geneva: World Health Organization

Google Scholar  

Xu Y, Han Y, Chen W, Chatzidiakou L, Yan L, Krause A, Li Y, Zhang H, Wang T, Xue T, et al. (2024). Susceptibility of hypertensive individuals to acute blood pressure increases in response to personal-level environmental temperature decrease. Environment International, 185: 108567

Ye L, Meng W, Huang J, Li J, Su G (2021). Establishment of a target, suspect, and functional group-dependent screening strategy for organophosphate esters (OPEs): “Into the Unknown” of OPEs in the sediment of Taihu lake, China. Environmental Science & Technology, 55(9): 5836–5847

Yu K, Qiu G, Chan K H, Lam K B H, Kurmi O P, Bennett D A, Yu C, Pan A, Lv J, Guo Y, et al. (2018). Association of solid fuel use with risk of cardiovascular and all-cause mortality in rural China. Journal of the American Medical Association, 319(13): 1351–1361

Yuan X, Liang F, Zhu J, Huang K, Dai L, Li X, Wang Y, Li Q, Lu X, Huang J, et al. (2023). Maternal exposure to PM 2.5 and the risk of congenital heart defects in 1.4 million births: a nationwide surveillance-based study. Circulation, 147(7): 565–574

Zahm S, Bonde J P, Chiu W A, Hoppin J, Kanno J, Abdallah M, Blystone C R, Calkins M M, Dong G H, Dorman D C, et al. (2024). Carcinogenicity of perfluorooctanoic acid and perfluorooctane-sulfonic acid. Lancet. Oncology, 25(1): 16–17

Zhang S, Zhang C, Cai W, Bai Y, Callaghan M, Chang N, Chen B, Chen H, Cheng L, Dai H, et al. (2023). The 2023 China report of the Lancet Countdown on health and climate change: taking stock for a thriving future. Lancet. Public Health, 8(12): e978–e995

Zhang Y, Hajat S, Zhao L, Chen H, Cheng L, Ren M, Gu K, Ji J S, Liang W, Huang C (2022). The burden of heatwave-related preterm births and associated human capital losses in China. Nature Communications, 13(1): 7565

Zhou Y, Li Q, Wang P, Li J, Zhao W, Zhang L, Wang H, Cheng Y, Shi H, Li J, et al. (2023). Associations of prenatal PFAS exposure and early childhood neurodevelopment: evidence from the Shanghai Maternal-Child Pairs Cohort. Environment International, 173: 107850

Download references

Acknowledgements

We thank the Environment and Health Branch of Chinese Society for Sustainability for organizing and Hainan University for hosting the workshop. We thank all participants of the workshop for stimulating discussion. This work is partially supported by the Ministry of Science and Technology of China (No. 2022YFC3702600).

Author information

Authors and affiliations.

SKL-ESPC & SEPKL-AERM, Department of Environmental Health, College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China

Tong Zhu, Yingjun Liu, Jicheng Gong, Xinghua Qiu, Jing Shang & Mei Zheng

Center for Environment and Health, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China

School of Life and Health Sciences, Huainan University, Haikou, 570228, China

Shunqing Xu

Joint International Research Laboratory of Environment and Health (Ministry of Education), Guangdong Provincial Engineering Technology Research Center of Environmental Pollution and Health Risk Assessment, Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, China

Guanghui Dong

Vanke School of Public Health, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China

Cunrui Huang

Research Center of Environment and Health, College of Environment and Resource, Shanxi University, Taiyuan, 030006, China

Nan Sang & Guohua Qin

Department of Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China

Yunhui Zhang

School of Environmental and Biological Engineering, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing, 210094, China

Guanyong Su

Key Laboratory of Industrial Ecology and Environmental Engineering (Ministry of Education), Dalian Key Laboratory on Chemicals Risk Control and Pollution Prevention Technology, School of Environmental Science and Technology, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian, 116024, China

Jingwen Chen & Haobo Wang

Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, College of Public Health, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450001, China

Pengpeng Wang

You can also search for this author in PubMed   Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Tong Zhu .

Ethics declarations

Conflict of Interests Tong Zhu is an advisory board member of Frontiers of Environmental Science & Engineering . The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Additional information

• Environmental health research has surged in China over the past decade

• The scope extends beyond health effects of classic pollutants to include those of emerging pollutants and climate change

• Future research priorities and opportunities are proposed

Author Biography

Dr. Tong ZHU is a Boya Chair Professor, College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Peking University.

He graduated with BSc and MSc from Peking University, and Dr. rer. nat in Physical Chemistry from Wuppertal University, Germany. He was a postdoc at the Center for Atmospheric Chemistry of York University, Canada (1991–1992), a postdoctoral fellow and contract research scientist at the Soil and Biological Resources Research Centre of Agriculture Canada (1993–1999). Since 1999, he holds a professor position at Peking University, was the founding director of the Center for Environment and Health (2007–2022) and the dean of the College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering (2012–2023). He is a member of Chinese Academy of Sciences (2021) and Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (2022), a Fellow of American Geophysical Union (2019), and appointed as a Counsellor of the State Council of People’s Republic of China (2020). His research focuses on Atmospheric Chemistry and Environmental Health, and has published more than 480 papers in Science, PNAS, JAMA and other journals, with a H-index of 87 (Google scholar). He is the chair of the advisory group of the NSFC major program “Fundamental researches on the formation and response mechanism of air pollution complex in China”, and the chair of Future Earth-Monsoon Asia Integrated Research for Sustainable Development (FE-MAIRS).

Rights and permissions

Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ .

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Zhu, T., Liu, Y., Xu, S. et al. Advances and perspectives in environmental health research in China. Front. Environ. Sci. Eng. 18 , 76 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11783-024-1836-z

Download citation

Received : 18 March 2024

Revised : 15 April 2024

Accepted : 16 April 2024

Published : 10 May 2024

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1007/s11783-024-1836-z

Share this article

Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content:

Sorry, a shareable link is not currently available for this article.

Provided by the Springer Nature SharedIt content-sharing initiative

• Environmental pollution
• Emerging pollutants
• Climate change

Advertisement

• Find a journal
• Publish with us
• Track your research