World Soil Day 2021 encouraged the prevention of soil salinization and improved land productivity. As research underpins this effort, we analysed trends in research on water and salt mobilization in saline soils and groundwater over the past 20 years. We found that the average studies have increased by 30%, from 110 in 2003–2015 to 143 in 2016–2022, with agriculture, water resources and environmental science being the main research fields. The most common research interests were anthropogenic impact (28.6%) and climate change (27.8%), followed by agricultural irrigation management (20%).

A keyword clustering analysis revealed that the studies could be classified into four categories: “Agricultural production,” “Freshwater and groundwater salinization,” “Seawater intrusion,” and “Solute dynamic migration.” The most frequently used keyword was “transport” while the use of “freshwater,” “groundwater,” and “seawater intrusion” has increased sharply, suggesting that seawater intrusion and freshwater salinization are an area of increasing interest related to climate change. We identified comprehensive simulating systems for seawater intrusion as an important area for future research. We recommend that promoting a comprehensive and quantitative understanding of water and salt transport in saline soil is needed to ensure stakeholders are provided with science-based information required for policymaking aimed towards sustainable development.

Authors ; Min Shu, Yang Yu, Mengqi Yin, Erick R. Bandala, Belén Calderón Roca, Jesús Rodrigo-Comino