# Topics and Trends in Most Cited Water Quality and Pollution Assessment Papers, Class of 2026

*Canonical URL: https://pri.pepkio.com/top-papers/water-quality-and-pollution-assessment/2026*

## What topics and trends defined most-cited Water Quality and Pollution Assessment research in the Class of 2026?

The Class of 2026 research in Water Quality and Pollution Assessment is defined by a strong focus on heavy metals, human health risk assessment, and the Water Quality Index. We observe a significant shift towards health-centric risk assessments and principal component analysis, indicating a more rigorous, data-driven approach to evaluating environmental and public health hazards.

## At a glance

| Fact | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Field | Water Quality and Pollution Assessment |
| Cohort label | Class of 2026 (2024 publications) |
| Papers analyzed | 5,957 |
| Papers ranked | 20 |
| Top topics in ranked papers | Heavy metals, Human health risk assessment, Water Quality Index |
| Publication window | Jan 1, 2024 – Dec 31, 2024 |
| Eligibility | Research articles; reviews excluded |
| Citation window | 18 months post-publication |
| 18m citation range | 58–138 |
| Data source | OpenAlex · Retrieved June 2026 |
| License | CC BY 4.0 |

## Rankings

| Rank | Title | Authors | Corresponding authors | Affiliation | Journal | 18m citations | DOI |
| ---: | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | ---: | --- |
| 1 | Current and future global water scarcity intensifies when accounting for surface water quality | Edward R. Jones, Marc F. P. Bierkens, Michelle T. H. van Vliet | Edward R. Jones | Utrecht University, Netherlands | Nature Climate Change | 138 | 10.1038/s41558-024-02007-0 |
| 2 | Pollution analysis of metals in the sediments of lagoon lakes in Türkiye: Toxicological risk assessment and source insights | Bayram Yüksel, Fikret Ustaoğlu | Fikret Ustaoğlu | Giresun University, Turkey | Process Safety and Environmental Protection | 118 | 10.1016/j.psep.2024.11.085 |
| 3 | Appraisal of metallic accumulation in the surface sediment of a fish breeding dam in Türkiye: A stochastical approach to ecotoxicological risk assessment | Bayram Yüksel, Fikret Ustaoğlu, Handan Aydın, Cem Tokatlı, Halim Topaldemir, Md Saiful Islam, Said Muhammad | Fikret Ustaoğlu | Giresun University, Türkiye | Marine Pollution Bulletin | 102 | 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2024.116488 |
| 4 | Metal pollution assessment in the surface sediments of a river system in Türkiye: Integrating toxicological risk assessment and source identification | Fikret Ustaoğlu, Bayram Yüksel, Yalçın Tepe, Handan Aydın, Halim Topaldemir | Bayram Yüksel | Giresun University, Türkiye | Marine Pollution Bulletin | 93 | 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2024.116514 |
| 5 | Toxicological risk assessment using spring water quality indices in plateaus of Giresun Province/Türkiye: a holistic hydrogeochemical data analysis | Selin Karadeniz, Fikret Ustaoğlu, Handan Aydın, Bayram Yüksel | S. Karadeniz, Fikret Ustaoğlu, Handan Aydın, Bayram Yüksel | Giresun University, Turkey | Environmental Geochemistry and Health | 92 | 10.1007/s10653-024-02054-8 |
| 6 | Evaluation of water quality indexes with novel machine learning and SHapley Additive ExPlanation (SHAP) approaches | Ali Aldrees, Majid Khan, Abubakr Taha Bakheit Taha, Mujahid Ali | Majid Khan | Prince Sattam bin Abdulaziz University, Saudi Arabia | Journal of Water Process Engineering | 90 | 10.1016/j.jwpe.2024.104789 |
| 7 | Investigation of groundwater quality in the Southern Coast of the Black Sea: application of computational health risk assessment in Giresun, Türkiye | Mehmet Metin Yazman, Bayram Yüksel, Fikret Ustaoğlu, Nilgün Şen, Yalçın Tepe, Cem Tokatlı | Bayram Yüksel | Giresun University, Türkiye | Environmental Science and Pollution Research | 70 | 10.1007/s11356-024-34712-w |
| 8 | RETRACTED: Trace element pollution tracking in the complex multi-aquifer groundwater system of Al-Hassa oasis (Saudi Arabia) using spatial, chemometric and index-based techniques | S I Abba, Mohamed A Yassin, Syed Muzzamil Hussain Shah, Johnbosco C Egbueri, Hussam Eldin Elzain, Johnson C Agbasi, Gaurav Saini, Jamilu Usaman, Nadeem A Khan, Isam H Aljundi | Sani I. Abba | King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Saudi Arabia | Environmental Research | 69 | 10.1016/j.envres.2024.118320 |
| 9 | Reliable water quality prediction and parametric analysis using explainable AI models | M K Nallakaruppan, E Gangadevi, M Lawanya Shri, Balamurugan Balusamy, Sweta Bhattacharya, Shitharth Selvarajan | Shitharth Selvarajan | Vellore Institute of Technology, India | Scientific Reports | 68 | 10.1038/s41598-024-56775-y |
| 10 | Assessing sources of groundwater quality and health risks using graphical, multivariate, and index techniques from a part of Rajasthan, India | Sangeeta Choudhary, N. Subba Rao, Maya Chaudhary, Rashmirekha Das | N. Subba Rao | Geetanjali Institute of Technical Studies, India | Groundwater for Sustainable Development | 65 | 10.1016/j.gsd.2024.101356 |
| 11 | Unveiling the nutritional value and potentially toxic elements in fish species from Miliç Wetland, Türkiye: A probabilistic human health risk assessment using Monte Carlo simulation | Bayram Yüksel, Fikret Ustaoğlu, Halim Topaldemir, Mehmet Metin Yazman, Cem Tokatlı | Fikret Ustaoğlu | Giresun University, Turkey | Marine Pollution Bulletin | 65 | 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2024.117417 |
| 12 | Incorporation of water quality index models with machine learning-based techniques for real-time assessment of aquatic ecosystems | Hyung Il Kim, Dongkyun Kim, Mehran Mahdian, Mohammad Milad Salamattalab, Sayed M Bateni, Roohollah Noori | Hyung Il Kim, Dongkyun Kim | DL E&C, South Korea | Environmental Pollution | 64 | 10.1016/j.envpol.2024.124242 |
| 13 | Toward Decontamination in Coastal Regions: Groundwater Quality, Fluoride, Nitrate, and Human Health Risk Assessments within Multi-Aquifer Al-Hassa, Saudi Arabia | Mohamed A. Yassin, Sani I. Abba, Syed Muzzamil Hussain Shah, A. G. Usman, Johnbosco C. Egbueri, Johnson C. Agbasi, Abid Khogali, Husam Musa Baalousha, Isam H. Aljundi, Saad Sh. Sammen, Miklas Scholz | Sani I. Abba | King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Saudi Arabia | Water | 62 | 10.3390/w16101401 |
| 14 | Assessment of drinking water quality and identifying pollution sources in a chromite mining region | Amin Mohammadpour, Ehsan Gharehchahi, Majid Amiri Gharaghani, Ebrahim Shahsavani, Mohammad Golaki, Ronny Berndtsson, Amin Mousavi Khaneghah, Hasan Hashemi, Soroush Abolfathi | Amin Mohammadpour, Hasan Hashemi, Soroush Abolfathi | Jahrom University of Medical Sciences, Iran | Journal of Hazardous Materials | 62 | 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2024.136050 |
| 15 | Assessing microbiological and heavy metal pollution in surface waters associated with potential human health risk assessment at fish ingestion exposure | Thomas Dippong, Maria-Alexandra Resz, Claudiu Tănăselia, Oana Cadar | Thomas Dippong | Technical University of Cluj-Napoca, Romania | Journal of Hazardous Materials | 61 | 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2024.135187 |
| 16 | New approach into human health risk assessment associated with heavy metals in surface water and groundwater using Monte Carlo Method | Mohamed Hamdy Eid, Mustafa Eissa, Essam A Mohamed, Hatem Saad Ramadan, Madarász Tamás, Attila Kovács, Péter Szűcs | Mohamed Hamdy Eid | University of Miskolc, Hungary | Scientific Reports | 60 | 10.1038/s41598-023-50000-y |
| 17 | Integrated Geospatial and Geostatistical Multi-Criteria Evaluation of Urban Groundwater Quality Using Water Quality Indices | Iram Naz, Hong Fan, Rana Waqar Aslam, Aqil Tariq, Abdul Quddoos, Asif Sajjad, Walid Soufan, Khalid F. Almutairi, Farhan Ali | Asif Sajjad | Wuhan University, China | Water | 60 | 10.3390/w16172549 |
| 18 | Interpretable prediction, classification and regulation of water quality: A case study of Poyang Lake, China | Zhiyuan Yao, Zhaocai Wang, Jinghan Huang, Nannan Xu, Xuefei Cui, Tunhua Wu | Zhaocai Wang | Shanghai Ocean University, China | The Science of The Total Environment | 60 | 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.175407 |
| 19 | Seasonal Variations and Assessment of Surface Water Quality Using Water Quality Index (WQI) and Principal Component Analysis (PCA): A Case Study | Driss Hammoumi, Hefdhallah S. Al-Aizari, Ibrahim A. Alaraidh, Mohammad K. Okla, Mohamed E. Assal, Ali R. Al-Aizari, Mohamed Sheikh Moshab, Saı̈d Chakiri, Zohra Bejjaji | Hefdhallah S. Al-Aizari | Ibn Tofail University, Morocco | Sustainability | 59 | 10.3390/su16135644 |
| 20 | Groundwater quality assessment using water quality index and principal component analysis in the Achnera block, Agra district, Uttar Pradesh, Northern India | Shahjad Ali, Sitaram Verma, Manish Baboo Agarwal, Raisul Islam, Manu Mehrotra, Rajesh Kumar Deolia, Jitendra Kumar, Shailendra Singh, Ali Akbar Mohammadi, Deep Raj, Manoj Kumar Gupta, Phuyen Dang, Mehdi Fattahi | Ali Akbar Mohammadi, Mehdi Fattahi | Anand Engineering College, India | Scientific Reports | 58 | 10.1038/s41598-024-56056-8 |

## Topic trends

### What Topics Define the Class of 2026?

The most prominent topic defining the 2024 cohort is Heavy Metals, highlighting its continued significance as a major pollutant in environmental studies. Following closely are Human Health Risk Assessment and Water Quality Index, indicating that research is highly focused on not only tracking pollution but also directly evaluating its impact on public health. Carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risk assessments also feature heavily, reflecting a comprehensive approach to understanding both immediate and long-term consequences of water contamination. This clustering of topics suggests that the field is deeply engaged in linking environmental monitoring with actionable health outcomes, driving a more integrated perspective on water safety.

*Leading research themes*

### How Did Topics Shift from the Class of 2025 to the Class of 2026?

From the previous cohort, the most striking shift is the surge in advanced risk assessment techniques and statistical modeling. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) saw a remarkable 4.5-fold increase, emphasizing a growing reliance on data-driven methodologies to trace pollution sources. Similarly, Non-carcinogenic and Carcinogenic Risk Assessments grew by over 2.5-fold, underscoring an intensified focus on detailed health-impact evaluations. Meanwhile, foundational topics like Heavy Metals and Water Quality Index remained relatively stable. This pattern suggests that while the core pollutants being studied remain consistent, the analytical tools and health-focused frameworks applied to them have become significantly more sophisticated.

*How topics shifted year over year*

## Cite this ranking

```
Pepkio Research Index (PRI). Topics and Trends in Most Cited Water Quality and Pollution Assessment Papers, Class of 2026. https://pri.pepkio.com/top-papers/water-quality-and-pollution-assessment/2026. Accessed 2026-10-29.

Zheng Su, Tinsley Li, Thematic Shifts in Early-High-Impact Cancer Genomics and Diagnostics Research: A Bibliometric and Semantic Analysis. bioRxiv 2026.07.04.736459; doi: https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.07.04.736459
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