Report "Confronting the Global Water Crisis Through Research" Uncovers Key Trends in Water Resources Research

Global Water Research Grows Nearly 30 Percent Annually During Past Decade

AMSTERDAM, March 22, 2011 - The report "Confronting the Global Water Crisis through Research - 2010",
carried out by Elsevier and released today, reveals the increasingly
international and strategic nature of water resources research. Examining
major trends in water research at the international, national and
institutional levels, the report highlights the escalation in the article
output of countries conducting water resources research and the expansion of
such research into strategic disciplines. Elsevier used Scopus data and one
of the solutions from its performance and planning suite, SciVal Spotlight,
to develop a detailed analysis of country and institutional strengths in the
field.

"Most countries realize the importance of multidisciplinary research in
water research as they face climate change and population growth," said Dr.
Christiane Barranguet, Executive Publisher of Elsevier Aquatic Sciences.
"This is reflected by the nearly 30% annual growth rate in global water
resources research from 2000 to 2009, as countries increasingly look to
science to find answers to pressing questions regarding local and global
water resources demands."

Key findings from the report include:

- The Emergence of China

While the U.S. leads in producing water resources research and yields the
widest variety of such research, China is quickly emerging as a key player in
the field. From 2003 to 2010, the number of articles published on water
resources research from institutions in China increased by 28% annually while
the number of articles published by U.S. institutions increased at a rate of
11%. If a straight-line growth trend is assumed, China will surpass the U.S.
in the number of articles published on water resources research in 2014.

- International Growth

Given the strengths of its research and grant-making institutions, the
U.S. will likely maintain a leading role in water resources research.
However, the international focus on water resources suggests that the U.S.
will increasingly share the research stage with other countries. The data
indicates a rapid growth of water resources research throughout the world,
including some countries where until recently, there was very little of such
research. Faced with economic expansion, rising populations and growing
industrialization, countries such as Iran, India, Russia, South Africa,
Brazil and Mexico have experienced severe water problems and have
subsequently seen dynamic increases in water research. For example, Iran
produced only 12 papers on water resources between 1970 and 2000, but
produced more than 60 papers each year from 2005 to 2008.

- Multidisciplinary Growth

By extensively mapping research articles by discipline, data from SciVal
Spotlight reflects the increasingly multidisciplinary nature of water
resources research. While environmental sciences, earth sciences, engineering
and biological sciences continue to dominate the field, disciplines such as
economics, math, computer science, chemistry and biochemistry are rapidly
expanding into water research. Economics in particular, has seen significant
growth. From 2004 to 2008, the annual growth rate in economics articles
within water resources research was 100%. The rise of these disciplines
highlights the changing interests of governments and grant-making
institutions as they work to solve a variety of problems associated with
water resources.

To receive a copy of the report, please contact Sandra Plasse at
+1-212-752-8338 or splasse@psbpr.com.

Survey Methodology

The analysis was split in to two phases: phase I looked at the water
resources literature landscape and phase II, which took a look at a number of
well performing nations and one of their institutions that is a main
contributor to the subject field.

Phase I - To construct the initial data pool, the keywords "water
resources*" were used to search titles, abstracts, and keywords of original
articles, reviews, and proceedings papers published in the SciVerse
Scopus(TM) database (www.info.sciverse.com) from Elsevier between
January 1, 2004 and Dec 31, 2008. The resulting pool of research papers
related to water resources was then analyzed. The data pool was used to
generate list of subject categories, institutions, and nations ranked in
three ways: according to total number of papers, total cites, and total
cites/paper.

Phase II - SciVal(R) Spotlight (www.info.scival.com/) was used to
gain deeper insights into the core strengths of these top nations and the
institutions that are contributing to these national strengths.

About the Elsevier SciVal(R) Suite

Elsevier's SciVal suite (www.info.scival.com) of services supports
academic and government leadership in evaluating, establishing and executing
research strategies that optimize the performance of existing assets and
maximize investments to enhance near and long-term productivity. SciVal tools
leverage Scopus(R) data, Elsevier's trusted source of bibliometric data, to
offer innovative yet authoritative solutions. Current suite offerings
include: SciVal Spotlight(TM), a strategic tool that generates unique
institutional and country maps of existing and emerging strengths based on an
interdisciplinary perspective of current performance; SciVal Funding(TM), an
online solution that provides targeted recommendations on grants to pursue
based on pre-populated research profiles and historical awards; SciVal
Experts, a semantic technology-based application that enables researchers to
identify and locate sources of expertise at an individual or departmental
level within and across institutions.

About Elsevier

Elsevier is a world-leading publisher of scientific, technical
and medical information products and services. The company works in
partnership with the global science and health communities to publish more
than 2,000 journals, including The Lancet (www.thelancet.com/) and
Cell (www.cell.com/), and close to 20,000 book titles, including major
reference works from Mosby and Saunders. Elsevier's online solutions include
SciVerse ScienceDirect (www.sciencedirect.com/), SciVerse Scopus
(www.scopus.com/), Reaxys (www.reaxys.com/), MD Consult
(www.mdconsult.com/) and Nursing Consult (
www.nursingconsult.com/), which enhance the productivity of science
and health professionals, and the SciVal suite (www.scival.com/) and
MEDai's Pinpoint Review (www.medai.com/), which help research and
health care institutions deliver better outcomes more cost-effectively.

A global business headquartered in Amsterdam, Elsevier
(www.elsevier.com/), employs 7,000 people worldwide. The company is
part of Reed Elsevier Group PLC (www.reedelsevier.com/), a
world-leading publisher and information provider, which is jointly owned by
Reed Elsevier PLC and Reed Elsevier NV. The ticker symbols are REN (Euronext
Amsterdam), REL (London Stock Exchange), RUK and ENL (New York Stock
Exchange).

    Media Contacts
    Sandra Plasse/Jen Saunders
    +1-212-752-8338
    splasse@psbpr.com
    jsaunders@psbpr.com

Media Contacts: Sandra Plasse/Jen Saunders, +1-212-752-8338, splasse at psbpr.com, jsaunders at psbpr.com