## 3 Results
### Main Outcomes of the Top 20 Highly Cited Articles from Each Thematic Area
#### 3.2.8 Marine Safety and Security  
Marine safety and security is the thematic area with the lowest average number of citations per thematic area for the top 20 highly cited papers (Figure 7). Studies include oil spill detection and assessment [170; 171; 172; 173; 174; 175; 176; 177], marine habitat mapping [178], toxicity assessment of heavy metals [179], environmental pollution of coastal zones [180], detection of floating plastic litter [181; 182; 183], marine muxiage monitoring [184], ecology of sea turtles [185; 186; 187], habitat suitability model for Posidonia oceanica [188], characterization of natural hydrocarbon seepage [189], and relative sea-level rise and potential submersion risk [190]. Oil pollution is among the major maritime environmental disasters and has become a worldwide concern due to the increasing rate of offshore oil production and transport [177]. [PERSON] et al. mapped and examined the oceanographic parameters that may affect oil pollution dispersion along the offshore zone of the Nile Delta with the use of GIS techniques. They analyzed data of wave patterns, bathymetry, sea surface temperature (SST), chlorophyll content, phytoplankton concentration, and organic carbon concentration. They found that oil spills along the offshore region are primarily influenced by bathymetry and SST. [PERSON] et al. [173] and [PERSON] et al. [175] used SAR data from Sentinel-1 satellites to detect and map oil spills in the Al Khafij area (Saudi Arabia) and in the coastal waters of Egypt. Their results demonstrated the capability of utilizing Sentinel-1 for oil spill detection and mapping. [PERSON] [172] analyzed Sentinel-1 data to detect an oil spill caused by a ship on 18 December 2016 off the coast of Ildr Bay (Izmir, Turkey). Furthermore, Landsat 8 data were used for validation purposes by estimating brightness temperatures to observe oil spill changes in temperature on the sea surface. [PERSON] et al. [171] combined very high-resolution satellite images (Planetscope) with an artificial neural network technique to detect an oil spill accident that occurred on 10 August 2017 near the Ras Al Zour area (Kuwait). The accuracy and kappa coefficient of the oil classification map obtained from the optical image were 82.01% and 72.42%, respectively. Future studies should focus on satellite data of higher temporal resolution to verify the results with in situ or satellite SAR data and to develop better algorithms for rejecting low-probability pixels and dust. Finally, there is a need to develop a near-real-time warning and alarm system for oil spill cases as a service, which can help to identify the ship or platform that is liable for the pollution [175]. [PERSON] et al. [178] analyzed a variety of different data sources, including Sentinel-2 and DubaiSat-2 imagery, and mapped the spatial distribution of coastal marine habitats in the north-western United Arab Emirates (UAE). Their multiple data analysis approach overcame the limitation of turbid waters and habitat seasonality with an overall accuracy of 77%. [PERSON] et al. [189] studied the hydrocarbon seepage characteristics and their relation to the local hydrocarbon field or potential hydrocarbon reservoirs in the South Caspian sea (Iran). They analyzed SAR images (Sentinel-1) together with bathymetry and geological and geophysical data with GIS. Their results showed that the oil slicks have a