Freshwater Science

Aims & Scope

Freshwater Science (FWS) publishes articles that advance understanding and environmental stewardship of all types of inland aquatic ecosystems (lakes, rivers, streams, reservoirs, subterranean, and estuaries) and ecosystems at the interface between aquatic and terrestrial habitats (wetlands, riparian areas, and floodplains).

The journal regularly features papers on a wide range of topics, including physical, chemical, and biological properties of lentic and lotic habitats; ecosystem processes; structure and dynamics of populations, communities, and ecosystems; ecology, systematics, and genetics of freshwater organisms, from bacteria to vertebrates; linkages between freshwater and other ecosystems and between freshwater ecology and other aquatic sciences; bioassessment, conservation, and restoration; environmental management; and new or novel methods for basic or applied research.

View Aims & Scope

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Metrics & Ranking

Impact Factor

Year	Value
2025	1.6
2024	1.70

Journal Rank

Year	Value
2024	8155

Journal Citation Indicator

Year	Value
2024	257

SJR (SCImago Journal Rank)

Year	Value
2024	0.696

Quartile

Year	Value
2024	Q1

h-index

Year	Value
2024	131

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Abstracting & Indexing

Journal is indexed in leading academic databases, ensuring global visibility and accessibility of our peer-reviewed research.

• Scopus
• Google Scholar
• Web of Science

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Subjects & Keywords

Journal’s research areas, covering key disciplines and specialized sub-topics in Agricultural and Biological Sciences and Environmental Science, designed to support cutting-edge academic discovery.

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Most Cited Articles

The Most Cited Articles section features the journal's most impactful research, based on citation counts. These articles have been referenced frequently by other researchers, indicating their significant contribution to their respective fields.

• Groundwater ecosystem services: a review

  Citation: 338

  Authors: Christian, Maria

• Environmental DNA as a new method for early detection of New Zealand mudsnails (<i>Potamopyrgus antipodarum</i>)

  Citation: 319

  Authors: Caren S., Adam, Andrew, Jeremy, Lisette P.

• Delivering on a promise: integrating species traits to transform descriptive community ecology into a predictive science

  Citation: 281

  Authors: W. C. E. P., C. G. E., A. G.

• Mechanistic effects of low-flow hydrology on riverine ecosystems: ecological principles and consequences of alteration

  Citation: 264

  Authors: Robert J., Catherine, Fran

• Global perspectives on the urban stream syndrome

  Citation: 252

  Authors: Derek B., Allison H., Benjamin, Krista A.

• A global meta-analysis of the ecological impacts of nonnative crayfish

  Citation: 230

  Authors: Laura A., Julian D., Eric R.

• Crenic habitats, hotspots for freshwater biodiversity conservation: toward an understanding of their ecology

  Citation: 181

  Authors: Marco, Leopold, Reinhard, Ingrid, Eileen J.

• Fire effects on aquatic ecosystems: an assessment of the current state of the science

  Citation: 173

  Authors: Rebecca J., Scott D., Robert E., Lee E., Clifford N., Kathleen A.

• Consequences of acid mine drainage for the structure and function of benthic stream communities: a review

  Citation: 171

  Authors: Kristy L., Jon S.

• Principles for urban stormwater management to protect stream ecosystems

  Citation: 163

  Authors: Christopher J., Derek B., Matthew J., Tim D., Rebecca L., Lan N., Grant, Megan A., Allison H., Mateo, Angela

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