2021 tables: Institutions - Earth & environmental sciences

The 2021 tables are based on Nature Index data from 1 January 2020 to 31 December 2020.

Table criteria

# Institution Share 2019 Share 2020 Count 2020 Change in Adjusted Share* 2019–2020
1 University of Toronto (U of T), Canada 37.42 42.67 135 9.0%
2 University of Alberta (U of A), Canada 34.99 27.03 82 -26.2%
3 Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), Canada 22.10 22.42 80 -3.1%
4 McGill University, Canada 23.39 20.97 99 -14.3%
5 The University of British Columbia (UBC), Canada 18.85 19.62 93 -0.5%
6 University of Calgary (U of C), Canada 17.01 17.84 48 0.3%
7 University of Waterloo, Canada 5.92 12.62 32 103.7%
8 Natural Resources Canada, Canada 7.88 11.25 49 36.5%
9 University of Saskatchewan (U of S), Canada 6.64 9.87 60 42.0%
10 Dalhousie University, Canada 13.23 8.87 36 -36.0%
11 Western University (UWO), Canada 7.57 8.55 27 8.0%
12 University of Victoria (UVic), Canada 8.03 8.39 30 -0.2%
13 Carleton University, Canada 3.39 6.55 18 84.5%
14 University of Ottawa (uOttawa), Canada 5.70 6.16 18 3.3%
15 Queen's University, Canada 4.52 4.69 14 -0.8%
16 Trent University, Canada 1.83 4.67 9 143.7%
17 Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO), Canada 4.29 4.31 20 -4.0%
18 Simon Fraser University (SFU), Canada 3.37 3.75 16 6.3%
19 Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM), Canada 3.33 3.31 31 -4.9%
20 York University, Canada 2.45 3.24 34 26.5%
21 Laval University (UL), Canada 3.63 3.21 32 -15.5%
22 University of Guelph, Canada 2.55 3.17 20 19.1%
23 University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC), Canada 1.11 2.87 6 147.6%
24 University of Montreal (UdeM), Canada 2.65 2.80 27 0.7%
25 National Institute of Scientific Research (INRS), Canada 2.57 2.72 29 1.0%
26 Memorial University of Newfoundland (MUN), Canada 2.10 2.67 13 21.6%
27 University of Regina, Canada 1.97 2.25 8 9.2%
28 Université du Québec à Rimouski (UQAR), Canada 1.62 2.10 29 24.1%
29 University of Manitoba, Canada 1.32 2.02 15 46.4%
30 University of New Brunswick (UNB), Canada 1.95 1.98 9 -3.0%
31 Canadian Light Source Inc., Canada 1.09 1.82 9 60.1%
32 Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks, Canada 1.76 1.63 6 -11.8%
33 Université du Québec à Chicoutimi (UQAC), Canada 1.58 1.57 22 -5.1%
34 University of Sherbrooke (USherbrooke), Canada 1.34 1.49 9 6.1%
35 Concordia University, Canada 1.95 1.23 25 -39.4%
36 Polytechnique Montréal, Canada 5.34 1.23 5 -78.0%
37 McMaster University, Canada 3.41 1.22 6 -65.7%
38 Brandon University (BU), Canada 1.12 1.10 2 -5.7%
39 Wilfrid Laurier University (WLU), Canada 0.82 0.81 4 -5.5%
40 Royal Ontario Museum (ROM), Canada 0.49 0.81 6 57.2%
41 University of Windsor (UWin), Canada 0.98 0.74 5 -28.0%
42 GHGSat, Inc., Canada 0.28 0.71 2 143.7%
43 Alberta Environment and Parks (AEP), Canada 0.83 0.69 2 -20.8%
44 Centre National en Électrochimie et en Technologie Environnementales Inc. (CNETE), Canada 0.67 2 N/A
44 Manitoba Department of Growth, Enterprise and Trade (GET), Canada 0.67 1 N/A
45 Health Canada (HC-SC), Canada 2.03 0.55 2 -74.0%
46 MacEwan University, Canada 0.17 0.53 3 194.2%
47 Stantec Inc., Canada 0.51 4 N/A
48 National Research Council (NRC), Canada 0.94 0.50 5 -48.7%
49 Quest University Canada, Canada 0.50 1 N/A
49 Fonds de Recherche du Québec - Nature et Technologies (FRQNT), Canada 0.50 1 N/A
50 Laurentian University, Canada 1.89 0.43 3 -78.0%
51 Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC), Canada 0.55 0.38 2 -34.7%
52 G360 Institute for Groundwater Research, Canada 0.45 0.38 1 -20.6%
53 Acadia University, Canada 0.39 0.37 2 -10.6%
54 Mount Allison University, Canada 0.40 0.35 3 -17.4%
55 University of Quebec at Trois-Rivieres (UQTR), Canada 0.16 0.33 4 101.6%
56 Centre for Affordable Water and Sanitation Technology (CAWST), Canada 0.33 1 N/A
56 Englobe Corporation, Canada 0.33 2 N/A
56 Yukon University, Canada 0.33 2 N/A
56 Royal Military College of Canada (RMC), Canada 0.33 1 N/A
57 Government of Northwest Territories, Canada 0.17 0.31 2 78.4%
58 University of Prince Edward Island (UPEI), Canada 0.29 3 N/A
59 St. Francis Xavier University (StFX), Canada 0.56 0.28 3 -51.2%
60 British Columbia Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource, Canada 0.18 0.28 4 47.4%
61 Lakehead University, Canada 1.60 0.28 3 -83.5%
62 Hakai Institute, Canada 1.00 0.28 3 -73.7%
63 Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU), Canada 0.31 0.26 2 -21.6%
64 Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES), Canada 0.25 1 N/A
64 Toronto Zoo, Canada 0.25 1 N/A
64 PQ Corporation, Canada 0.25 1 N/A
64 Primodal Inc., Canada 0.25 1 N/A
65 Brock University, Canada 0.13 0.23 2 78.7%
66 Arnot Research and Consulting Inc. (ARC), Canada 0.41 0.23 2 -47.9%
67 Frontier Geosciences Inc., Canada 0.20 1 N/A
68 Canadian Museum of Nature, Canada 0.19 2 N/A
69 Aurora College, Canada 0.18 2 N/A
70 University of Lethbridge, Canada 0.22 0.17 3 -27.0%
71 Royal Tyrrell Museum, Canada 0.16 0.17 1 2.4%
71 Armitage Environmental Sciences, Inc. (AES), Canada 0.13 0.17 1 27.4%
71 inCTRL Solutions Inc., Canada 0.17 0.17 1 -4.4%
71 Alberta Geological Survey, Canada 0.70 0.17 1 -77.2%
71 Suncor Energy, Inc., Canada 0.17 1 N/A
71 Savron Solutions, Canada 0.17 1 N/A
71 Calaber1 Resources, Canada 0.17 1 N/A
71 Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA), Canada 0.17 1 N/A
71 FG & Partners Ltd., Canada 0.17 1 N/A
71 Yukon Geoglogical Survey, Canada 0.17 1 N/A
71 Enlightening Bioscience Research Center, Canada 0.17 1 N/A
71 Fibics Incorporated, Canada 0.17 1 N/A
71 IFP Canada, Canada 0.17 1 N/A
72 Montréal West Island Integrated University Health and Social Services Center (MWI IUHSSC), Canada 0.15 1 N/A
73 Québec Ministère de l'Environnement et de la Lutte contre les changements climatiques, Canada 0.13 0.14 1 9.2%
73 Royal Saskatchewan Museum (RSM), Canada 0.14 1 N/A
73 Hydromantis Environmental Software Solutions, Inc., Canada 0.14 1 N/A
73 Triumph Gold Corporation, Canada 0.14 1 N/A
74 Yukon Department of Environment, Canada 0.14 2 N/A
75 Ontario Agency for Health Protection and Promotion (OAHPP), Canada 0.08 0.13 1 43.4%
75 Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry, Canada 0.67 0.13 1 -82.1%
75 Klimaat Consulting and Innovation Inc., Canada 0.13 1 N/A
75 Isotope Tracer Technologies Inc. (IT2), Canada 0.13 1 N/A
76 Nova Scotia Department of Energy, Canada 0.12 1 N/A
77 Community of Pond Inlet, Canada 0.06 0.11 1 69.9%
77 Alberta Health Services (AHS), Canada 0.10 0.11 1 1.4%
77 ARCTIConnexion, Canada 0.19 0.11 1 -43.4%
77 John Abbott College (JAC), Canada 0.11 1 N/A
77 WSP Global Inc., Canada 0.11 1 N/A
77 Osisko Metals Ltd., Canada 0.11 1 N/A
77 Phoenix Geophysics, Canada 0.11 1 N/A
77 Nunavut Arctic College (NAC), Canada 0.11 1 N/A
78 Mount Royal University, Canada 0.11 2 N/A
79 Vancouver Island University (VIU), Canada 0.10 1 N/A
79 Outer Shores Expeditions, Canada 0.10 1 N/A
80 Institut de Recherche Robert-Sauvé en Santé et en Sécurité du Travail (IRSST), Canada 0.09 1 N/A
81 Royal Alberta Museum, Canada 0.03 0.09 2 161.9%
82 Water Quality Services, Canada 0.08 1 N/A
82 Cancer Care Ontario (CCO), Canada 0.08 1 N/A
83 Canadian Space Agency (CSA), Canada 0.03 0.08 1 172.0%
84 Hatfield Consultants, Canada 0.08 1 N/A
85 International Society for Environmental Information Sciences (ISEIS), Canada 0.07 1 N/A
86 Ministère des Forêts, de la Faune et des Parcs (MFFP), Canada 0.09 0.07 1 -29.9%
86 Les Kutny Consultant, Canada 0.07 1 N/A
87 Ontario Trillium Foundation, Canada 0.06 1 N/A
87 Sheridan College, Canada 0.06 1 N/A
88 Alder Institute, Canada 0.06 1 N/A
89 Occupational Cancer Research Centre (OCRC), Canada 0.06 1 N/A
89 Polar Knowledge Canada, Canada 0.06 1 N/A
89 Halifax Water, Canada 0.06 1 N/A
90 Hemmera, Canada 0.05 1 N/A
91 SciTech Environmental Consulting, Canada 0.05 1 N/A
92 Nautilus Environmental Company, Inc., Canada 0.05 1 N/A
93 Thompson Rivers University (TRU), Canada 0.04 1 N/A
94 Complete MT Solutions Inc. (CMTS), Canada 0.25 0.04 1 -85.8%
95 Uisce (Ishka) Consulting International Ltd., Canada 0.03 1 N/A
96 Golder Associates Limited, Canada 0.63 0.03 1 -95.5%
97 Centre for Environmental ​Genomics Applications (CEGA), Canada 0.03 1 N/A
98 Teledyne Optech, Inc., Canada 0.03 1 N/A
99 Yukon Department of Tourism and Culture, Canada 0.03 1 N/A
100 Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue (UQAT), Canada 0.25 0.02 3 -90.4%

Footnote

Each year, the Nature Index publishes tables based on counts of high-quality research outputs in the previous calendar year. Users please note:

  1. The data behind the tables are based on a relatively small proportion of total research papers, they cover the natural sciences only and outputs are non-normalized (that is, they don’t reflect the size of the country or institution, or its overall research output).
  2. The Nature Index is one indicator of institutional research performance. The metrics of Count and Share used to order Nature Index listings are based on an institution’s or country’s publication output in 82 natural-science journals through 2022, in 2023 64 health-science journals were added to the Index. The 146 journals in the Nature Index were selected on reputation by an independent panel of leading scientists in their fields.
  3. Nature Index recognizes that many other factors must be taken into account when considering research quality and institutional performance; Nature Index metrics alone should not be used to assess institutions or individuals.
  4. Nature Index data and methods are transparent and available under a creative commons licence at nature.com/nature-index/.
  5. Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

The Nature Index database undergoes regular updating, corrections, adjustment of institutional hierarchies, and removal of retracted papers and thus the live website can differ from the frozen annual tables.

*The change in adjusted Share accounts for the small annual variation in the total number of articles in Nature Index journals. Share values have been adjusted to 2022 levels to calculate the percentage change. For more information on the adjustment, please see the Adjusted metric explainer.