• Human-flood interaction studies surged, shifting to two-way coupling. • Disconnection between hazard patterns and research shows investment imbalance. • Challenges remain in scale mismatch, space-time coupling, and behavioral modeling. Amid accelerating climate change and intensifying human activities, flood risks have been accumulating, reinforcing the bidirectional interplay between humans and floods. Within this context, human-flood interaction has emerged as a rapidly expanding research frontier that is attracting growing attention. Here, we review 78 representative studies to examine publication trends, research hotspot shifts, and persistent challenges in this field, combining bibliometric analyses with flood disaster records. We found that, over the past three decades, publications on human-flood interaction have increased exponentially, with their focus shifting from one-way impacts towards two-way human-flood coupling. The global collaboration network displays a “dual-core” structure, with transcontinental collaboration between China and the United States and regional collaborations within Europe, whereas participation from Global South countries remains marginal. In addition, a spatial disconnect persists between the geographic distribution of research hotspot regions and that of flood records. Based on bibliometric mapping, we further highlight three enduring challenges: (i) scale mismatches, (ii) spatiotemporal coupling gaps, and (iii) deficits in behavioral modeling. The insights gained from this study will help guide future research and investment in human-flood interaction, with practical implications for enhancing resilience to flood disasters and promoting sustainable human-water coexistence.
Lan et al. (2026) studied this question.