Coastal Resilience and Adaptation in a Changing Climate: Modeling, Monitoring, and Sustainable Infrastructure

Dear Colleagues,

Climate change is increasingly affecting coastal and port regions, intensifying sea-level rise, storm surges, wave loading, and other hydroclimatic extremes that threaten the integrity and performance of critical infrastructure systems. On the one hand, coastal structures serve as essential protective infrastructure, safeguarding communities, transport corridors, and economic activities from climate-driven marine hazards. On the other hand, ports, as key gateways of global supply chains and transport networks, comprise complex structural assets and adjacent transport links whose resilience is vital for economic stability and regional sustainability. This Special Issue aims to foster interdisciplinary research that bridges climate science, engineering innovation, and coastal management, promoting sustainable and climate-resilient coastal and port infrastructure systems. Emphasis is placed on approaches that couple climate change considerations with monitoring, design, and maintenance strategies. Additionally, vulnerability and risk assessments and policy and governance instruments that support evidence-based adaptation and the sustainable development of coastal regions are points of focus.

We particularly encourage studies that apply advanced monitoring, modeling, analytical tools, digital twins, artificial intelligence (AI), and GIS-based analyses to enhance understanding, management, and adaptation to climate-driven risks affecting coastal and port infrastructure. Contributions addressing policy frameworks, decision-support systems, and integrated governance approaches for climate-resilient coastal and port systems are also highly welcome.

Specific topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Climate change impacts and adaptation strategies for coastal, port, and related transport infrastructure;
• Vulnerability and risk assessments of infrastructure under extreme climate events;
• The integration of climate projections into design and maintenance frameworks;
• Structural health monitoring (SHM) for climate-resilient infrastructure;
• UAV- and sensor-based inspection technologies for assessing climate impacts;
• Digital twins, AI, and GIS analytics for climate adaptation and predictive management;
• The modeling and simulation of hydroclimate interactions with coastal and port systems;
• Sustainable approaches to infrastructure rehabilitation;
• Sustainable port–city interfaces and coastal urban integration;
• Resilient coastal communities through climate-responsive infrastructure strategies;
• Integrated coastal zone management (ICZM) and climate adaptation strategies;
• Nature-based and hybrid engineering solutions for climate adaptation;
• Policy and governance models for climate-resilient coastal infrastructure networks.

Prof. Dr. Vasiliki Tsoukala
Dr. Christina Tsaimou
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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• climate resilience
• adaptation strategies
• sustainable infrastructure
• coastal infrastructure systems
• port systems
• climate impacts
• vulnerability assessment
• risk assessment
• marine spatial planning (MSP)
• structural health monitoring (SHM)
• modeling
• digital twins (DT)
• geographic information systems (GIS)
• artificial intelligence (AI)
• adaptive management