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Environments
Special Issues
Changing Coastal Ecosystems Under the Context of Climate Change, Restoration,...
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Changing Coastal Ecosystems Under the Context of Climate Change, Restoration, Rehabilitation, and Urbanization

A special issue of Environments (ISSN 2076-3298).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 November 2026 | Viewed by 1718

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Linda J. Walters

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Biology, University of Central Florida, 4000 Central Florida Blvd., Orlando, FL 32816, USA
Interests: marine ecology; restoration ecology; ecosystem services; threatened/endangered species; biodegradable materials for restoration
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Lisa G. Chambers

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. Department of Biology, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL 32816, USA
2. National Center for Integrated Coastal Research, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL 32816, USA
Interests: wetland and coastal ecology; biogeochemical cycling; climate change
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Melinda J. Donnelly

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Biology, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL 32816, USA
Interests: estuarine restoration; coastal wetlands; living shorelines; marine biodiversity
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Coastal ecosystems, including estuaries, are often locations of rapid change. This Special Issue will focus on how humans have negatively impacted these diverse coastal ecosystems, including, but not limited to, microplastics and other contaminants, harmful algal blooms, warming temperatures, sea-level rise, boat strikes and wakes, overharvesting, habitat loss, and invasive species. Some of these negative impacts are now being addressed in estuaries through restoration, rehabilitation, and enhancement efforts. Manuscripts on these efforts are also welcome.

Prof. Dr. Linda J. Walters
Dr. Lisa G. Chambers
Dr. Melinda J. Donnelly
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Environments is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • estuaries
  • coastal ecosystems
  • anthropogenic impacts
  • environmental mitigation
  • restoration
  • rehabilitation
  • nature-based coastal defense
  • microplastics
  • atmospheric deposition
  • pollutants
  • biogeochemistry
  • algal blooms
  • invasive species

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

17 pages, 2843 KB  
Article
The Role of Posidonia oceanica Spheroids in Assessing Microplastic Contamination in Coastal Ecosystems
by Patrizia Menegoni and Loris Pietrelli
Environments 2026, 13(2), 71; https://doi.org/10.3390/environments13020071 - 25 Jan 2026
Viewed by 1348
Abstract
Plastic pollution, particularly in marine environments, has become a major global concern; therefore, monitoring and controlling these contaminants is essential to safeguard ecosystem integrity and human health. This study evaluates the ability of Posidonia oceanica spheroids to incorporate and retain plastic debris, with [...] Read more.
Plastic pollution, particularly in marine environments, has become a major global concern; therefore, monitoring and controlling these contaminants is essential to safeguard ecosystem integrity and human health. This study evaluates the ability of Posidonia oceanica spheroids to incorporate and retain plastic debris, with a particular focus on microplastics (MPs). A total of 1300 spheroids were collected along the Latium coast (Central Italy); among these, 454 (34.9%) contained plastic debris, with an average of 3.1 items per spheroid. Overall, 1415 plastic items were extracted and identified. Based on size classification, 48.7% were microplastics, 29.6% mesoplastics, and 21.9% macroplastics. Plastic items mainly consisted of filaments (40.9 ± 12.6%) and fibers (21.5 ± 5.2%). Eleven different colors were recorded, with white (28.8 ± 9.1%), transparent (13.4 ± 6.0%), and black (11.1 ± 6.8%) being the most frequent. A strong correlation was observed between the number of plastic items contained in the spheroids and proximity to wastewater treatment plants, which are known sources of synthetic fibers. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) identified a total of 15 polymer materials, with nylon (18.2 ± 11.0%) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET; 17.3 ± 7.2%) being the most abundant. Structural alterations observed in FTIR spectra, together with carbonyl index values, indicate that most MPs are of secondary origin, resulting from prolonged environmental degradation. These results demonstrate that P. oceanica spheroids effectively promote plastic trapping and highlight their potential as a simple and cost-effective monitoring tool for marine plastic pollution. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Changing Coastal Ecosystems Under the Context of Climate Change, Restoration, Rehabilitation, and Urbanization)
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