Special Issue "Multiple Approaches for Environmental Assessment of Transitional and Coastal Waters"

Dear Colleagues,

Transitional and coastal areas are considered highly productive ecosystems on Earth. Despite protective measures, their recently accelerated rate of loss has been much higher than those of any other ecosystem on the planet because of the anthropogenic impact and climate change. Assessing their “state of health” involves a multidisciplinary approach both in monitoring plans and during data analysis processes. Environmental European directives, such as the Water Framework Directive, also require this approach, promoting programs to monitor both biological quality elements, physiochemical parameters, and priority substances that contribute to the ecological and chemical status classification of water bodies, respectively. Environmental monitoring and characterization plans are often articulated to include the largest analytical panel and the most complete set of pressure-sensitive biological indicators. However, monitoring or characterization plans results rarely provide environmental assessments integrating all the different aspects investigated.

The aim of this Special issue is to collect original, unpublished papers and review articles dealing with approaches integrating the information provided by different indicators and indices. I particularly welcome papers with case studies, which include biological, chemical, physical, and statistical analyses, in transitional or coastal environments.

Dr. Federica Cacciatore
Guest Editor

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• transitional waters
• environmental quality
• status and pressure assessment
• intertidal ecosystems
• multidisciplinary approach

Title: An integrated approach for evaluating the restoration of the salinity gradient in transitional waters: monitoring and numerical modelling in the Life Lagoon Refresh case study

Authors: Feola A.^1*, Ponis E. ¹, Cornello M. ¹, Cacciatore F. ¹, Oselladore F. ¹, Matticchio B. ², Canesso D. ², Sponga S. ², Peretti P. ², Lizier M. ³, Maniero L. ⁴, Sfriso A. ⁵, Ferla M. ¹, Boscolo Brusà R. ¹, Bonometto A.¹

Title: A new multi-index method for the eutrophication assessment in transitional waters. Large-scale implementation in Italian lagoons.

Authors: Bonometto A.¹, Ponis E. ¹, Riccardi E.², Pigozzi S.², Parati P.³, Novello M.³, Ungaro N.⁴, Acquavita A.⁵, Manconi P.⁶, Cacciatore F. ¹, Sfriso A. ⁷, Giordani G.⁸, Boscolo Brusà R.¹