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Environments
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Multiple Approaches for Environmental Assessment of Transitional and Coastal Waters...
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Multiple Approaches for Environmental Assessment of Transitional and Coastal Waters II

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (25 March 2025) | Viewed by 8261

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Federica Cacciatore

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Italian Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA), Chioggia, Venice, Italy
Interests: transitional and coastal waters; environmental impact assessment; ecological and chemical status quality; statistical data analysis; ecological restoration; water framework directive; climate change
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

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 anthropogenic impacts and climate change. Assessing their “state of health” involves a multidisciplinary approach, both in monitoring plans and during data analysis processes. European environmental directives, such as the Water Framework Directive, also require this approach, promoting programs to monitor 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 intended to include the largest analytical panel and the most complete set of pressure-sensitive biological indicators possible. However, monitoring or characterization plans results rarely result in 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The aim of this Special Issue is to collect original, unpublished papers and review articles dealing with approaches integrating the information provided by different indicators and indices.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

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 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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

  • marine, coastal and transitional waters
  • environmental quality
  • ecological quality elements
  • standard supporting elements
  • status and pressure assessment
  • habitat and species conservation assessment
  • intertidal ecosystems
  • multidisciplinary approach

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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19 pages, 1961 KiB  
Article
Barriers to Effective Management of Mediterranean Coastal Lagoons Following Key European Union Directives: Perceptions of Managers of Natura 2000 Lagoon Sites in South France
by Nathalie Boutin, Louise Chourot, Jean-Claude Raynal and Rutger De Wit
Environments 2025, 12(5), 137; https://doi.org/10.3390/environments12050137 - 25 Apr 2025
Viewed by 107
Abstract
This paper focuses on the challenges for the co-implementation of two European Union Directives, i.e., the Habitats Directive and the Water Framework Directive, for the management of Mediterranean coastal lagoons as protected areas. Many of these ecosystems are included in the Natura 2000 [...] Read more.
This paper focuses on the challenges for the co-implementation of two European Union Directives, i.e., the Habitats Directive and the Water Framework Directive, for the management of Mediterranean coastal lagoons as protected areas. Many of these ecosystems are included in the Natura 2000 network, the largest network of protected areas in the world. Based on semi-structured interviews with 45 stakeholders from 41 institutions, the study identified five main types of perceived barriers: economic, political and socio-cultural, historical, administrative, and ecological. The study confirmed that the co-implementation of the Habitats Directive (HD) and the Water Framework Directive (WFD) in Mediterranean coastal lagoons generated multiple and interrelated barriers. Beyond their regulatory complexity, these EU directives confronted managers with deep operational challenges. First, mismatches between administrative and ecological boundaries weakened their ability to control key ecological processes such as nutrient flows. Second, the proliferation of indicators, often perceived as disconnected from local realities, reinforced the critique of a management by numbers approach. Finally, the widespread use of regulatory exemptions, while intended to adapt EU rules to local contexts, frequently fueled persistent mistrust among stakeholders, especially in historically degraded environments. These challenges were further exacerbated by a siloed organization of administrations, limiting coordination and adaptive management. Overall, these findings call for more integrated governance frameworks, a more critical and context-sensitive use of indicators, and greater transparency in derogation procedures. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Multiple Approaches for Environmental Assessment of Transitional and Coastal Waters II)
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18 pages, 6063 KiB  
Article
Seasonal Dynamics and Environmental Drivers of Phytoplankton in the Albufera Coastal Lagoon (Valencia, Spain)
by Juan Víctor Molner, Isabel Mellinas-Coperias, Clara Canós-López, Rebeca Pérez-González, María D. Sendra and Juan M. Soria
Environments 2025, 12(1), 23; https://doi.org/10.3390/environments12010023 - 13 Jan 2025
Viewed by 1028
Abstract
The Albufera of Valencia is a hypereutrophic, oligohaline lagoon that has experienced significant changes in phytoplankton composition and state in recent decades due to human activities. These activities affect phytoplankton biomass and community structure, which are key indicators of ecosystem health. In this [...] Read more.
The Albufera of Valencia is a hypereutrophic, oligohaline lagoon that has experienced significant changes in phytoplankton composition and state in recent decades due to human activities. These activities affect phytoplankton biomass and community structure, which are key indicators of ecosystem health. In this study, phytoplankton samples from the lagoon were analyzed to identify dominant groups and genera, and their seasonal cycles were determined using biovolume measurements with the Utermöhl method. Various environmental variables were also measured. Diversity was assessed using richness, equitability, and the Shannon–Wiener index. Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA) and Pearson correlation revealed that temperature and phosphorus significantly influence phytoplankton abundance. A species that exhibited seasonal abundance, resulting in a change in the lagoon’s color from green to brown, was identified. Water quality was assessed using the trophic state index, indicating that the lagoon is in poor condition and hyper-eutrophic. Cyanobacteria were the most dominant group, peaking in November, contrary to previous studies, followed by Chlorophyceae and Bacillariophyceae. Phytoplankton are vital bioindicators for assessing ecosystem health, underscoring the need for further research in this area. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Multiple Approaches for Environmental Assessment of Transitional and Coastal Waters II)
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17 pages, 2430 KiB  
Article
Evaluation of the Effects of Environmental Factors on Seasonal Variations in Fish Diversity on a Coastal Island in Western Japan
by Nguyen Hong Nhat, Mitsuyo Saito, Mayuko Hamada and Shin-ichi Onodera
Environments 2024, 11(3), 60; https://doi.org/10.3390/environments11030060 - 20 Mar 2024
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 4539
Abstract
Coastal habitats are crucial for supporting ecological processes and serve as vital ecosystems for diverse fish species, providing essential functions such as feeding, nursery provision, and reproductive habitats. Fish communities are ecologically important components of coastal ecosystems and are affected by multiple environmental [...] Read more.
Coastal habitats are crucial for supporting ecological processes and serve as vital ecosystems for diverse fish species, providing essential functions such as feeding, nursery provision, and reproductive habitats. Fish communities are ecologically important components of coastal ecosystems and are affected by multiple environmental factors. Despite their importance, determining the effects of environmental factors on seasonal variations in fish species diversity and community dynamics remains a challenge. The advent of environmental DNA (eDNA) technology, an environmentally conscious approach, has resulted in considerable advancements in recent years and has been progressively adopted for marine fish population monitoring. Here, we used environmental DNA metabarcoding to study seasonal variations in fish community structure on a coastal island, and we assessed the effects of environmental factors in structuring these communities. Our findings revealed a rich diversity of 72 fish species across 40 families and 23 orders in the seawater surrounding an island of the Seto Inland Sea (SIS), Western Japan. Notably, the composition of fish communities varied significantly between seasons, with seawater temperature, salinity, and dissolved inorganic phosphorus (DIP) concentration identified as important factors correlated with fish communities’ structures. In conclusion, our study provides useful information of fish diversity, and we suggest that eDNA is a valuable technique for monitoring fish diversity in coastal areas. These findings are crucial for ecological studies and the environmental monitoring of oceanic coastal environments. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Multiple Approaches for Environmental Assessment of Transitional and Coastal Waters II)
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13 pages, 2193 KiB  
Technical Note
A Method to Quantify the Drainage Basin Contributions to Transitional Water Bodies: Numerical Modeling Applied to the Case Study of Venice Lagoon
by Alessandra Feola, Andrea Bonometto, Devis Canesso, Andrea Pedroncini, Federica Cacciatore, Marta Novello, Alessandra Girolimetto, Massimo Zorzi and Rossella Boscolo Brusà
Environments 2024, 11(11), 234; https://doi.org/10.3390/environments11110234 - 24 Oct 2024
Viewed by 1351
Abstract
The trophic, chemical and ecological state of a lagoon is strongly influenced by numerous aspects, among which the quantity and quality of the water coming from its drainage basin are a priority. The Source-to-Sea approach directly addresses the linkages between land, water, delta, [...] Read more.
The trophic, chemical and ecological state of a lagoon is strongly influenced by numerous aspects, among which the quantity and quality of the water coming from its drainage basin are a priority. The Source-to-Sea approach directly addresses the linkages between land, water, delta, estuary, coast, nearshore and ocean ecosystems to identify appropriate courses of action to address alterations of key flows, resulting in economic, social and environmental benefits. Hydrodynamic modeling has become a fundamental tool for describing the dynamics of marine environments, and a specific field of development of ongoing research is a detailed representation of the land–coastal–sea fluxes. In the present study, a numerical modeling tool was used in the Venice Lagoon to assess and quantify dominant contributions from the river basin within specific areas of the lagoon. An advective–diffusive model was used to reproduce the transport of passive tracers. The results were analyzed using an automated computational tool, obtaining the average percentage contribution of each input from the drainage basin and mean concentrations of tracer in the different water bodies. Through the proposed methodology, it is possible to support the planning of specific measures, identifying priorities of management intervention and preliminarily exploring different scenarios. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Multiple Approaches for Environmental Assessment of Transitional and Coastal Waters II)
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