Estuarine Hydrodynamics: Climate Change Impacts and Responses
A special issue of Journal of Marine Science and Engineering (ISSN 2077-1312). This special issue belongs to the section "Coastal Engineering".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 25 September 2026 | Viewed by 110
Special Issue Editors
Interests: numerical modelling; harbour hydrodynamics; flood hazard; adaptation measures
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: estuaries and lagoons; mixing and transport processes; estuarine plumes; physical/biology/chemical interaction; marine litter
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: physical oceanography; estuaries and lagoons; coastal processes; climate change; tidal processes
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Climate change is transforming the hydrodynamics of estuarine systems by altering the physical drivers that shape circulation, stratification, and the exchange between riverine and coastal waters. Sea‑level rise modifies tidal propagation and increases the frequency and extent of estuarine flooding, while changes in wind patterns, river discharge, and extreme weather events shift the balance between oceanic and freshwater influences. These evolving conditions affect key processes such as residence time, physical, biological/chemical patterns, and retention or export mechanisms, with implications for ecosystem functioning, water quality, and the exposure of coastal communities to hazards.
Understanding these changes requires integrating climate projections, reanalysis datasets, and robust model-evaluation workflows to assess how future forcing scenarios translate into hydrodynamic responses. Combining hydrodynamic modelling with structured diagnostics and scenario analysis will provide essential insights into how estuarine systems may evolve under different climate trajectories. This process-based approach supports the design of adaptive monitoring strategies, strengthens risk assessments, and informs long-term management and mitigation planning in estuarine systems increasingly shaped by climate-driven variability.
This Special Issue aims to highlight the latest developments in climate challenges faced by estuarine systems. We welcome contributions on topics including, but not limited to, the following:
- Monitoring or modelling of estuarine systems;
- Modelling the estuarine hydrodynamics under climate change;
- Assess the current and future risks and impacts of climate change on the hydrodynamics of the estuarine systems and communities;
- Assess how climate change affects the physical and biogeochemical processes;
- Identify and evaluate the effectiveness and feasibility of various mitigation and resilience options.
Dr. Americo S. Ribeiro
Dr. Magda Catarina Sousa
Prof. Dr. João Miguel Dias
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. Journal of Marine Science and Engineering is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly 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 2600 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
- climate change impacts
- estuarine hydrodynamics
- extreme events
- sea level rise
- mixing and transport processes
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