Assessment and Monitoring of Coastal Water Quality
A special issue of Journal of Marine Science and Engineering (ISSN 2077-1312). This special issue belongs to the section "Marine Environmental Science".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 1 January 2026
Special Issue Editors
Interests: marine biogeochemistry; biogeochemical cycles of trace elements; emerging metallic contaminants; environmental analytical chemistry
Interests: biogeochemistry of metals in water systems; electroanalytical methods and instrumentations; interactions of trace metals with ligands and microplastics in aquatic environment
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Coastal waters are among the most dynamic and vulnerable environments, continuously influenced by natural processes and human activities such as urbanization, tourism, maritime traffic, agriculture, and industry. These pressures contribute to the degradation of water quality through the input of nutrients, metals, organic pollutants, microplastics, and pathogens. The health of coastal ecosystems is critical not only for marine biodiversity but also for the well-being of communities that rely on these areas for food, recreation, and economic activities. Monitoring and assessing coastal water quality is, therefore, essential to ensure sustainable management and to mitigate the adverse impacts of pollution.
The monitoring of coastal waters has evolved over recent decades from basic physico-chemical assessments to integrated approaches that include bioindicators, modeling, and remote sensing. However, many regions still lack comprehensive data or consistent long-term monitoring frameworks, leaving important knowledge gaps. Recent innovations in analytical chemistry, sensor technologies, and data integration (e.g., remote sensing and machine learning) are reshaping how we assess water quality in coastal zones. Additionally, emerging topics such as microplastics, pharmaceuticals, and multi-stressor interactions, including climate change drivers, are receiving increasing attention.
This Special Issue aims to highlight recent advances in methodologies and case studies related to the chemical, physical, and biological assessment and monitoring of coastal waters. Contributions may include studies on pollution sources, spatiotemporal trends, the development and application of analytical techniques, remote sensing, the use of biological indicators, as well as modeling approaches.
We invite researchers working on coastal systems worldwide to share their findings, whether through original research, comprehensive reviews, or applied case studies, with the goal of improving our understanding of the current challenges and supporting evidence-based strategies for the protection and restoration of coastal water quality.
Dr. Dario Omanović
Dr. Vlado Cuculić
Dr. Saša Marcinek
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 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. Journal of Marine Science and Engineering 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 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
- coastal water quality
- water pollution
- environmental monitoring
- anthropogenic impact
- bioindicators
- trace metals
- organic pollutants
- eutrophication
- emerging contaminants
- coastal management
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