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Monitoring Coastal Systems and Improving Climate Change Resilience
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Monitoring Coastal Systems and Improving Climate Change Resilience

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 December 2025 | Viewed by 2810

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Veljko Srzić

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Faculty of Civil Engineering, Architecture and Geodesy, University of Split, Split, Croatia
Interests: environmental monitoring; coastal system dynamics; salinization of coastal systems; stochastic modeling; flow and transport in porous media; surface and ground water interaction in coastal systems
Dr. Luigi Tosi

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
National Research Council, Institute of Geosciences and Earth Resources, Padova, Italy
Interests: coastal geology; land subsidence; saltwater intrusion

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues, 

Coastal systems worldwide are increasingly threatened by the adverse effects of climate change and escalating anthropogenic pressures. The degradation of freshwater resources is among the most harmful consequences from both quantitative and qualitative perspectives. 

This degradation results in a critical reduction in freshwater availability for essential uses such as agricultural irrigation and drinking water supply. Moreover, coastal water salinization modifies the water budget components and shifts the dynamics of key hydrological processes. These cascading impacts also cause irreversible damage to the healthy state of ecosystems and create a complex web of environmental, economic, and social challenges, necessitating integrated and adaptive management strategies. 

Although research groups worldwide have made significant contributions thus far, additional efforts are needed to deepen our understanding of coastal systems, primarily through enhanced monitoring approaches, strategic planning, implementation, demonstration projects, and data-driven analyses. 

This Special Issue will collect papers contributing to overcoming climate change-induced challenges to coastal systems by presenting novel monitoring approaches, innovative applications of conventional methods that offer new insights, and studies that enhance understanding of coastal water bodies interconnection. 

We, therefore, invite researchers and scientists to contribute state-of-the-art research and share their findings. This Special Issue welcomes both original research articles and comprehensive review papers. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following areas:

  • Seawater intrusion in deltas, estuaries, and lagoons;
  • Innovative monitoring techniques in coastal systems;
  • Role of tidal regimes (micro-, meso-, and macro-tidal) in influencing salinization processes within coastal systems;
  • Interplay between seawater level variations and natural freshwater discharge in controlling coastal water quality;
  • Impacts of sea-level rise and land subsidence on salinization of soil, surface water, and groundwater;
  • Vulnerability and risk assessments;
  • Aquifers beneath seas and lagoons;
  • Adaptation, mitigation strategies

We look forward to receiving your contributions. 

Dr. Veljko Srzić
Dr. Luigi Tosi
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 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

  • monitoring
  • coastal systems
  • climate change
  • aquifer salinization
  • groundwater
  • surface water
  • deltas
  • relative sea-level rise
  • risk assessment

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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12 pages, 6343 KB  
Article
Integrated Geophysical, Isotopic, and Hydrochemical Approach to Studying Freshwater–Saline Water Interaction in Coastal Wetland at Punta Rasa Nature Reserve, Argentina
by Eleonora Carol, María Julieta Galliari, Santiago Perdomo, Romina Sanci and Rosario Acosta
J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2025, 13(12), 2362; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse13122362 - 12 Dec 2025
Abstract
The interaction between freshwater and saline water in coastal wetlands generates an interface zone where vertical and horizontal salinity gradients develop. This interface has been investigated through geophysical, hydrochemical, and isotopic studies, which constitute useful tools that provide different types of information whose [...] Read more.
The interaction between freshwater and saline water in coastal wetlands generates an interface zone where vertical and horizontal salinity gradients develop. This interface has been investigated through geophysical, hydrochemical, and isotopic studies, which constitute useful tools that provide different types of information whose combined interpretation allows for a more comprehensive understanding of the processes associated with this interaction. This work assessed, through an integrated geophysical (electrical resistivity tomography), hydrochemical (major ions), and isotopic (δ2H, δ18O, and 222Rn) study, the freshwater–saline water interaction between marsh and dune environments in the Punta Rasa Natural Reserve (Argentina). Results show that salinity gradients occurring between dune and marsh environments are associated with fresh groundwater discharge and rainwater infiltration. Fresh groundwater discharge takes place in topographically elevated dunes, where freshwater lenses form. This discharge generates vertical and horizontal salinity gradients because the hydraulic gradient causes the interface to migrate with the groundwater flow. In low-relief dunes, lenses do not develop and the salinity gradient that develops within the interface due to rainwater infiltration is vertical. The findings clarify plant zonation linked to freshwater–saline water interfaces and provide environmental data to assess wetland resilience to climate-driven changes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Monitoring Coastal Systems and Improving Climate Change Resilience)
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20 pages, 10791 KB  
Article
Developing Integrated Supersites to Advance the Understanding of Saltwater Intrusion in the Coastal Plain Between the Brenta and Adige Rivers, Italy
by Luigi Tosi, Marta Cosma, Pablo Agustín Yaciuk, Iva Aljinović, Andrea Artuso, Jadran Čarija, Cristina Da Lio, Lorenzo Frison, Veljko Srzić, Fabio Tateo and Sandra Donnici
J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2025, 13(12), 2328; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse13122328 - 8 Dec 2025
Viewed by 115
Abstract
Saltwater intrusion increasingly jeopardizes groundwater in low-lying coastal plains worldwide, where the combined effects of sea-level rise, land subsidence, and hydraulic regulation further exacerbate aquifer vulnerability and threaten the long-term sustainability of freshwater supplies. To move beyond sparse and fragmented piezometric observations, we [...] Read more.
Saltwater intrusion increasingly jeopardizes groundwater in low-lying coastal plains worldwide, where the combined effects of sea-level rise, land subsidence, and hydraulic regulation further exacerbate aquifer vulnerability and threaten the long-term sustainability of freshwater supplies. To move beyond sparse and fragmented piezometric observations, we propose “integrated coastal supersites”: wells equipped with multiparametric sensors and multilevel piezometers that couple high-resolution vertical conductivity–temperature–depth (CTD) profiling with continuous hydro-meteorological time series to monitor the hydrodynamic behavior of coastal aquifers and saltwater intrusion. This study describes the installation of two supersites and presents early insights from the first monitoring period, which, despite a short observation window limited to the summer season (July–September 2025), demonstrate the effectiveness of this approach. Two contrasting supersites were deployed in the coastal plain between the Brenta and Adige Rivers (Italy): Gorzone, characterized by a thick, laterally persistent aquitard, and Buoro, where the aquitard is thinner and discontinuous. Profiles and fixed sensors at both sites reveal a consistent fresh-to-saline transition in the phreatic aquifers and a secondary freshwater lens capping the confined systems. At Gorzone, the confining layer hydraulically isolates the deeper aquifer, preserving low salinity beneath a saline, tidally constrained phreatic zone. Groundwater heads oscillate by about 0.2 m, and rainfall events do not dilute salinity; instead, pressure transients—amplified by drainage regulation and inland-propagating tides—induce short-lived EC increases via upconing. Buoro shows smaller water-level variations, not always linked to rainfall, and, in contrast, exhibits partial vertical connectivity and faster dynamics: phreatic heads respond chiefly to internal drainage and local recharge, with rises rapidly damped by pumping, while salinity remains steady without episodic peaks. The confined aquifer shows buffered, delayed responses to surface forcings. Although the monitoring window is currently limited to 2025 through the summer season, these results offer compelling evidence that coastal supersites are reliable, scalable, and management-critical relevance platforms for groundwater calibration, forecasting, and long-term assessment. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Monitoring Coastal Systems and Improving Climate Change Resilience)
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24 pages, 3688 KB  
Article
Iron Curtain Formation in Coastal Aquifers: Insights from Darcy-Scale Experiments and Reactive Transport Modelling
by Wenran Cao, Harald Hofmann and Alexander Scheuermann
J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2025, 13(10), 1909; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse13101909 - 4 Oct 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 494
Abstract
Although many studies have examined reaction zones in groundwater–seawater mixing areas, little attention has been given to how subsurface processes drive changes in iron (Fe) precipitation over time and space. This gap has limited our understanding of the “iron curtain” phenomenon in coastal [...] Read more.
Although many studies have examined reaction zones in groundwater–seawater mixing areas, little attention has been given to how subsurface processes drive changes in iron (Fe) precipitation over time and space. This gap has limited our understanding of the “iron curtain” phenomenon in coastal aquifers. To address this, this study developed a reactive transport model to investigate how porosity evolves during the oxidative precipitation of Fe(II) in porous media. The model incorporates the dynamic effects of tortuosity, diffusivity, and surface area as minerals accumulate. Validation experiments, conducted with syringe tests that simulated Fe precipitation during freshwater–saltwater mixing, showed that precipitates formed mainly near the inlets, reflecting the development of a geochemical barrier at the groundwater–seawater interface. Scanning electron microscopy confirmed that Fe precipitates coated the surfaces of spherical particles. Numerical simulations further revealed that high Fe(II) concentrations drove pore clogging near the inlet, creating a dense precipitation zone akin to the iron curtain in coastal aquifers. At 10 mmol/L Fe(II), local clogging was observed, while at 100 mmol/L Fe(II), outflow rates (i.e., discharge) were substantially reduced. Together, the experiments and simulations highlight how hydrogeochemical processes influence hydraulic properties during the oxidative precipitation of Fe(II) in mixing zones. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Monitoring Coastal Systems and Improving Climate Change Resilience)
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17 pages, 3666 KB  
Article
Integrating UAV and USV for Elaboration of High-Resolution Coastal Elevation Models
by Isabel López, Luis Bañón and José I. Pagán
J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2025, 13(8), 1464; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse13081464 - 30 Jul 2025
Viewed by 1215
Abstract
Coastal erosion, exacerbated by climate change, poses a critical global threat to both the environment and human livelihoods. Acquiring accurate, high-resolution topo-bathymetric data is vital for understanding these dynamic environments, without underestimating the hydrodynamic and meteo-oceanographic conditions. However, traditional methods often present significant [...] Read more.
Coastal erosion, exacerbated by climate change, poses a critical global threat to both the environment and human livelihoods. Acquiring accurate, high-resolution topo-bathymetric data is vital for understanding these dynamic environments, without underestimating the hydrodynamic and meteo-oceanographic conditions. However, traditional methods often present significant challenges in achieving comprehensive, high-resolution topo-bathymetric coverage efficiently in shallow coastal zones, leading to a notable ”white ribbon” data gap. This study introduces a novel, integrated methodology combining unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for terrestrial surveys, unmanned surface vehicles (USVs) for bathymetry, and the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) for ground control and intertidal gap-filling. Through this technologically rigorous approach, a seamless Bathymetry-Topography Digital Surface Model for the Guardamar del Segura dune system (Spain) was successfully elaborated using a DJI Mini 2 UAV, Leica Zeno FLX100 GNSS, and Apache 3 USV. The method demonstrated a substantial time reduction of at least 50–75% for comparable high-resolution coverage, efficiently completing the 86.4 ha field campaign in approximately 4 h. This integrated approach offers an accessible and highly efficient solution for generating detailed coastal elevation models crucial for coastal management and research. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Monitoring Coastal Systems and Improving Climate Change Resilience)
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Review

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28 pages, 5204 KB  
Review
Monitoring Resilience in Coastal Systems: A Comprehensive Assessment
by Emma Imen Turki, Elena Ojeda, Ernesto Tonatiuth Mendoza, Gabriela Medellín, Timothy D. Price, Edward Salameh, Xiao Hua Wang, Li Li, Gemma L. Franklin and Alec Torres-Freyermuth
J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2025, 13(11), 2113; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse13112113 - 7 Nov 2025
Viewed by 599
Abstract
This work, conducted within the framework of the international network CRESTE (Coastal Resilience Using Satellites), examines the role of resilience in monitoring coastal evolution across diverse environments in Europe (France, The Netherlands), America (Mexico), Asia (China), and Oceania (Australia). High-resolution morphological datasets, derived [...] Read more.
This work, conducted within the framework of the international network CRESTE (Coastal Resilience Using Satellites), examines the role of resilience in monitoring coastal evolution across diverse environments in Europe (France, The Netherlands), America (Mexico), Asia (China), and Oceania (Australia). High-resolution morphological datasets, derived from in situ measurements and video monitoring systems, were analyzed for wave- and tide-dominated beaches influenced by both climatic drivers and anthropogenic pressures. Findings indicate that beach resilience is strongly linked to system resistance, which depends on the intensity of climate drivers, including storm frequency, and site-specific conditions related to the type of sediment and its availability, and the presence of anthropogenic activities including coastal structures (e.g., Normandy, Yucatán) and shoreface nourishments (Netherlands). In Batemans Bay (Australia) and Hangzhou Bay (China), assessing the resilience is particularly challenging due to the combined influence of multiple drivers, fluvial inputs, and urban development. Accurate monitoring of coastal resilience across timescales requires accounting for long-term morphological, ecological, and socio-economic processes. This can be enhanced through satellite observations, which, when integrated with in situ measurements, numerical modeling, and artificial intelligence, support a more comprehensive assessment of resilience and refine projections under future climate change and sea-level rise; representing a key focus for further works. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Monitoring Coastal Systems and Improving Climate Change Resilience)
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