Advances in Ocean Observing Technology and System
A special issue of Journal of Marine Science and Engineering (ISSN 2077-1312). This special issue belongs to the section "Ocean Engineering".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 May 2026 | Viewed by 6
Special Issue Editor
Interests: observing systems; fisheries oceanography; physical-biological interactions; coastal upwelling; Argo; GOOS; MSFD; local community capacity building
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
The ocean plays a central role in regulating Earth’s climate, supporting biodiversity, and sustaining human societies. Yet, large portions of it, particularly the deep sea and remote regions, remain vastly undersampled. In recent decades, rapid technological advancements have transformed ocean observing, enabling a more comprehensive, high-resolution, and autonomous understanding of marine processes. The integration of in situ and remote sensing platforms, from satellite constellations to underwater gliders, Argo profiling floats, moored observatories, fishing vessels and gears, SMART cables, autonomous and uncrewed surface vehicles (A/USVs), has revolutionized the capacity to monitor the ocean’s physical, chemical, and biological dynamics continuously and in near real time. Emerging innovations such as biogeochemical sensors, cabled observatories, and smart subsea infrastructure are expanding the scope of sustained observation from the coastal zone to the deep sea. At the same time, advances in data processing, artificial intelligence, and digital twin technologies are accelerating the transformation of raw ocean data into actionable information for climate modelling, ecosystem assessment, hazard forecasting, and resource management. These developments are increasingly framed within global efforts, such as the UNDOS, GOOS, and regional research infrastructures like EMSO-ERIC, IOOS, IMOS, ICOS, ONC, and EPOS, to name a few. This Special Issue on “Advances in Ocean Observing Technology and System” aims to bring together recent scientific and technical contributions addressing the design, implementation, and application of innovative ocean observing and monitoring systems. Topics of interest include sensor development, autonomous platforms, data integration, multi-scale observing networks, and the role of public–private partnerships in sustaining ocean observations. Together, these advances support the transition toward a globally connected, interoperable, and adaptive ocean observing system that can meet the challenges of a changing planet.
Dr. A. Miguel P. Santos
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. 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
- ocean observing systems
- autonomous platforms
- marine sensors
- observatories
- Argo
- glider
- ocean data
- artificial intelligence in oceanography
- digital twins of the ocean
- UN ocean decade
- GOOS
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