New Biomonitoring Methodologies for Key Coastal and Estuary Species and Habitats

Dear Colleagues,

Coastal and estuarine habitats rank among the world’s most vital ecosystems, fostering unparalleled biodiversity and serving as critical nurseries for juvenile marine life. Moreover, they play pivotal roles in safeguarding coastal communities against erosion and flooding while contributing to climate change mitigation through carbon sequestration. However, in the face of ongoing global change, it is imperative to bolster monitoring efforts in these habitats using cutting-edge methodologies. This Special Issue seeks to address this pressing need by showcasing innovative biomonitoring tools that offer superior accuracy and responsiveness in the biosurveillance of key coastal and estuary species and habitats compared to traditional methods. By leveraging advanced technologies such as high-throughput sequencing, remote sensing, acoustic and photographic assessments, and machine learning algorithms, among others, these approaches deliver more holistic assessments of biodiversity. Furthermore, they enable faster responses to emerging environmental challenges, meeting immediate regulatory and management needs effectively. This collection serves as an invaluable resource, providing a comprehensive overview of the latest advancements in biomonitoring and offering practical guidance for evaluating the health of coastal and estuarine ecosystems. We invite contributions that showcase innovative methodologies, present novel findings, and contribute to the advancement of biomonitoring practices in coastal and estuarine environments.

Dr. Sofia Duarte
Dr. María del Pilar Cabezas
Dr. Luis Machado
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.

• coastal and estuarine habitats
• ecosystem assessment health
• global change
• key species
• DNA-based tools
• remote sensing
• machine learning algorithms
• acoustic assessments
• photographic assessments
• biosurveillance