Innovative Monitoring and Modeling of Pollutants: Studies on Water, Sediments and Suspended Solids in Impaired Waterbodies
A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Pollution Prevention, Mitigation and Sustainability".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 October 2026 | Viewed by 71
Special Issue Editor
Interests: water quality monitoring and modeling to forecast ecosystem services and their influence on human health; life cycle impact assessment; remote sensing; spatial modeling; sustainability analysis; forecasting lake cyanobacterial bloom probability and urban storm water management
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
This Special Issue, titled "Innovative Monitoring and Modeling of Pollutants: Studies on Water, Sediments and Suspended Solids in Impaired Waterbodies", addresses a critical gap in environmental science and management: the lack of comprehensive data and effective monitoring of global waterbodies. Waterbodies worldwide are impaired by a number of pollutants and stressors, including sediments, nutrients, pesticides, bacteria and viruses, harmful algal blooms, and temperature and flow alteration. Numerous waterbodies are also unmonitored, with the result being that adequate data are needed on the relative status and health of global waters. These issues not only threaten aquatic ecosystems but also pose significant risks to human health and biodiversity. Despite their importance, many waterbodies have insufficient data to accurately assess their status and health.
The purpose of this Special Issue is to explore and promote innovative approaches that can bridge this information gap for waterbody status and health. The focus is on leveraging cutting-edge technologies such as remote sensing and Artificial Intelligence (AI)/Machine Learning (ML) to develop new methodologies for monitoring and modelling water quality and ecosystem health. Remote sensing offers the ability to gather large-scale, real-time data on various water quality parameters, providing a broad overview of environmental changes and pollutant levels. AI and ML, on the other hand, can process and analyse vast datasets, uncovering patterns and trends that would be difficult to identify through traditional methods.
This Special Issue is situated within a broader literature that recognises the growing complexity and interconnectedness of environmental issues. Traditional monitoring methods have often been limited by scale, cost, and accessibility, and there is a pressing need for more holistic and integrative approaches. Previous studies have highlighted the potential of remote sensing and AI/ML in environmental monitoring, but their application specifically to waterbody health assessment is still emerging. This Special Issue aims to fill that gap by inviting contributions that demonstrate the practical applications and benefits of these technologies in real-world scenarios.
By fostering a dialogue between researchers, practitioners, and policymakers, this Special Issue seeks to advance the understanding of waterbody health and contribute to the development of effective management strategies. The integration of innovative monitoring techniques with modelling approaches not only enhances data accuracy and reliability but also supports informed decision-making. This Special Issue aspires to contribute to the sustainability and resilience of global water resources, ensuring their protection and preservation for future generations.
Dr. John M. Johnston
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 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. Sustainability 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 2400 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
- water quality monitoring
- remote sensing
- model-based assessments
- impaired waterbodies
- AI/ML
- watersheds
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