Announcements

World Ocean Day, celebrated annually on 8 June, highlights the importance of protecting marine ecosystems and promoting sustainable ocean management. Under the theme “Reimagine”, the occasion raises awareness of critical environmental challenges, including climate change, pollution, and biodiversity loss. MDPI is proud to support this global effort by showcasing research that advances marine conservation, sustainable resource management, and a deeper understanding of ocean ecosystems.

	MDPI World Ocean Day 2026 Webinar 8 June 2026, 13:30 (CEST) Speakers: Prof. Giorgia Gioacchini and Dr. Alexander Werth
	JMSE Webinar| Celebrating World Ocean Day 2026 8 June 2026, 14:30 (CEST) Chair: Prof. Dr. Alberta Mandich Speakers: Prof. Dr. Weicheng Cui, Dr. Pedro Brito, Dr. Giuseppe Suaria and Dr. Dorothy M. Peteet

“Environmental Constraints and Resilience of Organisms in Abyssal Plain, Whale Fall, Cold Seep and Hydrothermal Vent Environments in the Deep Sea”
by Esha Nauman and Richard A. Lutz
Oceans 2026, 7(1), 10; https://doi.org/10.3390/oceans7010010

“Reproductive Dynamics and Hermaphroditism in the Black-Footed Limpet (Patella depressa Pennant, 1777) on an Intertidal Rocky Shore on the Algarve Coast (Southern Portugal)”
by Paula Moura, Paulo Vasconcelos, Fábio Pereira, André N. Carvalho and Miguel B. Gaspar
Hydrobiology 2025, 4(1), 4; https://doi.org/10.3390/hydrobiology4010004

“The Portofino Promontory: 200 Years of History of Marine Biology”
by Giorgio Bavestrello, Federico Betti, Carlo Nike Bianchi, Valentina Cappanera, Mariachiara Chiantore, Nicola Corradi, Monica Montefalcone, Mauro Giorgio Mariotti, Carla Morri, Paolo Povero, Giulio Relini, Stefano Schiaparelli and Marzia Bo
Diversity 2024, 16(10), 629; https://doi.org/10.3390/d16100629

“Shallow Hard-Bottom Benthic Assemblages of South Bay (Antarctic Peninsula): An Update 40 Years Later”
by Sol Morales, César A. Cárdenas, Diego Bravo-Gómez and Cristian Lagger
Diversity 2024, 16(3), 162; https://doi.org/10.3390/d16030162

“The Changing Biogeography of the Ligurian Sea: Seawater Warming and Further Records of Southern Species”
by Annalisa Azzola, Carlo Nike Bianchi, Lorenzo Merotto, Alessandro Nota, Francesco Tiralongo, Carla Morri and Alice Oprandi
Diversity 2024, 16(3), 159; https://doi.org/10.3390/d16030159

“Marine Crabs of Guinea-Bissau, with Emphasis on the Deep Fauna, Supported by an Integrative Taxonomy”
by Isabel Muñoz, José Enrique García-Raso, Pere Abelló and Jose A. Cuesta
Diversity 2024, 16(2), 93; https://doi.org/10.3390/d16020093

Special Issues:

“Molecular Detection and Characterization of Chelonid Alphaherpesvirus 5 (Scutavirus chelonidalpha5) Associated with Fibropapillomatosis in Sea Turtles Rescued in Santa Marta, Colombia: Implications for Disease Surveillance and Marine Turtle Conservation”
by Angel Oviedo, Edgar Zambrano, Jean Posso-Avendaño, Daniel B. Ramírez-Osorio, Jose A. Usme-Ciro and Lyda R. Castro
Conservation 2026, 6(2), 45; https://doi.org/10.3390/conservation6020045

“Microplastic Exposure for Pinnipeds (Pinnipedia): A Rapid Review”
by Anastasia Vainberg and Evgeny Abakumov
Ecologies 2025, 6(2), 26; https://doi.org/10.3390/ecologies6020026

“Mediterranean Marine Mammals: Possible Future Trends and Threats Due to Mercury Contamination and Interaction with Other Environmental Stressors”
by Roberto Bargagli and Emilia Rota
Animals 2024, 14(16), 2386; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14162386

“Novel Microsatellite Tags Hold Promise for Illuminating the Lost Years in Four Sea Turtle Species”
by Tony Candela, Jeanette Wyneken, Peter Leijen, Philippe Gaspar, Frederic Vandeperre, Terry Norton, Walter Mustin, Julien Temple-Boyer, Emily Turla, Nicole Barbour et al.
Animals 2024, 14(6), 903; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14060903

“The Devil Firefish Pterois miles (Bennett, 1828): Life History Traits of a Potential Fishing Resource in Rhodes (Eastern Mediterranean)”
by Gerasimos Kondylatos, Alexandros Theocharis, Manolis Mandalakis, Maria Avgoustinaki, Teodora Karagyaurova, Zoi Koulocheri, Sofia Vardali and Dimitris Klaoudatos
Hydrobiology 2024, 3(1), 31-50; https://doi.org/10.3390/hydrobiology3010003

Special Issues:

“Marine Mammals in a Changing World, 3rd Edition” Guest Editors: Dr. Alexander Werth and Dr. Matthew S. Savoca Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 October 2026	“Behavior, Cognition, and Welfare of Marine Mammals” Guest Editor: Dr. Fabienne Delfour Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 November 2026
“Integrated Strategies for Shark Conservation: Bridging Fisheries Science, Ecology, and Adaptive Management” Guest Editors: Dr. Jorge Homero Rodrígez-Castro and Dr. José Alberto Ramírez de León Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 November 2026	“Fish Biodiversity Conservation” Guest Editors: Dr. Airam N. Sarmiento-Lezcano and Dr. Ainhoa Bernal Bajo Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 July 2027

“Model Prediction of Macroplastic Distributions in European Marine Basins: Comparison with Beach and Floating Macroplastic Observations and Estimation of Model Accuracy”
by Elisa Garcia-Gorriz, Diego Macias-Moy, Daniel González-Fernández, Antonella Arcangeli, Nuno Ferreira-Cordeiro, Olaf Duteil, Svetla Miladinova, Ove Pärn, Luis Francisco Ruiz-Orejón, Eugenia Pasanisi et al.
Oceans 2026, 7(2), 26; https://doi.org/10.3390/oceans7020026

“Antimicrobial and Antibiofilm Activities of Pseudoalteromonas Bacterial Strains Isolated from Marine Environment Against Potential Fish Pathogen Tenacibaculum discolor Strain FMCC B487”
by Eirini Schoina, Christine Delbarre-Ladrat, Laetitia Kolypczuk, Françoise Leroi, Delphine Passerini and George-John Nychas
Aquac. J. 2026, 6(1), 5; https://doi.org/10.3390/aquacj6010005

“Bio-Based Sorbents for Marine Oil Spill Response: Advances in Modification, Circularity, and Waste Valorization”
by Célia Karina Maia Cardoso, Ícaro Thiago Andrade Moreira, Antônio Fernando de Souza Queiroz, Olívia Maria Cordeiro de Oliveira and Ana Katerine de Carvalho Lima Lobato
Resources 2025, 14(9), 140; https://doi.org/10.3390/resources14090140

“The Toxic Effects of Environmental Domoic Acid Exposure on Humans and Marine Wildlife”
by Ami E. Krasner, Margaret E. Martinez, Cara L. Field and Spencer E. Fire
Mar. Drugs 2025, 23(2), 61; https://doi.org/10.3390/md23020061

“Challenges and Perspectives in Proving Harm of Anticoagulants to Marine Predators and Scavengers”
by Robert Boesch
Conservation 2024, 4(4), 762-777; https://doi.org/10.3390/conservation4040045

“The Abundance of Microplastics in the World’s Oceans: A Systematic Review”
by Judith Mutuku, Maria Yanotti, Mark Tocock and Darla Hatton MacDonald
Oceans 2024, 5(3), 398-428; https://doi.org/10.3390/oceans5030024

“Widespread Coral Bleaching and Mass Mortality of Reef-Building Corals in Southern Mexican Pacific Reefs Due to 2023 El Niño Warming”
by Andrés López-Pérez, Rebeca Granja-Fernández, Eduardo Ramírez-Chávez, Omar Valencia-Méndez, Fabián A. Rodríguez-Zaragoza, Tania González-Mendoza and Armando Martínez-Castro
Oceans 2024, 5(2), 196-209; https://doi.org/10.3390/oceans5020012

“The Occurrence of Microplastics in Donax trunculus (Mollusca: Bivalvia) Collected along the Tuscany Coast (Mediterranean Sea)”
by Chiara Malloggi, Luca Nalbone, Silvia Bartalena, Margherita Guidi, Carlo Corradini, Antonino Foti, Pietro G. Gucciardi, Filippo Giarratana, Francesca Susini and Andrea Armani
Animals 2024, 14(4), 618; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14040618

“Mercury Biogeochemistry and Biomagnification in the Mediterranean Sea: Current Knowledge and Future Prospects in the Context of Climate Change”
by Roberto Bargagli and Emilia Rota
Coasts 2024, 4(1), 89-107; https://doi.org/10.3390/coasts4010006

“The Heatwave of Summer 2022 in the North-Western Mediterranean Sea: Some Species Were Winners”
by Charles-François Boudouresque, Patrick Astruch, Serena André, Bruno Belloni, Aurélie Blanfuné, Éric Charbonnel, Adrien Cheminée, Jean-Michel Cottalorda, Renaud Dupuy de la Grandrive, Michel Marengo et al.
Water 2024, 16(2), 219; https://doi.org/10.3390/w16020219

Special Issues:

“A ‘One-Health Focus’ on Natural Marine Toxins” Guest Editors: Prof. Dr. Zhijun Tan and Dr. Jixing Peng Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 July 2026	“Top Predators Under Climate Extremes: Assessing Habitat Dynamics in Marginal Seas” Guest Editors: Prof. Wenbo Yang and Dr. Xiaomei Wang Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 July 2026
“Microplastics in the Marine Environment: Distribution and Effects” Guest Editor: Dr. Chrysi Papadimitriou Deadline for manuscript submissions: 25 July 2026	“Mediterranean Biodiversity Hotspots: Patterns, Trends, and Conservation Challenges” Guest Editors: Dr. Giuliana Marletta, Dr. Donatella Serio and Dr. Anna Maria Mannino Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 October 2026

“Socioeconomic and Environmental Sustainability of the Giant Freshwater Prawn (Macrobrachium spp.) Value Chain Within the Mangroves Marine Park, Democratic Republic of the Congo”
by Francine Luhusu Kutshukina, Louis Pasteur Bamenga Bopoko, Sage Weremubi Mwisha, Hippolyte Ditona Tsumbu, Papy Nsevolo Miankeba, Pyrus Flavien Essouman Ebouel, Victorine Mbadu Zebe, Baudouin Michel and Jean-Claude Micha
Conservation 2025, 5(4), 82; https://doi.org/10.3390/conservation5040082

“Assessing Coastal Flood Risk Under Climate Change with Public Data and Simple Tools: The Geomorphological Coastal Flood Index Applied to the Western Mediterranean”
by César Mosso, Manuel Viñes, Carlos Astudillo, Vicente Gracia, Daniel González, Felícitas Calderón-Vega, Joan Pau Sierra and Agustín Sánchez-Arcilla
Coasts 2025, 5(4), 42; https://doi.org/10.3390/coasts5040042

“Vegetation Index Comparison for Estimating Above-Ground Carbon (Cag) in Mangrove Forests Using Sentinel-2 Imagery: Case Study from West Bali, Indonesia”
by I Gede Agus Novanda, Martiwi Diah Setiawati, I Putu Sugiana, I Gusti Ayu Istri Pradnyandari Dewi, Anak Agung Eka Andiani, Made Wirakumara Kamasan, Putu Echa Priyaning Aryunisha and Abd. Rahman As-syakur
Coasts 2025, 5(3), 33; https://doi.org/10.3390/coasts5030033

“Management Strategies for Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation in Coastal Regions: A Systematic Literature Review”
by Marcos Filho Lima Bastos, Jordana Marques Kneipp, Clandia Maffini Gomes, Ana Paula Perlin and Roberto Schoproni Bichueti
Coasts 2025, 5(1), 5; https://doi.org/10.3390/coasts5010005

“COAST-PRO_SIM: A Model for Predicting Shoreline Evolution and Assessing the Impacts of Coastal Defence Structures”
by Pietro Scala, Giorgio Manno, Loredana Claudia Cozar and Giuseppe Ciraolo
Water 2025, 17(2), 269; https://doi.org/10.3390/w17020269

“Simulation of Seawater Intrusion and Upconing Processes in Mediterranean Aquifer in Response to Climate Change (Plana de Castellón, Spain)”
by Barbara del R. Almazan-Benitéz, Maria V. Esteller-Alberich, Arianna Renau-Pruñonosa and José L. Expósito-Castillo
Hydrology 2024, 11(12), 205; https://doi.org/10.3390/hydrology11120205

“Biofloc Formation Strategy Effects on Halophyte Integration in IMTA with Marine Shrimp and Tilapia”
by Mayra da Silva Gonçalves, Andrezza Carvalho, Jorge Santos, Mariana Holanda,Luís Henrique Poersch and César Serra Bonifácio Costa
Aquac. J. 2024, 4(4), 217-231; https://doi.org/10.3390/aquacj4040016

“Impact of Digital Development and Technology Innovation on the Marine Fishery Economy Quality”
by Yiying Jiang, Lei Huang, Yang Liu and Shuang Wang
Fishes 2024, 9(7), 266; https://doi.org/10.3390/fishes9070266

“Dynamic Modeling of Coastal Compound Flooding Hazards Due to Tides, Extratropical Storms, Waves, and Sea-Level Rise: A Case Study in the Salish Sea, Washington (USA)”
by Kees Nederhoff, Sean C. Crosby, Nate R. Van Arendonk, Eric E. Grossman, Babak Tehranirad, Tim Leijnse, Wouter Klessens and Patrick L. Barnard
Water 2024, 16(2), 346; https://doi.org/10.3390/w16020346

Special Issues:

“Ocean Observing Systems: Latest Developments and Challenges” Guest Editors: Dr. A. Miguel P. Santos and Dr. Hassan Moustahfid Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 July 2026	“Coastal Sediment Dynamics: Monitoring and Modeling for Resilient Shoreline Management” Guest Editor: Dr. Douglas A George Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 September 2026
“Drift Modeling at Sea: Applications to Marine Pollution, Harmful Algal Blooms, Sargassum, and Search and Rescue Operations” Guest Editors: Pierre Daniel and Dr. Graig Sutherland Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2026	“Trade-Offs in Coastal Conservation: Management, Tourism, and Environment” Guest Editor: Dr. Leonardo Lopes Costa Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2026

We are pleased to share that Water (ISSN: 2073-4441) has received an increased CiteScore of 6.7 in June 2026.

Water’s CiteScore ranks as follows:

• Q1 (28 out of 259) in the “Aquatic Science” category;
• Q1 (52 out of 279) in the “Water Science and Technology” category;
• Q1 (116 out of 876) in the “Geography, Planning and Development” category;
• Q2 (138 out of 448) in the “Biochemistry” category.

This is an impressive achievement for a journal running in Volume 18.

You can find more statistics on our website: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/water/stats.

The current CiteScores measure the average number of citations within a journal over a four-year window (2022–2025). The Scopus database provides a comprehensive suite of metrics that support informed publishing strategies, research evaluation and enable benchmarking of journal performance.

The 2025 CiteScore metrics have been officially released by Scopus, and the results confirm what has become a consistent pattern for MDPI's journal portfolio: broad recognition across disciplines, steady improvement across the majority of ranked titles, and a growing presence at the top of subject category rankings.

CiteScore, published annually by Elsevier's Scopus database, measures the average citations received by articles published in a journal over a four-year window. As a complement to the Journal Impact Factor, which uses a two-year window based on the Web of Science database, CiteScore provides an alternative, long-term perspective on citation performance.

The 365 MDPI journals in Scopus (as of May 2026) are indexed across a wide range of subject categories, ensuring that open access research remains highly discoverable to a global readership through one of the most widely used platforms in academic publishing.

Data Summary (2025 CiteScores)

• New Additions: 41 MDPI journals received a CiteScore for the first time.
• Trending Upward: 234 of 322 previously ranked journals (73%) saw an increase in their CiteScore compared to last year.
• High Visibility: 314 journals (86%) rank in Q1 or Q2 in at least one subject category.
• Elite Performance: 42 journals rank in the top 10% of their subject categories.

Portfolio Performance

Among the 322 journals that held a CiteScore in 2024, 234 saw an increase this year. Quartile improvements outnumbered declines across the portfolio, with 52 journals moving to a higher quartile and only 20 seeing a decline. Furthermore, no previously ranked journals were removed. The 42 journals now ranked in the top 10% of their subject categories are drawn from a strong foundation of 178 journals holding a Q1 position.

With the large majority of our indexed portfolio ranked in the top half of research fields, researchers can confidently choose MDPI to meet funder mandates for high-quality, fully compliant Open Access publishing.

Exceptional Achievements for Foods and Life

Notably, both Foods and Life achieved a 99th percentile ranking in their respective subject categories for the 2025 CiteScores. This outstanding placement positions them as leading journals in their fields and highlights the high visibility and global impact of the open access research they publish.

Journal Metrics and Beyond

Journal-level metrics describe outlets, not individual articles. An increasing number of funders and institutions—including signatories of DORA and the Coalition for Advancing Research Assessment—now explicitly encourage evaluation at the article level rather than by the journal in which research appears. MDPI supports this direction: we report CiteScore alongside the Journal Impact Factor, Journal Citation Indicator, and article-level usage data because no single number captures the full reach and contribution of published research.

Thank You

These results reflect the sustained effort of thousands of editors-in-chief, editorial board members, reviewers, and authors across every field MDPI serves. The metrics are the outcome; the work is yours.

Each year, World Ocean Day brings together researchers, environmental leaders, and advocates from around the world to raise awareness and inspire action to protect our oceans and marine ecosystems. The 2026 campaign theme, “Strong Marine Protected Areas for Our Blue Planet”, highlights the importance of collaborative and community-driven efforts in safeguarding marine biodiversity and ensuring a sustainable future for our oceans.

This webinar explores current challenges and emerging solutions in marine conservation, bringing together insights from marine ecology, environmental toxicology, and wildlife protection. Topics include the impact of ocean pollutants on sea turtle development, lessons from marine mammals in protecting ocean habitats and wildlife, and broader approaches to conserving marine ecosystems in a changing environment.

Date: 8 June 2026 at 1:30 p.m. CEST| 7:30 a.m. EDT | 7:30 p.m. CST Asia
Webinar ID: 837 1908 7474
Website: https://sciforum.net/event/MWOD2026

Register now for free!

Program:

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information on how to join the webinar. Registrations made with academic institutional email addresses will be prioritized.

Unable to attend? Register anyway, and we will let you know when the recording is available to watch online.

Webinar Speakers:

• Prof. Giorgia Gioacchini, Polytechnic University of Marche, Italy;
• Dr. Alexander Werth, Hampden-Sydney College, USA.

We are pleased to announce that Dr. Mario Parise has been appointed Section Editor-in-Chief of the Section “Hydrogeology” in Water (ISSN: 2073-4441).

Dr. Mario Parise graduated in geological sciences at the University Federico II in Naples (Italy), and had several experiences of work, scientific expeditions and teaching abroad, from the United States of America to Madagascar, Albania and Cuba. At present, he is an Associate Professor in engineering geology and in hydrogeology at the University Aldo Moro in Bari (Italy). For several decades, he has developed research mainly into the geological and geomorphological analysis of slope movements, in topics such as:

• Identification of the areas susceptible to different types of slope movement (from debris flows, to deep-seated gravitational slope deformations, to general mass wasting processes);
• Multi-temporal analysis of landslides, and their relationship with anthropogenic activities, and/or as a consequence of specific triggering events (rainfall, earthquakes, etc.);
• Influence of weathering in the predisposition of slope movements;
• Occurrence of debris flows and erosional processes in areas recently affected by wildfires.

He is also an expert in karst research, with a specific focus on the evaluation of natural and anthropogenic hazards occurring in karst territories, including sinkholes and flash floods, and their effect on the human environment. He has acted as chairman in Eurokarst 2024, the European bi-annual Conference on the Hydrogeology of Karst and Carbonate Reservoirs, held in Rome (Italy) in June 2024.

Dr. Parise is the author of over two hundred articles published on international journals and proceedings of international conferences, has acted as Guest Editor in 15 Special Issues for ISI international journals, and has published three books with the Geological Society of London. He is the national coordinator of the Italian network of the International Consortium on Landslides (ICL) and Vice-President of the International Union of Speleology (UIS).

He is Associate Editor of the journal Natural Hazards, Editor-in-Chief of the section Hydrogeology of the journal Water, and a member of the Editorial Board of other international journals, including Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences, Journal of Mountain Sciences, Bulletin of Engineering Geology and the Environment, Carbonates and Evaporites, Geosciences, and Journal of Cave and Karst Studies.

The following is a short Q&A with Dr. Mario Parise, who shared his vision for the journal with us, as well as his views on the research area and open access publishing:

1. What appealed to you about the journal that made you want to take the role as its Section Editor-in-Chief?

Water is among the main issues of my research, as regards hydrogeology, but also karst processes, and the development of ground instabilities. Thus, I felt that taking this role could further contribute to being updated with the most recent advances in worldwide research on water.

2. What are the most significant emerging challenges and innovations in the field, and how do these shape current research trends?

The role of water is crucial in many different aspects, and actually, many different disciplines are involved in studies and research dealing with water in some ways. In times where there are still difficulties in water availability in many countries, the events of pollution are increasing, and the tendency to desertification is becoming more and more a threat, I feel there is a huge need to promote interdisciplinary works aimed at evaluating the above issues, and at looking for sustainable solutions.

3. What is your vision for the journal?

I see Water in the near future as a journal promoting inter-disciplinary research, particularly among young researchers from different parts of the world, to stimulate all scholars toward sustainable approaches in the use of water resources, and in producing all possible efforts in order to protect and safeguard these very precious natural resources.

4. What advice would you give to early career researchers?

I would suggest that they be very careful in using AI, and to start their careers in more traditional ways, by reading many papers, and talking with experts from different fields. The use of modern technologies and AI is extremely important but young researchers need to use them in the proper way, without depending entirely on them.

We wish Dr. Mario Parise every success in his new position, and we look forward to his contributions to the journal.

We are delighted to share a selection of highly viewed papers and Special Issues on Water and Climate Change published in Water (ISSN: 2073-4441). The listed Special Issues remain open for submission. We believe that the following collection will be of particular interest to you.

1. “Groundwater Sustainability and Land Subsidence in California’s Central Valley”
by Claudia C. Faunt, Jonathan A. Traum, Scott E. Boyce, Whitney A. Seymour, Elizabeth R. Jachens, Justin T. Brandt, Michelle Sneed, Sandra Bond and Marina F. Marcelli
Water2024, 16(8), 1189; https://doi.org/10.3390/w16081189
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/16/8/1189

2. “Urban Flood Risk Assessment and Mapping Using GIS-DEMATEL Method: Case of the Serafa River Watershed, Poland”
by Wiktoria Natkaniec and Izabela Godyń
Water2024, 16(18), 2636; https://doi.org/10.3390/w16182636
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/16/18/2636

3. “Evaluation of Future Changes in Climate Extremes over Southeast Asia Using Downscaled CMIP6 GCM Projections”
by Sophal Try and Xiaosheng Qin
Water2024, 16(15), 2207; https://doi.org/10.3390/w16152207
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/16/15/2207

4. “Assessment of Future Climate Change Impacts on Groundwater Recharge Using Hydrological Modeling in the Choushui River Alluvial Fan, Taiwan”
by Thi-My-Linh Ngo, Shih-Jung Wang and Pei-Yuan Chen
Water2024, 16(3), 419; https://doi.org/10.3390/w16030419
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/16/3/419

5. “Review of Climate Change Impacts on Water Quantity and Quality in the Murray–Darling Basin, Australia”
by Gebiaw T. Ayele
Water2024, 16(23), 3506; https://doi.org/10.3390/w16233506
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/16/23/3506

6. “Sustaining the Pearl River: A Critical Review of Changes in Fluvial Geomorphological Processes and the Driving Forces in the Pearl River Basin”
by Haidong Ou, Haidong Ou, Wei Fan, Junliang Qiu, Xiaolin Mu, Tao Zhou, Xiankun Yang and Lorenzo Picco
Water2024, 16(7), 1001; https://doi.org/10.3390/w16071001
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/16/7/1001

7. “Assessment of Flood Hazard Mapping Using a DEM-Based Approach and 2D Hydrodynamic Modeling”
by Omayma Amellah, Paolo Mignosa, Federico Prost and Francesca Aureli
Water2024, 16(13), 1844; https://doi.org/10.3390/w16131844
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/16/13/1844

8. “Assessment of Future Rainfall Quantile Changes in South Korea Based on a CMIP6 Multi-Model Ensemble”
by Sunghun Kim, Ju-Young Shin and Jun-Haeng Heo
Water2025, 17(6), 894; https://doi.org/10.3390/w17060894
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/17/6/894

9. “Vulnerability Assessment of Dams and Reservoirs to Climate Change in the Mediterranean Region: The Case of the Almopeos Dam in Northern Greece”
by Anastasios I. Stamou, Georgios Mitsopoulos, Athanasios Sfetsos, Athanasia Tatiana Stamou, Sokratis Sideris, Konstantinos V. Varotsos, Christos Giannakopoulos and Aristeidis Koutroulis
Water2025, 17(9), 1289; https://doi.org/10.3390/w17091289
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/17/9/1289

10. “Exposure of Greek Ports to Marine Flooding and Extreme Heat Under Climate Change: An Assessment”
by Isavela N. Monioudi, Dimitris Chatzistratis, Konstantinos Moschopoulos, Adonis F. Velegrakis, Amalia Polydoropoulou, Theodoros Chalazas, Efstathios Bouhouras, Georgios Papaioannou, Ioannis Karakikes and Helen Thanopoulou
Water2025, 17(13), 1897; https://doi.org/10.3390/w17131897
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/17/13/1897

11. “Extreme Short-Duration Rainfall and Urban Flood Hazard: Case Studies of Convective Events in Warsaw and Zamość, Poland”
by Bartłomiej Pietras and Robert Pyrc
Water2025, 17(18), 2671; https://doi.org/10.3390/w17182671
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/17/18/2671

12. “Weakened Snowmelt Contribution to Floods in a Climate-Changed Tibetan Basin”
by Liting Niu, Liting Niu, Hongyi Li and Xiaohua Hao
Water2025, 17(4), 507; https://doi.org/10.3390/w17040507
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/17/4/507

Special Issues:
1. “Extreme Hydrological Events Under Climate Change”
Guest Editors: Dr. Diana Šarauskienė and Dr. Darius Jakimavičius
Submission deadline: 20 July 2026

2. “Coastal Flood Hazard Risk Assessment and Mitigation Strategies”
Guest Editor: Dr. Quan Van Dau
Submission deadline: 25 July 2026

3. “Sustainable and Efficient Water Use in the Face of Climate Change”
Guest Editors: Prof. Dr. Yaosheng Wang and Dr. Haiyang Ma
Submission deadline: 19 September 2026

4. “Hydroclimatic Changes in the Cold Regions”
Guest Editors: Dr. Alexander Shiklomanov, Dr. Vladimir Alexeev and Dr. Hotaek Park
Submission deadline: 1 July 2026

5. “Impacts of Climate Change on Water Resources: Assessment and Modeling, 3rd Edition”
Guest Editors: Prof. Dr. Leszek Sobkowiak and Prof. Dr. Dariusz Wrzesiński
Submission deadline: 31 October 2026

The following is an interview with Prof. Dr. Ariel Dinar:

1. Congratulations on winning the Water 2024 Best Paper Award! Could you please briefly introduce yourself?
I am Ariel Dinar, now an Emeritus Distinguished Professor of Environmental Economics and Policy at the School of Public Policy, University of California, Riverside. My work on water economics goes nearly 40 years back when I started working on field level water decisions, moved overtime to farm-level water decisions, and later to regional- and international-level issues. I also started incorporating political economy and institutional economics into the work dealing with optimal decision making at regional and international levels. I have worked mainly for the World Bank and for the University of California, Davis and Riverside in the past 40 years until my retirement.

2. Could you introduce the research focus and the key findings of this award-winning paper?
The work is based on the premise that water management analysis is subject to disciplinary developments and inter-disciplinary interactions. This research leading to this paper aims to close such a gap I observed over the years in the literature where such developments are not well documented in the literature. Initial observations in the interdisciplinary literature suggest that results are fragmented, implying that a state-of-the-art review is needed. The findings in this paper identify changes to water use patterns by including and co-managing water of different sources, such as surface and groundwater, reclaimed wastewater, and desalinated water. Findings also suggest that political, institutional principles play an important role in managing water of different scarcity levels and qualities at local regional and international levels. In addition, the finding suggests that methodologies such as experimental economics, game theory, institutional economics, and valuation methods, as well as modeling approaches, including hydro-economic and computable general equilibrium models, help deal with water challenges.

3. What were the biggest challenges you faced during this research, and how did you overcome them?
My biggest challenge during the work on the paper was the number of publications that I identified as relevant and how to focus only on works that demonstrate exactly the innovation of the approaches reviewed, rather than focusing on case studies that demonstrate the usefulness of the approaches to a specific set of conditions. The way I overcame this challenge is by developing a matric to rank the relevance of the papers to my research question and objectives in this research. It was time consuming but allowed me to end up with a feasible size of observations.

4. What advice would you give to young researchers who aspire to produce high-impact research results?
My main advice to young researchers who aspire to produce good research that can be published in high-impact outlets is, first, to dare and ask research questions outside of the box, but with relevance to the water community—water engineers, water economists, water scientists. Second, share their ideas with more experienced researchers to get feedback about the possible relevance and even to invite a more senior researcher to jointly develop the idea. My last piece of advice is not to give up even if the paper is rejected—just look for a different outlet.

5. Could you tell us what attracted you to submit your paper to Water, and what your experience with the publication process was?
Water—MDPI attracted me because I had previous experience with Water, publishing previous work of mine with colleagues. I was indeed attracted to the methodological review process and the promotion of the accepted papers.

We are pleased to announce that MDPI will be participating in the 2026 International Congress on Membranes and Membrane Processes (ICOM 2026), organized by the North American Membrane Society, taking place from 18 to 25 July 2026 in San Antonio, Texas, USA.

The ICOM 2026 presents a unique opportunity for international and regional communities to collaborate together toward the aim of advancing scalable membrane engineering. Visit our booth to discover MDPI’s latest publications, Special Issues, and open access initiatives in hydrogen technologies and related fields. Our Editors will be on hand to discuss your research and answer any questions about publishing with MDPI.

The following MDPI journals will be represented at this conference:

• Membranes;
• ChemEngineering;
• Purification;
• Materials;
• Applied Sciences;
• Separations;
• Processes;
• Water;
• Clean Technologies.

If you are planning to attend this conference, please feel free to reach out online and start a conversation with us. Our delegates look forward to meeting you in person at our booth and answering any questions you may have. For more information about this event, please click the following link: https://www.membranes.org/icom2026.

The International Day for Biological Diversity, a global observance dedicated to raising awareness about the importance of biodiversity, is celebrated on 22 May. The theme of the 2026 International Day for Biological Diversity is “Acting Locally for Global Impact”. Biodiversity is critical to life—healthy ecosystems provide food, clean water, climate regulation, and disease control, supporting all forms of existence on Earth. Local actions such as restoring habitats, protecting endangered species, and promoting sustainable agriculture collectively generate global benefits for nature and people. However, rapid biodiversity loss continues to undermine these vital contributions, with profound impacts on human well-being and planetary stability. Echoing the mission of protecting biodiversity for a resilient future, established MDPI journals in the Biology&Life Sciences subject serve as platforms for scientific communication, fostering collaboration and innovation in biodiversity conservation to tackle the global nature crisis.

Invited speakers:

Register for this webinar for free here!

“Distribution Patterns and Habitat Preferences of Five Globally Threatened and Endemic Montane Orthoptera (Parnassiana and Oropodisma)”
by Apostolis Stefanidis, Konstantinos Kougioumoutzis, Konstantina Zografou, Georgios Fotiadis, Luc Willemse, Olga Tzortzakaki and Vassiliki Kati
Ecologies 2025, 6(1), 5; https://doi.org/10.3390/ecologies6010005

“Spatial Cumulative Assessment of Impact Risk-Implementing Ecosystem-Based Management for Enhanced Sustainability and Biodiversity in the Black Sea”
by Elena Bisinicu, Valeria Abaza, Laura Boicenco, Filimon Adrian, George-Emanuel Harcota, Oana Marin, Andra Oros, Elena Pantea, Alina Spinu, Florin Timofte et al.
Sustainability 2024, 16(11), 4449; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16114449

“Using Citizen Science to Document Biodiversity on a University Campus: A Year-Long Case Study”
by Peter M. Baker, Brendon Samuels and Timothy J. A. Hain
Conservation 2024, 4(3), 533-546; https://doi.org/10.3390/conservation4030032

“Illegal Activities for Survival: Understanding the Influence of Household Livelihood Security on Biodiversity Conservation in Tanzania”
by Gasto Jerome Lyakurwa, Edwin Sabuhoro and Mercy Chepkemoi Chepkwony
Conservation 2024, 4(3), 339-356; https://doi.org/10.3390/conservation4030022

“Algal Biodiversity of Nine Megaliths in South-East Bulgaria”
by Maya Stoyneva-Gärtner, Miroslav Androv, Blagoy Uzunov, Kristian Ivanov and Georg Gärtner
Life 2024, 14(8), 948; https://doi.org/10.3390/life14080948

“Shifts in Microbial Community Structure and Co-occurrence Network along a Wide Soil Salinity Gradient”
by Yan Li, Juan Wang, Eryang Li, Xiaodong Yang and Jianjun Yang
Microorganisms 2024, 12(7), 1268; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms12071268

“Exploring mtDNA Databases to Evaluate the Population Structure and Genetic Diversity of Tursiops truncatus in the Atlantic Ocean: Implications for the Conservation of a Small, Offshore Populatio”
by Gasto Jerome Lyakurwa, Edwin Sabuhoro and Mercy Chepkemoi Chepkwony
Ecologies 2024, 5(2), 170-187; https://doi.org/10.3390/ecologies5020011

“Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi and Rhizobium Improve Nutrient Uptake and Microbial Diversity Relative to Dryland Site-Specific Soil Conditions”
by Rosalie B. Calderon and Sadikshya R. Dangi
Microorganisms 2024, 12(4), 667; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms12040667

“Diversity of Parasitoid Wasps and Comparison of Sampling Strategies in Rice Fields Using Metabarcoding”
by Liyang Wang, Hongxuan Wu, Wei He, Guihong Lai, Junxi Li, Siling Liu and Qiang Zhou
Insects 2024, 15(4), 228; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects15040228

“Weed Species’ Diversity and Composition as Shaped by the Interaction of Management, Site, and Soil Variables in Olive Groves of Southern Greece”
by Petros Vahamidis, Demosthenis Chachalis, Antigoni Akrivou, Evangelos Karanasios, Maria Ganopoulou, Apostolia Argiri, Athanasia Mandoulaki, Evangelos Hatzigiannakis, Georgios Arampatzis, Andreas Panagopoulos et al.
Agronomy 2024, 14(3), 640; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy14030640

“Opportunities for Biodiversity Conservation via Urban Ecosystem Regeneration”
by Gad Perry and Robert D. Cox
Diversity 2024, 16(3), 131; https://doi.org/10.3390/d16030131

“Global Subterranean Biodiversity: A Unique Pattern”
by Louis Deharveng, Anne Bedos, Tanja Pipan and David C. Culver
Diversity 2024, 16(3), 157; https://doi.org/10.3390/d16030157

“Odonata Assemblages in Urban Semi-Natural Wetlands”
by Marina Vilenica, Andreja Brigić, Ana Štih Koren, Toni Koren, Mirela Sertić Perić, Bruno Schmidt, Tomislava Bužan and Sanja Gottstein
Insects 2024, 15(3), 207; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects15030207

“The Influence of Sugar Beet Cultivation Technologies on the Intensity and Species Biodiversity of Weeds”
by Barbora Kotlánová, Pavel Hledík, Stanislav Hudec, Petra Martínez Barroso, Magdalena Daria Vaverková, Martin Jiroušek and Jan Winkler
Agronomy 2024, 14(2), 390; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy14020390