Impacts of Contaminants on Aquatic Ecosystems and Strategies for Water Quality Improvement
A special issue of Water (ISSN 2073-4441). This special issue belongs to the section "Water Quality and Contamination".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 January 2026) | Viewed by 739
Editors
Interests: carbon cycling; sulfur cycling; trace metals; wetlands; climate impacts; freshwater ecosystem; environmental changes
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: biogeochemistry; fluvial systems; geophysical methods; hydrological systems; environmental interactions; field investigation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: environmental pollutants; contaminant transport; groundwater quality; subsurface environments; environmental monitoring
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Freshwater ecosystems are essential for supporting human well-being and biodiversity, yet they are increasingly threatened by contamination from anthropogenic and natural sources. Contaminants such as heavy metals, excess nutrients, pesticides, pharmaceuticals, microplastics, and pathogens degrade water quality, disrupt aquatic ecosystems, and reduce the availability of safe water for drinking, agriculture, and industry. Understanding the dynamics of these pollutants, as well as their ecological and socio-economic impacts, is crucial for developing effective strategies to protect and restore water quality.
This Special Issue aims to provide a platform for cutting-edge research that explores the interactions between contaminants, aquatic ecosystems, and water quality improvement strategies. We focus on investigating the mechanisms of pollutant transport, transformation, and bioaccumulation in freshwater systems, as well as their widespread impacts on aquatic organisms, ecosystem functions, and biodiversity. With an emphasis on both traditional and emerging contaminants, this Special Issue seeks to address the challenges posed by rapid urbanization, agricultural intensification, industrialization, and climate change on freshwater resources.
We invite original research articles, reviews, and case studies that address the following themes:
- Mechanisms of contaminant transport, transformation, and accumulation in freshwater systems.
- Effects of contaminants on aquatic biota, ecosystem services, and biodiversity.
- Advanced methods for monitoring and assessing water quality, including remote sensing and machine learning applications.
- Innovative technologies for contaminant removal, such as bioremediation, nanomaterials, and nature-based solutions.
- Integrated approaches to managing pollution under changing climatic and land-use conditions.
- Socio-economic and policy frameworks for enhancing water quality management and sustainability.
We look forward to receiving your contributions.
Prof. Dr. Zhiguo Yu
Dr. Sven Frei
Dr. Taotao Lu
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-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Water 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 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
- contaminant behavior
- water quality assessment
- aquatic ecosystem stability
- remediation technologies
- sus-tainable water management
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