Physico-Chemical Reactions of Fe and Cu in Natural Waters

Dear Colleagues,

The chemistry of iron (Fe) and copper (Cu) in natural waters is a key topic due to their roles as essential trace elements for life. This has led to a widespread interest in the distribution patterns of these two elements within aquatic environments. The distribution, transport, and bioavailability of iron and copper strongly depend on hydrodynamic conditions, the physico-chemical properties of the water, and the physical and chemical speciation of these elements. In addition, the constant variations due to the effects of climate change as well as pollution in ocean and coastal waters are directly affecting Fe and Cu chemistry in terms of redox, speciation, complexation, and mobility.

On the other hand, studying Fe and Cu assimilation by microorganisms and their mechanisms are quite important in order to fully understand the biogeochemical cycles of both metals. Thus, processes such as redox, organic speciation, complexation, and adsorption have to be studied in different physico-chemical conditions.

This Special Issue aims to gather and present recent research progress and results related to Fe and Cu in the hydrosphere.  The goal is to combine knowledge obtained from water in both the liquid phase (e.g., ocean, lakes, rivers, groundwater, etc), vapour phase (e.g., clouds, fog, rainwater, etc) and the solid phase (i.e., cryosphere).

Potential topics include, but are not limited to:

• Field-, lab-, or model-based studies considering processes and mechanisms that affect the concentration, size fractionation, complexation, and/or redox speciation of iron and/or copper within natural waters.
• An interdisciplinary understanding of iron and copper’s influence on biological communities and vice versa.
• Novel approaches, techniques, and methods for gaining a new understanding of iron and copper concentration, size fractionation, complexation, and/or redox speciation.

We welcome original research papers, methodology papers, case-studies, and critical reviews.

Dr. Aridane González González
Dr. David Gonzalez Santana
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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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. 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.

• iron
• copper
• speciation
• complexation
• redox
• adsorption
• biogeochemical cycles