Protecting Coastal Environments from the Effects of Climate Change and Urbanisation

Dear Colleagues,

Coastal environments are some of the most populated on Earth, but with greater challenges projected in the future due to climate change and urbanisation, their healthy existence is increasingly perilous. Increased storm surge, flooding and erosion due to sea-level rise (SLR) and land subsidence (LS) are major natural hazards that coastal regions will face in the 21st century, with potentially high socioeconomic impacts. Furthermore, industrial spillages, effluents from sewage, refineries, urban and storm water runoff or oil leakages from broken ships can cause water quality issues, especially if the contaminants are dispersed under specific wave and current conditions, generating impacts on the livelihoods of people, public health and local water quality.

Therefore, there is a strong need to develop sustainable techniques that could protect coastal regions from meteorological and hydrological hazards and the diffusion and dispersion of pollutants. Additionally, a better understanding of coastal processes, which is significant to coastal protection, is highly encouraged. Furthermore, it is necessary to provide better predictions and improve the modelling of the influence and the secondary effects that coastal structures may have on local conditions, taking into consideration future uncertainties associated with climate change and urbanisation.

By protecting against storm damage, flooding and erosion, these living habitats can keep people safe and can help to mitigate economic loss of personal and public property, cultural landmarks and natural resources.

This Special Issue is set up to receive original research papers investigating the hydrodynamics, sediment transport, beach erosion, water quality and ecology of coastal environments to improve the scientific understanding of coastal processes as well as to identify new sustainable coastal protection structures or optimize existing ones. This Special Issue is open to experimental and numerical studies, theoretical ones and field works.

Dr. Matteo Rubinato
Prof. Dr. Ming He
Prof. Dr. Huabin Shi
Guest Editors

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