Coastal ecosystems play momentous roles in socio-economic developments, but their functions are degrading due to human activities. One of the most alarming degradations is the coastal deoxygenation driven primarily by the over-enrichment of anthropogenic nutrients and organic matter (eutrophication) in the coastal waters. The coastal deoxygenation has led to the worldwide spread of hypoxic zones (where dissolved oxygen concentration is less than 2 mg/L), which have increased from 45 in the 1960s to around 700 nowadays. Besides being perturbed by human activities locally, coastal seas respond more rapidly than the open ocean to global climate change such as ocean warming. Warmer water temperature can reduce oxygen solubility, weaken the mixing of oxygen-rich surface water with oxygen-poor bottom water, and enhance biogeochemical oxygen consumption, which exacerbates the coastal deoxygenation situation.
The main goal of this Special Issue is to gather and share new results, best practices, successes, lessons learned, and general insights that can contribute to improving the knowledge about coastal deoxygenation and related ecological and biogeochemical modifications in a warming climate. Particularly, this issue explores the status and exacerbation trend of coastal deoxygenation and hypoxia (including estuaries and lagoons) under the global warming and anthropogenic perturbations, the drivers and impacts of coastal hypoxia on biogeochemical cycles and ecosystem functioning, and the efficiency of hypoxia mitigation strategies (e.g., land use management, shellfish aquaculture, artificial oxygen ventilation, etc.).
The topic may include, but is not limited, to the following aspects:
• Spatio-temporal variability of hypoxia development and distribution in coastal and estuarine waters, including the identification of coastal and estuarine hypoxia zones
• Status and temporal trend of coastal deoxygenation and the underlying physical and biogeochemical drivers;
• Hypoxia-related disturbances to marine life, ecosystem functioning, and biogeochemical cycling of essential elements;
• Effectiveness of various hypoxia remediation strategies.
Articles based on observational, experimental, conceptual, or modelling approaches are all welcome.
Coastal ecosystems play momentous roles in socio-economic developments, but their functions are degrading due to human activities. One of the most alarming degradations is the coastal deoxygenation driven primarily by the over-enrichment of anthropogenic nutrients and organic matter (eutrophication) in the coastal waters. The coastal deoxygenation has led to the worldwide spread of hypoxic zones (where dissolved oxygen concentration is less than 2 mg/L), which have increased from 45 in the 1960s to around 700 nowadays. Besides being perturbed by human activities locally, coastal seas respond more rapidly than the open ocean to global climate change such as ocean warming. Warmer water temperature can reduce oxygen solubility, weaken the mixing of oxygen-rich surface water with oxygen-poor bottom water, and enhance biogeochemical oxygen consumption, which exacerbates the coastal deoxygenation situation.
The main goal of this Special Issue is to gather and share new results, best practices, successes, lessons learned, and general insights that can contribute to improving the knowledge about coastal deoxygenation and related ecological and biogeochemical modifications in a warming climate. Particularly, this issue explores the status and exacerbation trend of coastal deoxygenation and hypoxia (including estuaries and lagoons) under the global warming and anthropogenic perturbations, the drivers and impacts of coastal hypoxia on biogeochemical cycles and ecosystem functioning, and the efficiency of hypoxia mitigation strategies (e.g., land use management, shellfish aquaculture, artificial oxygen ventilation, etc.).
The topic may include, but is not limited, to the following aspects:
• Spatio-temporal variability of hypoxia development and distribution in coastal and estuarine waters, including the identification of coastal and estuarine hypoxia zones
• Status and temporal trend of coastal deoxygenation and the underlying physical and biogeochemical drivers;
• Hypoxia-related disturbances to marine life, ecosystem functioning, and biogeochemical cycling of essential elements;
• Effectiveness of various hypoxia remediation strategies.
Articles based on observational, experimental, conceptual, or modelling approaches are all welcome.