Advances in modeling of coastal and estuarine waters: assessing stressors, analyzing extreme events, and addressing current and future risks

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About this Research Topic

Submission deadlines

  1. Manuscript Summary Submission Deadline 16 February 2025 | Manuscript Submission Deadline 6 June 2025

  2. This Research Topic is still accepting articles.

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Background

Coastal and estuarine waters are among the most productive ecosystems on Earth, playing an essential role in maintaining ecological balance, supporting biodiversity, and fostering economic development. However, these ecosystems are increasingly vulnerable to a variety of stressors, many of which are intensified by climate change. Rising temperatures, pollution, sea level rise, and altered salinity levels, among others, present significant risks to the health and stability of these ecosystems, challenging the resilience and adaptive capacity of coastal and estuarine waters. Therefore, enhancing the understanding and knowledge of these critical processes is essential for reducing the vulnerability of these ecosystems and strengthening their capacity to adapt to ongoing and future challenges.

In this context, the application of numerical models provides an invaluable tool by enabling the simulation of water conditions under different situations. Such modeling facilitates detailed analysis of historical events with limited data and allows for the simulation and exploration of current and possible future scenarios, supporting both strategic planning and informed decision-making. Recent advancements in computational efficiency have overcome previous limitations in numerical modeling, further expanding its capabilities. This progress enables increasingly reliable and complex simulations, which improve the analysis of coastal and estuarine ecosystems. Thus, the application of advanced modeling techniques allows the simulation, exploration, and prediction of the impacts of multiple stressors, including associated extreme events, on these ecosystems, thereby supporting effective mitigation and adaptation strategies for coastal and estuarine regions.

This research topic aims to foster innovation in modeling approaches for coastal and estuarine processes. By showcasing innovative modeling techniques, including artificial intelligence approaches, this research topic intends to advance the understanding, monitoring, prediction, and mitigation of the impacts of stressors and extreme critical events on coastal and estuarine ecosystems.

Potential topics include, but are not limited to:

- Monitoring of coastal and estuarine ecosystems: novel techniques and tools for tracking ecological indicators, water quality, and habitat conditions.

- Modeling of coastal and estuarine dynamics: approaches for simulating the complex interactions within these ecosystems, such as hydrodynamic and biogeochemical processes, sediment transport, and habitat dynamics.

- Impact of risk conditions and extreme events on coastal and estuarine biodiversity: understanding the biological and ecological consequences of stressors and critical events on species diversity, habitat connectivity, and ecosystem functionality.

- Analysis of climate change impact on coastal and estuarine ecosystems: investigations into how climate change affects these ecosystems, focusing on rising sea levels and temperatures, as well as on the increase in frequency and intensity of extreme events such as storms, heatwaves, and salinity drops.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

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  • Data Report
  • Editorial
  • General Commentary
  • Hypothesis and Theory
  • Methods
  • Mini Review
  • Opinion
  • Original Research

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Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

  • Brief Research Report
  • Data Report
  • Editorial
  • General Commentary
  • Hypothesis and Theory
  • Methods
  • Mini Review
  • Opinion
  • Original Research
  • Perspective
  • Policy and Practice Reviews
  • Policy Brief
  • Review
  • Systematic Review
  • Technology and Code

Keywords: Coastal environments, estuarine environments, extreme events, modeling, simulations, ecosystem management

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.

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