Latest Advances in Coastal Oceanography

Dear Colleagues,

Coastal oceanography is a branch of oceanography that focuses on the study of the coastal regions where land and sea interact. These areas are dynamic and complex environments that play a crucial role in the Earth's natural systems and are of significant economic, ecological, and societal importance. Coastal regions include a variety of environments, including estuaries, lagoons, coastal wetlands, seagrass meadows, coral reefs, mangrove forests, kelp forests, and upwelling areas. These areas undergo rapid natural evolution, leading to permanent alterations in their geomorphology. Additionally, they are significantly affected by human activities, which, when combined with the effects of climate change, give rise to substantial threats. These threats include the loss of territory, susceptibility to flooding, and disruptions to ecosystems, among various others. Coastal oceanography is a multidisciplinary field that investigates the physical, geological, ecological, and human aspects of coastal regions. It plays a critical role in understanding and addressing the challenges facing these dynamic and valuable environments. Coastal oceanography includes a wide range of research topics and areas of study such as: physical oceanography, coastal erosion, marine geology, marine ecology, oceanography and climate change, coastal pollution, coastal engineering, and remote sensing and monitoring.

One of the primary goals of this Special Issue is to contribute to the advancement of scientific knowledge in this field, including remote sensing and satellite technology, integrated coastal zone management, climate change impacts, coastal ecosystem health, predictive modeling, ocean data platforms and coastal digital twins, renewable energy, natural hazards, risk assessment, nature-based solutions, heavy engineering works (beach nourishment, sand bypass, among others), and sustainable aquaculture. This involves showcasing cutting-edge research, innovative methodologies, and novel findings. This SI seeks a diversity of contributions, including empirical studies, modeling efforts, review articles, and case studies, to provide a comprehensive view of coastal oceanography. It aims to identify and address key challenges and issues specific to coastal environments, such as sea-level rise, tides, turbulence, upwelling, stratification, sediment transport, coastal erosion, ecosystem health, climate change impacts, and mitigation measures. It also aims to encourage interdisciplinary collaboration among researchers from various fields, such as oceanography, ecology, geology, engineering, and social sciences, to provide a holistic understanding of coastal systems. In addition, this Special Issue will emphasize regional or location-specific studies to capture the diversity of coastal environments and to provide insights that can be applied to different regions. The hope is that this SI will contribute to the development of sustainable coastal management strategies by providing evidence-based research and recommendations for policymakers, resource managers, and coastal communities.

Dr. Mª Teresa de Castro Rodríguez
Prof. Dr. João Miguel Dias
Dr. Xurxo Costoya
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. Journal of Marine Science and Engineering 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.