Soil and Groundwater Quality and Resources Assessment

Dear Colleagues,

Human activities, particularly in regions experiencing the development of industry and agriculture and the exploitation of mineral resources, pose increasing threats to terrestrial ecosystems and groundwater environments. This situation is critical in areas facing water scarcity, where groundwater serves as the primary source of drinking water. Such concerns center around the type, distribution, source, migration, transformation, and ecological health risks associated with various contaminants in soil–groundwater ecosystems. The concentrations of contaminants in these ecosystems are complex due to long-term water–rock interactions, diverse groundwater recharge patterns, hydrologic-biogeochemical processes, and intensive human exploitation. Notably, the threat extends to both traditional and emerging inorganic and organic pollutants, which find their way into human bodies via bioaccumulation, food chains, and drinking water, thus leading to health risks such as chemical toxicity, radiation exposure, and carcinogenic effects. In the face of escalating environmental challenges and the urgent need for sustainable land management, the assessment of soil quality and resources has never been more crucial. Given the pivotal role that soil and groundwater play in supporting agriculture, maintaining natural landscapes, extracting geothermal resources, and providing potable water, it is imperative that we deepen our understanding of these resources.

In response to these environmental challenges, we have established a Special Issue entitled “Soil and Groundwater Quality and Resources Assessment”. This collection of research articles aims to illuminate the critical processes at play and promote innovative approaches that protect our soil and groundwater ecosystems.

Dr. Wanjun Jiang
Prof. Dr. Yizhi Sheng
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 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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.

• multiple contaminants
• source apportionment
• migration–transformation
• ecological health risks
• soil–groundwater system