Dear Colleagues,

Successfully addressing water sustainability issues in the early 21^st century is one of society’s major challenges. Improvements in water treatment technologies have rendered ocean water and saline groundwater accessible for human use. Desalination technologies are evolving rapidly and the record of operation of existing facilities is growing. In terms of demand, the ability to reliably match water quality to its end-use is growing in importance, as is the ability to manage water systems to meet growing and shifting demand without damaging natural systems that provide and receive water. Between supply and demand are the intermediating institutions of markets for desalination equipment and services, public governance, and civic dialog.

Desalination technology is potentially the most salient of all emerging water technologies. It can expand the range of habitable human space on earth, which will add and release stress on many other large- and small-scale human systems, including other physical infrastructures, energy production and consumption, urban expansion and urban form, and agricultural production. It also has the potential to substitute existing water supplies, enabling protection of water-stressed terrestrial habitats. The production of desalinated water has increased energy consumption while creating environmental challenges regarding source water inflow and condensate disposal. As a non-cyclical supply, it can shift a region’s drought risk profile.

This special issue on Desalination seeks to frame the multiple areas where a broader and deeper understanding of desalination is needed. Ideally, papers will encompass a detailed examination of some aspect of desalination in the broader context presented above. Disciplines include engineering, geology, hydrology, ocean sciences and ecology, economics and finance, public health, policy analysis, urban planning, and operations research.

Papers are selected by a rigorous peer review procedure with the aim of rapid and wide dissemination of research results, development, and application. Original research papers or reviews are invited in the following, and related, areas:

Desalination Supply:

• ŸWater supply portfolio and desalination
• ŸInnovations—membranes, thermal, monitoring, and energy recovery
• Integration of desalination with existing supply systems
• Water quality
• Capital and operating costs

Desalination Demand:

• Desalination potential and demand forecasting
• Current uses—small and large scale

Intermediation of Supply and Demand:

• ŸDesalination investment and ownership trends and case studies
• Desalination law and policy
• Sources of innovation—public/private

Relationship of Desalination to:

• ŸEnergy production and consumption
• Environmental impacts of production and use
• Public health outcomes
• Urban and regional planning

Yours sincerely,

Prof. Brent M. Haddad
Guest Editor

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. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly 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 2500 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.

• Ÿ   Technology innovations—membranes, thermal, monitoring, and energy recovery
• Ÿ   Water quality
• Ÿ   Desalination potential and demand forecasting
• Ÿ   Desalination investment and ownership trends and case studies
• Ÿ   Desalination law and policy
• Ÿ   Desalination and energy production and consumption
• Ÿ   Environmental impacts of desalination production and use
• Ÿ   Public health impacts and outcomes
• Ÿ   Urban and regional planning