Assessment and Monitoring of Coastal Water Quality

A special issue of Journal of Marine Science and Engineering (ISSN 2077-1312). This special issue belongs to the section "Marine Environmental Science".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 March 2026 | Viewed by 645

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
1. Ruđer Bošković Institute, Zagreb, Croatia
2. Instituto de Ciencias Marinas de Andalucia (CSIC), Cadiz, Spain
Interests: marine biogeochemistry; cycling, speciation, and interactions of trace metals and organic matter; coastal and open-ocean processes

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Guest Editor
Ruđer Bošković Institute, Bijenička 54, Zagreb, Croatia
Interests: biogeochemistry of metals in water systems; electroanalytical methods and instrumentations; interactions of trace metals with ligands and microplastics in aquatic environment
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Guest Editor
Center for Marine and Environmental Research, Ruđer Bošković Institute, Bijenička 54, Zagreb, Croatia
Interests: marine biogeochemistry; biogeochemical cycles of trace elements; emerging metallic contaminants; environmental analytical chemistry

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Coastal waters are among the most dynamic and vulnerable environments, continuously influenced by natural processes and human activities such as urbanization, tourism, maritime traffic, agriculture, and industry. These pressures contribute to the degradation of water quality through the input of nutrients, metals, organic pollutants, microplastics, and pathogens. The health of coastal ecosystems is critical not only for marine biodiversity but also for the well-being of communities that rely on these areas for food, recreation, and economic activities. Monitoring and assessing coastal water quality is, therefore, essential to ensure sustainable management and to mitigate the adverse impacts of pollution.

The monitoring of coastal waters has evolved over recent decades from basic physico-chemical assessments to integrated approaches that include bioindicators, modeling, and remote sensing. However, many regions still lack comprehensive data or consistent long-term monitoring frameworks, leaving important knowledge gaps. Recent innovations in analytical chemistry, sensor technologies, and data integration (e.g., remote sensing and machine learning) are reshaping how we assess water quality in coastal zones. Additionally, emerging topics such as microplastics, pharmaceuticals, and multi-stressor interactions, including climate change drivers, are receiving increasing attention.

This Special Issue aims to highlight recent advances in methodologies and case studies related to the chemical, physical, and biological assessment and monitoring of coastal waters. Contributions may include studies on pollution sources, spatiotemporal trends, the development and application of analytical techniques, remote sensing, the use of biological indicators, as well as modeling approaches.

We invite researchers working on coastal systems worldwide to share their findings, whether through original research, comprehensive reviews, or applied case studies, with the goal of improving our understanding of the current challenges and supporting evidence-based strategies for the protection and restoration of coastal water quality.

Dr. Saša Marcinek
Dr. Vlado Cuculić
Dr. Dario Omanović
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • coastal water quality
  • water pollution
  • environmental monitoring
  • anthropogenic impact
  • bioindicators
  • trace metals
  • organic pollutants
  • eutrophication
  • emerging contaminants
  • coastal management

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

15 pages, 3840 KB  
Article
Field Determination and Ecological Risk Assessment of Trace Metals in the Seawater of the Shandong Peninsula, China
by Yongsheng Luan, Zhiwei Zhang, Bin Gong and Dawei Pan
J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2025, 13(9), 1672; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse13091672 - 30 Aug 2025
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Abstract
Coastal marine ecosystems are facing serious ecological risks from metals pollution, threatening biodiversity and human health. The main objective of this study is to evaluate the spatial distributions and ecological risks of dissolved cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), and copper (Cu) in the Shandong [...] Read more.
Coastal marine ecosystems are facing serious ecological risks from metals pollution, threatening biodiversity and human health. The main objective of this study is to evaluate the spatial distributions and ecological risks of dissolved cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), and copper (Cu) in the Shandong Peninsula coastal areas, China. Two sampling campaigns were conducted at 21 sites in early spring 2025 to measure the concentrations of the three trace metals in the study area using an electrochemical detection system. The results revealed higher metals concentrations in nearshore areas (e.g., port entrances, aquaculture zones, and estuaries). Specifically, the Cd, Pb, and Cu concentrations in the study area ranged from 0 to 0.079 µg L−1, 0.30 to 0.84 µg L−1, and 2.19 to 4.79 µg L−1, with average concentrations of 0.033, 0.55, and 3.18 µg L−1, respectively. The contamination factors (Cf) of the three metals were below 1, indicating low pollution levels and thus meeting China’s Class I seawater quality standard. However, the ecological risk assessment, employing complementary methods, revealed varying interpretations: the risk quotient (RQ), based on species sensitivity distribution and predicted no-effect concentrations (PNECs), indicated low risks associated with Cd and Pb (RQ < 0.1) but a high risk for Cu (RQ > 1) at all sites, attributable to the exceedance of Cu’s protective threshold (0.46 µg L−1), despite its low Cf. These findings highlight the need for continuous monitoring of Cu due to its high ecological impacts. In contrast, the Hakanson potential ecological risk index (ERI), which incorporates toxicity coefficients, suggested overall low risks (ERI < 150) for the combined metals; however, Cd contributed approximately 70% to the ERI due to its high toxicity coefficient, warranting attention despite the low individual Eri values for Cd across the study area. This study provides valuable recent data on metals pollution dynamics in the Shandong Peninsula coastal areas, offering a scientific basis for developing marine pollution control policies and sustainable marine resource management. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Assessment and Monitoring of Coastal Water Quality)
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