Aquatic Ecosystems Health Assessment Using Biological and Geospatial Analyses

Dear Colleagues,

Human activities affect the water resources in structural and functional dimensions. The input of anthropogenic contaminants has the potential to impact aquatic ecosystem health. Exposure to environmental contaminants can be responsible for the survival of aquatic organisms via numerous mechanisms, including their abundances, species composition and diversity as well short- and long-term toxicity. Current research demonstrates that freshwater organisms, such as phytoplankton or benthic macroinvertebrates, together with physical and chemical properties can be successfully used to assess ecosystem health.

Recent advances in geotechnical tools (e.g., Geographic Information Systems, remote sensing, Global Positioning Systems) provide innovative platforms for diagnosing environmental health problems and, when it is required, developing interventions. Geospatial analyses methods, with their focus on space and location, play a significant role in environmental health monitoring and assessment. The main advantage of geospatial methods, especially satellite images, is the near–real-time monitoring of environmental hazards.

The ecological health of a given water body can provide a great resolution of relative condition of water ecosystems and helps to define the extent of its degradation. From a water management perspective, it is necessary to understand the links between physicochemical stressors (pollutants) and receptors (living organisms).

This Special Issue invites studies focused on water ecosystem health, water bodies greatly impacted by human activities, urbanization and agriculture, as well as aquatic ecosystems in protected areas. We hope that this SI will be an opportunity to publish results based on new methods and indices for assessing ecosystem health, including geospatial analysis.

Prof. Dr. Monika Tarkowska-Kukuryk
Dr. Beata Ferencz
Guest Editors

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