water-logo

Journal Browser

Journal Browser

Sources, Transport, and Fate of Contaminants in Waters and Sediment

A special issue of Water (ISSN 2073-4441). This special issue belongs to the section "Water Quality and Contamination".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 January 2026 | Viewed by 843

Special Issue Editors

School of Environment and Architecture, University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, Shanghai 200093, China
Interests: water quality process and guarantee technology; sediment contamination assessment; utilization of sediment resources
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Interdisciplinary Research Center, Advanced Interdisciplinary Institue of Environment and Ecology, Beijing Normal University, Zhuhai, China
Interests: emerging contaminant; microplastics; environmental behavior; photodegradation; health risk assessment
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Understanding the sources, transport mechanisms, and fate of contaminants in waters and sediments is essential for effective environmental management and remediation strategies. Addressing these issues involves monitoring water quality, implementing regulations to control discharges, and promoting practices that minimize runoff and contamination. As AI (artificial intelligence) continues to evolve, its application in environmental science and engineering will likely expand, providing deeper insights into the complex interactions between contaminants and aquatic ecosystems. Ongoing research is vital to develop new methods for assessing and mitigating the risks posed by various contaminants in aquatic ecosystems.

This Special Issue of Water focuses on our current knowledge on the sources, transport mechanisms, and fate of contaminants in waters and sediments. We welcome scientific contributions from different surface water bodies and sediments, including lakes, rivers, estuaries, ponds, rainfall runoff, sewage pipe networks, and so on. The following are some examples of topics that could be addressed in this Special Issue:

  • Migration of harmful elements and organic pollutants in the sediments of natural water bodies;
  • Factors affecting the migration behavior of contaminants at the sediment–water interface;
  • The movement pathways of contaminants and their circulation within the environment;
  • Sources, behaviors, and fates of emerging contaminants in freshwater and marine;
  • Source apportionment methods and applications of pollutants in water environment;
  • Calculation and fate analysis of characteristic contaminant fluxes in water pollution incidents;
  • The migration and transformation law of contaminants in sewage pipe networks between sewage and sediments;
  • The integration of AI in understanding complex sources of contaminants in water bodies and sediments.

Dr. Feipeng Li
Dr. Chunzhao Chen
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.

Keywords

  • water quality
  • sediment and sediment contamination
  • pollutant transport and transport models
  • aquatic ecosystems
  • sediment-water exchange and interactions
  • toxicity
  • water-sediment exchange

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (1 paper)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

25 pages, 3581 KB  
Article
Sediment Legacy of Aquaculture Drives Endogenous Nitrogen Pollution and Water Quality Decline in the Taipu River–Lake System
by Jingyi Huang, Fengyan Tian, Yuanxing Huang, Hong Tao and Feipeng Li
Water 2025, 17(13), 2000; https://doi.org/10.3390/w17132000 - 3 Jul 2025
Viewed by 433
Abstract
Excessive nitrogen accumulation from aquaculture poses a significant threat to water quality in river–lake systems. This study investigated the Taipu River and five interconnected lakes to analyze the forms, spatial distribution, and ecological impact of nitrogen in both water and surface sediments. Sediment [...] Read more.
Excessive nitrogen accumulation from aquaculture poses a significant threat to water quality in river–lake systems. This study investigated the Taipu River and five interconnected lakes to analyze the forms, spatial distribution, and ecological impact of nitrogen in both water and surface sediments. Sediment total nitrogen (TN), ammonium nitrogen (NH4+-N), and nitrate nitrogen (NO3-N) were measured, with aquaculture-dominated lakes such as Xueluoyang Lake and Caodang Marsh exhibiting significantly higher sedimentary TN concentrations than the Taipu River. In Xueluoyang Lake, the average TN content reached 1037.3 mg/kg—1.87 times higher than in the river—highlighting the legacy effect of historical intensive aquaculture. Correlation analyses showed strong associations between sediment NH4+-N and NO3-N and nitrogen levels in overlying water, confirming sediments as a major endogenous nitrogen source. Multivariate statistical methods, including Pearson’s correlation, hierarchical clustering, and principal component analysis, were applied to elucidate spatial patterns and key influencing factors. Water quality evaluation indices and sediment organic pollution assessments revealed widespread TN exceedance, particularly in dry seasons, with water quality deteriorating to Class V or worse. These results underscore the need for strengthened control of sedimentary nitrogen release and effective management of agricultural non-point source pollution to restore and protect water quality in river–lake systems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sources, Transport, and Fate of Contaminants in Waters and Sediment)
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop