Innovative Approaches for Predicting the Impacts of Anthropogenic and Climate Stressors on Coastal Marine Ecosystems

Coastal marine ecosystems are increasingly threatened by a combination of anthropogenic and climate-driven stressors, which have already compromised their health and will continue to do so in the future. Traditional monitoring approaches often struggle to capture the full extent of these impacts, particularly considering the complex spatial and temporal scales at which coastal processes occur.

This Research Topic aims to address these challenges by exploring the need for innovative approaches capable of capturing these dynamics. We welcome contributions that emphasize the integration of novel monitoring tools and technologies, as well as the use of high-resolution numerical models capable of describing processes at multiple spatial scales that affect coastal areas. A fully coupled approach to model the dynamics of conservative and nonconservative substances that can cause adverse effects on marine ecosystems is highly encouraged. We also invite studies that integrate short- and medium-term predictive models into Early Warning Systems to enhance real-time assessments of coastal environments. Long-term predictive models are equally crucial for analysing the impacts of climate change scenarios. Within the framework of environmental risk assessment, experimental studies that evaluate the resilience and survival limits of marine species and habitats in response to anthropogenic and climate stressors are essential for understanding the consequences on coastal marine ecosystems.

Multidisciplinary studies that combine observational, modelling, and experimental approaches are particularly encouraged in this Research Topic, as they provide a comprehensive understanding of the health and management of coastal ecosystems in a changing world.

Key topics include:

• Innovative methods and approaches for coastal ecosystem observation.

• Cost-effective remote technologies applied to marine coastal monitoring.

• Development of early warning systems based on forecasting models.

• Seamless unstructured-grid approaches to model dynamics across scales.

• Digital Twin frameworks as tools for analysing impacts on coastal marine ecosystems.

• Analysis of anthropogenic and climate impacts on coastal marine ecosystems through ad-hoc mechanistic experiments (dose-response curves).

• Insights from Ocean Literacy and Citizen Science projects dedicated to safeguarding coastal marine ecosystems.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Policy and Practice Reviews
• Policy Brief
• Review
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: Marine Ecosystems, Climate Change, Anthropogenic Stressors, Habitats, Ecosystem Health

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.