The pressing challenges caused by ongoing land-use changes, deforestation, and fossil fuel combustion have significantly increased global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, leading to more frequent extreme weather events worldwide. Coastal blue carbon ecosystems have emerged as a key element in global strategies to mitigate climate change due to their exceptional ability to sequester carbon, regulate nutrient cycles, and support biodiversity. These ecosystems serve as critical intersections between terrestrial and marine environments, mediating the transfer of water, sediments, nutrients, and pollutants. Enhancing our understanding of these ecosystems is essential for achieving global carbon neutrality goals.
Despite their growing recognition, there remain significant gaps in our understanding of the mechanisms and processes that support blue carbon ecosystems. Particularly, the dual role of coastal systems as both sinks and sources of key atmospheric trace gases—such as CO2, CH4, and N2O—requires further exploration. Nitrogen-transforming microorganisms, with their diverse phylogenetic and metabolic capabilities, play a crucial role in these processes, yet the impacts of climate change and human activities on their function remain inadequately understood.
This special issue aims to inspire pioneering research that addresses these knowledge gaps, with a specific focus on the interplay between carbon sequestration and nitrogen transformation within coastal ecosystems. By integrating insights from multiple disciplines and regions, this collection strives to advance our understanding and application of sustainable management practices and technologies that enhance these ecosystems' roles in combating climate change.
We invite original research articles and reviews that explore a broad range of topics, including but not limited to:
Biogeochemical Dynamics: Investigations into the elemental cycles (e.g., carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus) in coastal ecosystems, covering processes such as photochemical transformations, microbial degradation, and nutrient fluxes in water, soils, and sediments.
Carbon and Nitrogen Mitigation Technologies: Development and application of innovative technologies and practices aimed at enhancing carbon storage and reducing nitrogen emissions in coastal ecosystems.
Comparative Restoration Studies: Evaluations of the carbon and nitrogen footprints of various blue carbon ecosystem restoration practices, including cost-benefit analyses and life cycle assessments.
Climate Resilience and Adaptation: Assessments of the impacts of climate change and human-induced pressures (e.g., pollution, habitat loss, overfishing) on the stability, resilience, and services of coastal ecosystems.
Ecological Connectivity: Exploration of the functional interdependencies between terrestrial, coastal, and marine ecosystems, focusing on nutrient flows, pollutant cycling, and biodiversity conservation.
Innovative Modelling Approaches: Development of biogeochemical and socio-ecological models to predict and optimize the performance of blue carbon ecosystems under natural and human-made challenges.
Policy and Governance: Insights into frameworks promoting sustainable development and ecological protection of blue carbon ecosystems, including the creation of universal standards and actionable guidelines.
Keywords: coastal ecosystems, blue carbon, nitrogen dynamics, restoration practices, climate resilience, ecological connectivity, carbon neutrality, biogeochemical cycles
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.
