The degradation of marine ecosystems - including coral reefs, oyster reefs, and deep-sea communities is accelerating due to climate change, pollution, ocean acidification, and other human-induced pressures. These ecosystems are crucial for global biodiversity, fisheries, and oceanic health, yet they remain insufficiently monitored and protected. Traditional observation methods often fall short in capturing the dynamic, multifaceted changes in these environments. Emerging smart technologies - including Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML), Underwater Wireless Sensor Networks (UWSNs), and Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs) are revolutionizing how marine ecosystems are monitored. These tools enable real-time data collection, predictive modeling, and adaptive interventions, offering powerful new approaches to ecosystem assessment and conservation. This Research Topic investigates how these innovations can be effectively harnessed to protect marine biodiversity and promote sustainable ocean stewardship.
The accelerating decline of marine ecosystems, such as coral reefs, oyster reefs, and deep-sea habitats, poses a major threat to biodiversity and ocean sustainability. Effective conservation is hindered by the absence of real-time, high-resolution monitoring systems that can detect early ecological changes and trigger timely interventions. This Research Topic aims to explore how smart technologies, including AI, ML, UWSNs, AUVs, and related innovations, can be integrated into marine ecosystem monitoring and protection strategies. We seek to advance research in real-time data acquisition, environmental sensing, automated analysis, and predictive modeling to develop scalable, resilient systems capable of tracking ecosystem health and informing conservation decisions. This collection encourages interdisciplinary collaboration at the nexus of marine science, data engineering, and artificial intelligence to build next-generation tools for ocean sustainability.
This Research Topic welcomes original research, reviews, case studies, and technical reports focused on the application of smart technologies for real-time monitoring and conservation of marine ecosystems. We emphasize the use of tools such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML), Underwater Wireless Sensor Networks (UWSNs), Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs), underwater drones, and the Internet of Underwater Things (IoUT) to enhance data-driven environmental assessment and protection. We particularly invite studies targeting coral reefs, oyster reefs, and deep-sea habitats, with themes including in-situ sensing, anomaly detection, predictive modeling, and AI-powered ecological analysis. Contributions that bridge marine science with engineering, data science, and robotics are strongly encouraged. Relevant domains include ocean observation, coastal ecosystem monitoring, deep-sea ecology, and conservation technology. Accepted manuscript types include original research articles, reviews, short communications, and technical reports. This Topic aims to foster innovation in intelligent, scalable systems for sustainable marine ecosystem management.
Article types and fees
This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:
Brief Research Report
Community Case Study
Data Report
Editorial
FAIR² Data
FAIR² DATA Direct Submission
General Commentary
Hypothesis and Theory
Methods
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:
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.
