Integrative Oil Spill Modeling: Ecological and Socioeconomic Impacts of Past and Hypothetical Spill Scenarios

Oil spill impact assessment has evolved from physics-based trajectory modeling toward multidisciplinary frameworks that integrate experimental, observational, biological, chemical, and socioeconomic dimensions. Yet, both scientific and applied communities continue to face a persistent gap between empirical evidence, mechanistic understanding, model complexity, and real-world decision-making. This Research Topic aims to bridge these domains by showcasing advances in experimental, field-based, analytical, and modeling approaches that enable comprehensive and scalable assessments of marine pollution impacts across spatial and temporal dimensions.

We invite contributions that integrate laboratory and mesocosm experiments, controlled exposure studies, in situ observations, forensic chemical analyses, remote sensing, and modeling frameworks to quantify exposure pathways, toxicity, transport, and ecosystem recovery. Particular emphasis will be placed on:

- Linking behavioral, physiological, and ecological responses of marine organisms to oil, PAH, dispersant exposure, and other pollutants through laboratory, mesocosm, or field experiments.

- Advancing coupled biophysical, biogeochemical, and eco-toxicological models that simulate pollutant transport, weathering, biological interactions, and ecosystem-level effects under realistic environmental conditions.

- Developing frameworks for cumulative impacts, uncertainty quantification, and risk assessment, integrating data from both experimental and observational sources.

- Connecting empirical and modeled outputs to decision-support tools for spill preparedness, mitigation, restoration planning, and ecosystem management.

Submissions may include field observations, controlled experiments, mesocosm work, laboratory exposure trials, long-term monitoring datasets, chemical/environmental forensics, sensitivity analyses, modeling studies, and conceptual syntheses. By bringing together expertise from oceanography, ecology, toxicology, chemistry, modeling, and environmental management, this Research Topic aims to establish best practices, promote reproducibility and data interoperability, and identify emerging frontiers in holistic marine pollution impact assessment.

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 pollution, Oil spills, Ecotoxicology, Ecosystem modeling, Risk assessment, Integrated impact assessment.

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.