Geoenvironmental Transformation of Soil and Water Ecosystems Amid Habitat Loss and Climate Change

Soil and water ecosystems are undergoing unprecedented transformation driven by accelerating geoenvironmental change. Rapid urbanization, industrialization, land degradation, extreme weather events, and shifts in hydrological cycles are collectively altering the natural balance of terrestrial and aquatic environments. These changes threaten soil fertility, groundwater recharge, water quality, ecological productivity, and biodiversity resilience, while habitat fragmentation and loss further weaken natural buffers against climate-induced stresses. Understanding the interactions among geological processes, environmental pressures, soil dynamics, and water systems is essential for predicting ecosystem responses and designing effective mitigation strategies. This Research Topic addresses these multidimensional challenges by integrating perspectives from geoenvironmental science, soil ecology, hydrology, climate science, and environmental management, providing a foundation for resilience-building and sustainable resource management.

This Research Topic aims to advance the integrated understanding of geoenvironmental transformations and their consequences for soil and water ecosystems under the combined pressures of habitat loss and climate change. The goal is to bring together interdisciplinary research that clarifies the processes governing soil–water dynamics, degradation, and ecosystem function, and that identifies pathways toward sustainable management. By linking observational, experimental, and modeling approaches, the collection seeks to improve the prediction of ecosystem responses and to inform restoration and policy actions. The Research Topic is aligned with multiple United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, including Clean Water and Sanitation (SDG 6), Climate Action (SDG 13), Life Below Water (SDG 14), Life on Land (SDG 15), Zero Hunger (SDG 2), and Responsible Consumption and Production (SDG 12). Through this alignment, it aims to support global sustainability frameworks and strengthen the scientific basis for environmental governance and SDG-oriented interventions.

This Research Topic welcomes original research, reviews, methodological developments, and case studies that examine geoenvironmental change and its impacts on soil and water ecosystems. Contributions are encouraged from across geoscience, hydrology, soil ecology, climate science, and environmental management. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:
1. Geoenvironmental Processes and Soil–Water Dynamics
• Soil erosion, sediment transport, and geomorphological shifts
• Groundwater depletion, salinization, and hydrological cycle alterations
• Climate-induced changes in soil moisture, structure, and carbon storage
2. Soil Degradation and Water Quality Deterioration
• Heavy metals, microplastics, pesticides, and emerging contaminants
• Soil nutrient depletion and loss of soil organic carbon
• Pollution-driven changes in freshwater and marine systems
3. Habitat Loss and Landscape Transformation
• Land-use change, deforestation, wetland degradation, and fragmentation
• Impacts on biodiversity, species migration, and ecosystem services
• Ecological risk assessment and monitoring strategies
4. Climate Change Interactions
• Extreme climatic events (floods, droughts, heatwaves) and their geoenvironmental impacts
• Feedback mechanisms among soil, water, and atmospheric systems
• Climate adaptation and mitigation approaches
5. Sustainable Solutions, Remediation, and Policy
• Nature-based solutions, green technologies, and ecological restoration
• Biochar, nanoremediation, bioremediation, and soil–water conservation strategies
• Policy development, environmental governance, and SDG-aligned interventions

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
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• ... 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
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Policy and Practice Reviews
• Policy Brief
• Review
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: Geoenvironmental change, Soil–water ecosystems, Habitat loss, Climate change, Ecosystem resilience

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.