Pollutant Transport in Surface Water-Groundwater Systems: Focus on Emerging Pollutants, Migration Processes, and Experimental/Numerical Simulations

Surface water and groundwater form an interconnected hydrological system, where pollutant migration—especially that of emerging pollutants (e.g., PFAS, microplastics, PPCPs)—poses severe threats to water quality and ecological security. Emerging pollutants, not yet widely regulated, can migrate across surface water and groundwater interfaces, with complex transformation processes affected by hydrological conditions and geochemical reactions. Current research often neglects the coupling effects between the two systems, leading to insufficient understanding of migration mechanisms. This research gap hinders effective water pollution control and risk management, highlighting the need for targeted studies on pollutant transport in coupled systems.

This Research Topic aims to address the insufficient understanding of pollutant (especially emerging pollutants) migration and transformation in surface water, groundwater, and their coupled systems, as well as the lack of systematic integration of physical experimental and numerical simulation methods. To achieve this goal, we invite contributions that clarify the intrinsic mechanisms of pollutant transport across hydrological interfaces, improve experimental and simulation techniques, and explore the key factors regulating migration processes. By integrating multi-method research, this Topic seeks to fill the existing knowledge gaps, provide scientific support for water pollution prevention and control, and promote the sustainable management of water resources in line with UN SDG 6 (clean water and sanitation).

This Research Topic focuses on pollutant (prioritizing emerging pollutants) migration and transformation in surface water, groundwater, and their coupled systems. We welcome submissions that address, but are not limited to:
- Physical experimental studies on emerging pollutant migration in surface water, groundwater, or coupled systems (e.g., centrifuge experiments, soil column experiments).
- Numerical simulations of pollutant transport, including hydrological-geochemical model coupling and parameter optimization.
- Mechanisms of emerging pollutant transformation during cross-interface migration in coupled systems.- Influencing factors (e.g., hydrological conditions, geochemical properties) of pollutant transport in coupled systems.

We particularly encourage original research articles, review articles, and short communications that combine experimental and simulation methods to deepen the understanding of pollutant transport in surface water-groundwater coupling systems.

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
• Conceptual Analysis
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Methods
• Mini Review
• ... 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
• Community Case Study
• Conceptual Analysis
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Policy and Practice Reviews
• Policy Brief
• Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: Surface water-groundwater coupling; Emerging pollutants; Pollutant migration; Numerical simulation; Physical experiment

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.