Water is an indispensable natural resource, yet it faces escalating threats from pollution, climate change, and human activity. The Water Environment: Addressing Global Water Challenges section of Discover Environment Journal is dedicated to publishing innovative research on the dynamics of water systems—tracing their journey from source to fate while examining the interplay between natural processes and anthropogenic influences. This section delves into critical domains, including chemical hydrology, watershed and basin science, glacier environments, and land-use impacts. We welcome contributions that address pressing issues such as water pollution, the transport and transformation of contaminants, hydrological modeling, and sustainable water management strategies. We place particular emphasis on the consequences of land-use changes on hydrological cycles, the stability of glacier-fed water systems, and effective approaches to safeguarding freshwater and marine ecosystems.

Key topics include:

Chemical Hydrology: Analysis of water composition, pollutant behavior, and geochemical interactions shaping water quality.

Basin and Catchment Science: Investigations into watershed hydrology, sediment transport, and hydrogeomorphological processes.

Glacier Environments: Research on cryospheric hydrology, glacier-fed rivers, and the influence of climate change on water availability.

Land-Use Systems: Examining the effects of agriculture, urbanization, deforestation, and industry on water resources.

Water Pollution & Remediation: Addressing emerging contaminants (e.g., microplastics, pharmaceuticals, PFAS), nature-based solutions, and policy frameworks for water protection.

Sustainable Water Management: Innovations in water conservation, resilience-building strategies, and alignment with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation).

Methodological advancement in water research

Furthermore, to enhance the scope and impact of the section, we strongly encourage submissions that:

• Include case studies from underrepresented regions, particularly Sub-Saharan Africa and small island states, to showcase diverse hydrological challenges and locally relevant water management solutions.

• Promote the integration of traditional ecological knowledge and community-based water governance practices to enhance the cultural relevance and sustainability of proposed water stewardship strategies.

• Explore transboundary water issues, including shared aquifers and river basins, to highlight the importance of cooperation and policy in sustainable resource management.

• Emphasize the value of coupling remote sensing and GIS technologies with in-situ hydrological data for improved water quality monitoring and modeling accuracy across scales.

• Focus on emerging contaminants such as microplastics, pharmaceuticals, and PFAS in both freshwater and marine environments, reflecting current global research priorities.

• Give greater attention to groundwater-surface water interactions and their implications for long-term water availability, especially under changing climate and land-use patterns.

• Highlight the role of climate change scenarios and projections in shaping adaptive water management frameworks, particularly in glacier-fed and drought-prone regions.

• Feature interdisciplinary collaborations between hydrologists, ecologists, social scientists, and engineers to propose holistic and inclusive water resource solutions.

• Promote alignment of all submissions with SDG targets, especially SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation) and SDG 13 (Climate Action), to strengthen policy relevance.

• Include policy briefs or synthesis articles that translate technical findings into actionable guidance for water managers and decision-makers.

By fostering interdisciplinary collaboration and highlighting diverse perspectives, the Water Environment: Addressing Global Water Challenges section serves as a vital platform for advancing knowledge on global water challenges and informing policy for sustainable water stewardship.

This Collection supports and amplifies research related to: SDG 6 & SDG 13

Keywords: Water Systems, Water Pollution, Climate Change, Land-Use Impacts, Sustainable Water Management, Emerging Contaminants, Hydrological Modeling, Interdisciplinary Collaboration, SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation), Chemical Hydrology, Watershed Science, and Glacier Environments.

The intensification of human activities and the expansion and densification of urban areas cause various damages to the environment, necessitating continuous monitoring to assess the impact and extent of potential risks to both the environment and human health, in order to ensure urban sustainability.

This collection, “Monitoring Environmental Pollution and Impact on Health,” invites contributions that utilize tools related to health impact assessment, human health risk, ecological risk, data modeling, geospatial data, and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to analyze impacts within urban environments. We also encourage the publication of research on the dynamics of pollution and health in rural and peri-urban areas, interdisciplinary studies between environmental sciences and public health, epidemiology, and urban planning for a holistic assessment of the multifaceted impacts of pollution on human well-being. In addition, studies that contribute actionable policy recommendations for local governments, environmental agencies, or public health institutions dealing with urban pollution are welcome. Research (time series or longitudinal studies) that demonstrate public health trends related to chronic exposure to pollutants, aiming for a better understanding of long-term urban sustainability issues, are also encouraged. Studies addressing health risks for vulnerable populations (such as children, the elderly, or low-income communities) exposed to environmental pollution in densely populated areas are of particular interest. We welcome studies on participatory monitoring and the development of citizen science, empowering communities to act in collaboration with local environmental health surveillance managers. Research involving satellite pollution monitoring and remote sensing is also encouraged. Comparative studies on pollution and health across different regions, identifying critical hotspots and globally replicable mitigation strategies, are of interest. We also welcome research that investigates environmental justice and urban socio-demographic inequalities/disparities in health due to environmental pollution. Review studies and meta-analyses exploring trends, methodologies, and gaps in urban environmental health research are also welcome.

Keywords: Health impact assessment, Environmental quality monitoring (air, water, and soil), Pollution sources and emissions, Spatial analysis, Geospatial technology, Climate change, Urban sustainability, Machine learning, Ecological risk assessment, Human health risk assessment

This Collection supports and amplifies research aligned with the following Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): SDG 11.