Multiple Stressors in Marine Ecosystems: Interactions Among Pollution, Climate Change, and Biodiversity Loss

Oceans worldwide are undergoing rapid and unprecedented changes driven by human activities. Pollution from plastics, heavy metals, nutrients, and emerging contaminants co-occurs with climate-related stressors such as ocean warming, acidification, deoxygenation, and sea-level rise. At the same time, marine biodiversity is declining at alarming rates, reducing ecosystem resilience and the capacity to recover from disturbances. Increasing evidence indicates that these stressors interact in synergistic or antagonistic ways, amplifying their impacts on marine life and ecosystem services. However, most existing studies and management approaches remain focused on single stressors, limiting their effectiveness. There is an urgent need for integrated, cross-disciplinary research to better understand cumulative impacts and inform sustainable ocean management.Marine ecosystems are increasingly exposed to multiple, interacting stressors, including pollution, climate change, and biodiversity loss. While these drivers have traditionally been studied in isolation, their combined effects often produce complex, non-linear responses that are not yet fully understood. This Research Topic aims to advance interdisciplinary knowledge on how multiple stressors interact across spatial and temporal scales to influence ecosystem structure, function, and resilience. It seeks to identify pathways for mitigation and adaptation by integrating scientific evidence with policy and management perspectives. By bringing together contributions from diverse disciplines and regions, this collection will support the development of holistic and scalable solutions to address cumulative impacts on marine ecosystems and contribute to global sustainability agendas, including the UN Decade of Ocean Science and Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 14).This Research Topic welcomes original research articles, reviews, perspectives, and policy-oriented contributions addressing the interactions among pollution, climate change, and biodiversity loss in marine and coastal environments. We particularly encourage interdisciplinary studies that bridge natural sciences, socio-economic dimensions, and governance frameworks.Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:• Experimental and field-based studies on cumulative and synergistic effects of multiple stressors• Impacts on key ecosystems such as coral reefs, mangroves, seagrasses, and fisheries• Interactions between microplastics, chemical pollutants, and climate-related stressors• Modeling and prediction of multi-stressor impacts, thresholds, and ecosystem tipping points• Consequences for ecosystem services, blue carbon systems, and food security• Regional and global assessments of multi-stressor dynamics• Innovative monitoring approaches, including remote sensing, AI, and big data• Nature-based and technological solutions for mitigating combined stressors• Integrated governance, policy frameworks, and adaptive management strategiesWe invite contributions from researchers worldwide to advance interdisciplinary understanding and support evidence-based marine management and policy development. Topic editors: Kannaiyan Neelavannan, Bhavani Emma Narayanaswamy, DANJA P HOEHN, Kalpana Gopinath, Jaswant Singh Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/80483/multiple-stressors-in-marine-ecosystems-interactions-among-pollution-climate-change-and-biodiversity-loss