Coastal form and function results from a mosaic of human, physical, chemical, and biological processes, operating over a range of intertwined time and space scales. But understanding these complexities is vital; how in a time of climate crisis will human health, wellbeing and livelihoods at the coast be maintained in the near future?  Recently, more widespread and detailed monitoring of coastal dynamics, aided by advances in digital technologies and earth observation, have led to a greater appreciation of the locally specific manifestations in which otherwise global drivers (e.g. changes in global mean temperature and sea level rise) are intricately meshed with both particular coastal settings and human actions at the sub-regional scale. In the face of often severe coastal management challenges, these developments could be seen as the necessary foundation for better informed, innovative, equitable, sustainable, community-focused and co-created local and regional flood and erosion risk control, wise resource use, and ecosystem restoration and conservation. Restricted resources and/or unequal distribution of knowledge, power, and finance, however, may be some of the reasons why the potential of this increase in technical and process know-how has not (yet) been realised. We invite contributions to this session that explore the notion that stronger location-specific coastal dynamics knowledge, and its appropriate application, provides the way forward towards more sustainable human-environment interactions at the coast at a time of unprecedented coastal societal challenges. Contributions that challenge this notion and explore alternative perspectives are also welcome.

This Special Issue is associated with content presented at the 35th International Geographical Congress 2024.

Submission deadline: 15th October 2024

Lead Guest Editor: Iris Moeller, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland

Guest Editors: Anne Marie O’Hagan, University College Cork, Ireland and Paolo Ciavola, University of Ferrara, Italy