Science AI Journal
Earth and Planetary Sciences · Research topic

Open research questions in Marine and coastal ecosystems

247 unresolved questions extracted from the limitations and future-work sections of 926 Marine and coastal ecosystems papers in our library. Each links back to the study that raised it.

What the literature leaves open

  • development of an operational satellite-based monitoring framework, - further research on the application of remote sensing for water quality monitoring

    Evaluation of Baseline Water Quality Conditions and Episodic Biomass Increases in Lake Villarrica Using Hyperspectral and Multispectral Data · 2026 · DOI

  • Complex interactions among multiple factors regulating methanotrophic activity. Limited understanding of the impact of dissolved oxygen levels on methane emission pathways. Difficulty in measuring methane fluxes and isotopic composition in small ponds.

    Dominance of methane emission pathways differs between small ponds with contrasting dissolved oxygen status · 2026 · DOI

  • Investigate the effects of dissolved oxygen levels on methane emissions in larger lakes, - Examine the relationship between methane oxidation and isotopic fractionation in different aquatic ecosystems, - Develop more accurate models of methane emissions from small lakes and ponds

    Dominance of methane emission pathways differs between small ponds with contrasting dissolved oxygen status · 2026 · DOI

  • Limited light availability and reduced microalgal production during winter make it challenging to study wintertime particulate organic carbon export. The remote and ice-covered location of the study area poses logistical challenges for data collection. The complexity of Arctic marine ecosystems makes it difficult to understand the ecological role of wintertime carbon export.

    Wintertime organic carbon export provides a potential food source for zooplankton in the High Arctic · 2026 · DOI

  • Solar irradiance was below the photosynthetic threshold for Arctic phytoplankton, - Limited data on local primary production, - No direct measurement of particle transport from upstream sources

    Wintertime organic carbon export provides a potential food source for zooplankton in the High Arctic · 2026 · DOI

  • There are several uncertainties and caveats that should be considered when interpreting the results. The calculated correction factor for sediment focussing was based on the 210 Pb levels in the more modern sediments. The application of this factor to the long core assumed that sediment focussing was temporally invariant. Patterns of sediment deposition and lake morphometry or size change over time. There is a lack of data or a model to estimate focusing rates for the earlier sediments.

    Sediment organic carbon sources, accumulation and stock estimates in a temperate lake over the past 10,000 years in Ireland · 2026 · DOI

  • The extent to which dissolved organic phosphorus (DOP) supports microbial P demand remains unresolved. Limited understanding of the cycling and uptake kinetics of inorganic and organic phosphorus forms in ultra-oligotrophic oceans.

    Metabolic switching between inorganic and organic phosphorus sustains microbial activity in an ultraoligotrophic ocean · 2026 · DOI

  • Future research should focus on elucidating the mechanisms of DOP uptake, identifying the factors that influence DOP bioavailability, and determining the role of specific microbial groups in P cycling.

    Metabolic switching between inorganic and organic phosphorus sustains microbial activity in an ultraoligotrophic ocean · 2026 · DOI

  • Analyzing the impact of marine heatwaves on copepod phenological timing is a complex task due to the variability in MHW components and copepod blooms. The study faces the challenge of identifying consistent yearly peaks in copepod blooms. The researchers need to account for the effects of multiple MHW components on copepod phenology.

    Beyond warming: changes in copepod phenological timing in response to marine heatwaves before and during their blooms · 2026 · DOI

  • Investigate the effects of MHWs on other marine species. Examine the impact of MHWs on the entire food web. Study the relationship between MHWs and copepod community composition.

    Beyond warming: changes in copepod phenological timing in response to marine heatwaves before and during their blooms · 2026 · DOI

  • The study was conducted in a mesocosm setting, which may not fully replicate natural conditions. The experiment was limited to a 39-day period, which may not capture long-term effects. The study focused on a specific region, the German North Sea, which may not be representative of other marine ecosystems.

    Spring phytoplankton bloom dynamics reveal thresholds of ocean alkalinity enhancement in the North Sea · 2026 · DOI

  • The ecological implications of Ocean Alkalinity Enhancement remain poorly constrained. The effects of OAE on phytoplankton dynamics are not well understood.

    Spring phytoplankton bloom dynamics reveal thresholds of ocean alkalinity enhancement in the North Sea · 2026 · DOI

  • Concurrent hydrological measurements were not collected during the survey, - The relative influences of flood-pulse allochthonous inputs and runoff-mediated terrestrial DOM transport could not be separately evaluated, - The study provides a preliminary assessment but lacks experimental validation or process-based numerical modeling

    Spatiotemporal Patterns and Environmental Controls of Dissolved Organic Matter in Coastal Rivers of the Bohai Rim, China · 2026 · DOI

  • Experimental validation of the proposed mechanistic interpretations, - Process-based numerical modeling to substitute for correlational approaches, - Collection of concurrent hydrological measurements

    Spatiotemporal Patterns and Environmental Controls of Dissolved Organic Matter in Coastal Rivers of the Bohai Rim, China · 2026 · DOI

  • The analysis does not explicitly account for the cooling effect of rain, - The results may be limited by the use of a single year of data (2000), - The study does not account for persistence of cooler temperatures after rain stops

    Global carbon dioxide flux into the surface ocean intensified by rain-induced dilution · 2026 · DOI

  • Improve quantitative understanding of the surface ocean during and after rain, - Incorporate rain effects into Global Carbon Budget estimates, - Investigate the impact of rain on ocean carbon uptake in different regions and seasons

    Global carbon dioxide flux into the surface ocean intensified by rain-induced dilution · 2026 · DOI

  • Limited knowledge about the role of marine permeable sediments in trapping DOM. Lack of understanding about the molecular compositions of DOM in these sediments.

    Iron Promotes the Retention of Terrigenous Dissolved Organic Matter in Subtidal Permeable Sediments · 2024 · DOI

  • Abstract The Island Mass Effect (IME) in tropical regions remains understudied, despite its potential to fertilize oligotrophic oceanic gyres and impact on higher trophic levels.

    The Seasonal Impact of the Island Mass Effect on Coastal Biogeochemistry and Phytoplankton Assemblage: The Case of the Tropical and Volcanic Island of Guadeloupe (French West Indies) · 2026 · DOI

  • However, the mechanisms underlying the spatial variability of vertical POC export in the Ross Sea remain unclear due to limited observations.

    Analysis of the Spatial Variability of Vertical Carbon Export Efficiency in the Ross Sea Using a Coupled Ocean‐Sea Ice‐Biogeochemical Model · 2026 · DOI

  • While POC and temperature can be readily assessed in situ, direct quantification of flux remains uncertain due to the observational challenges of measuring submesoscale vertical velocities in the upper ocean.

    Estimating Submesoscale‐Driven Particulate Organic Carbon Flux From Remote Sensing at a Dynamic Upwelling Front · 2026 · DOI

  • Abstract While the importance of organic sulfur for marine bacteria is widely recognized, how it relates to bacterial community composition, particularly in coastal environments, remains poorly understood.

    Spatial Patterns of Organic Sulfur and Its Limited Association With Bacterial Communities in the Bohai and Yellow Seas · 2026 · DOI

  • To date, the spatial variation in marine heatwave impacts on this ocean region remains underexplored, despite known differences in the physical and biogeochemical controls on phytoplankton dynamics in coastal and offshore waters, including a natural gradient of iron limitation.

    Spatial Heterogeneity in Phytoplankton Responses to Marine Heatwaves in the Northeast Subarctic Pacific · 2026 · DOI

  • While previous studies have investigated the biogeochemical consequences of declining O 2 in the SBC, its spatial distribution and temporal variability in the region remain poorly characterized.

    Spatial Distribution and Temporal Variability of Dissolved O 2 in the Santa Barbara Channel and Basin, California · 2026 · DOI

  • Abstract Phytoplankton biomass dynamics are strongly influenced by the El Niño‐Southern Oscillation (ENSO); however, the specific mechanisms through which different El Niño types regulate phytoplankton variability remain poorly understood.

    Impact of Different El Nino Types on Spring Chlorophyll‐a Concentrations in the Yellow and East China Seas · 2026 · DOI

  • Abstract Global warming profoundly influences marine phytoplankton, yet the reorganization of phytoplankton communities in the future warming ocean remains uncertain.

    Reorganization of Subtropical Phytoplankton Communities in the Warming Ocean · 2026 · DOI

Most-cited papers in Marine and coastal ecosystems

Most recent work

Find a gap in your own Marine and coastal ecosystems sub-topic

This page shows what the Marine and coastal ecosystems literature already flags as unresolved. To narrow it to your specific question, run the guided finder — it searches the gap library on demand and checks candidates against 250M+ OpenAlex works.

Open the Research Gap Finder →

Related topics in Earth and Planetary Sciences

Archaeology and ancient environmental studies
317 open questions
Atmospheric chemistry and aerosols
316 open questions
Oceanographic and Atmospheric Processes
254 open questions
Meteorological Phenomena and Simulations
210 open questions
Cryospheric studies and observations
203 open questions
Geology and Paleoclimatology Research
198 open questions
Geological and Geochemical Analysis
188 open questions
earthquake and tectonic studies
169 open questions
247 open questions have been extracted from the limitations and future-work passages of 926 Marine and coastal ecosystems papers in our library. Each one below links back to the study that raised it, so you can read the original claim in context.

Tools for your next paper

Gaps & Literature SearchFind open questions in any field — 120,000+ open gaps mined from our own library.Pre-CheckIs your paper ready? A Tier 1–5 acceptance probability in seconds.Journal FinderA ranked shortlist of target journals from a 17,500-venue index.Duplicate Publication CheckerCheck prior-publication & salami-slicing risk across 8 sources.Citation GeneratorFreeA DOI or title → APA, MLA, Vancouver, Chicago, BibTeX, RIS. No signup.Graphical Abstract MakerFreeTurn your findings into a colorblind-safe graphical abstract.

Compare the category — Honest roundups of the AI research tools, ours listed alongside the alternatives.

Command palette

Jump anywhere, run any action.