The use of low-cost environmental sensors has gained significant attention due to their affordability and potential to intensify environmental monitoring networks. These sensors enable real-time monitoring of various environmental parameters, which can help identify pollution hotspots and inform targeted mitigation strategies. Low-cost sensors also facilitate citizen science projects, providing more localized and granular data, and making environmental monitoring more accessible to communities. However, the accuracy and reliability of data generated by these sensors can be a concern, particularly without proper calibration. Calibration is challenging for low-cost sensors due to the variability in sensing materials, transducer designs, and environmental conditions. Therefore, standardized calibration protocols are necessary to ensure the accuracy and reliability of low-cost sensor data. This review article addresses four critical questions related to the calibration and accuracy of low-cost sensors. Firstly, it discusses why low-cost sensors are increasingly being used as an alternative to high-cost sensors. In addition, it discusses self-calibration techniques and how they outperform traditional techniques. Secondly, the review highlights the importance of selectivity and sensitivity of low-cost sensors in generating accurate data. Thirdly, it examines the impact of calibration functions on improved accuracies. Lastly, the review discusses various approaches that can be adopted to improve the accuracy of low-cost sensors, such as incorporating advanced data analysis techniques and enhancing the sensing material and transducer design. The use of reference-grade sensors for calibration and validation can also help improve the accuracy and reliability of low-cost sensor data. In conclusion, low-cost environmental sensors have the potential to revolutionize environmental monitoring, particularly in areas where traditional monitoring methods are not feasible. However, the accuracy and reliability of data generated by these sensors are critical for their successful implementation. Therefore, standardized calibration protocols and innovative approaches to enhance the sensing material and transducer design are necessary to ensure the accuracy and reliability of low-cost sensor data.

Various solutions, which consist of numerous techniques, technologies and planning measures, are testing for reduction shoreline erosion, precisely for protection shore against waves attack. These methods may affect the site's geology and geomorphology, involving changes of the habitats in the site. Coastal defense projects and ideas must take into account the structure and functions of protected natural areas and their conservation objectives in order to avoid threatening the species and/or habitats on the site. The ecological impacts expected from coast protection structures on short-term are mostly negative, may disturbance the birds from their habitat, and destruct the marine coastal habitats with their own flora and fauna. In this study, we are indicating the effects of coastal protection measures on the ecosystem. Therefore, we present a part of methods applied or which will be apply on the Romanian shoreline and the effects that have an impact on the species and/or habitats on the site. The methods referred to “hard” methods so to harder the shore with fixed structure (bulkhead, seawall, revetment, breakwaters, sills or groins) or “soft” methods like beach nourishment that is not a sustainable method in time. The protection structures like breakwaters and groins trap or add sand and will change the beach geometry this means that can introduce new artificial material, which is extensively and rapidly colonized by algae and marine animals. In the cases of beach nourishment, under water sand nourishment and mudflat recharge, there are impacts both at the borrow site (the sediment source) and the target site. In the zone of extraction of borrow, sediments appear a damage and mortality to the benthos. Finally, it can conclude that some of the effects are beneficial for socio-economic aspect, but it is important also, the environment, which can bring bad consequences for earth landscape and make the ecosystem, be unbalanced.

The objective of this paper is to present an integrated picture of the relationship between the waves and the modifications induced by them in the Romanian shoreline. Thus, the hydrodynamic processes at the Mangalia beaches, located in the southern side of the Romanian nearshore, are simulated using the modeling system Mike 21 SW (MIKE 21 Spectral Waves), developed by the Danish Hydration Institute (DHI). This is one of the newest spectral wave models, which can be used for regional- and local-scale simulations. The model has been calibrated and validated using buoy measurements. The analysis of the statistical parameters shows a good match between the model and the observed data. Furthermore, a model to compare the differences that occur on the beach profiles between the cold and warm seasons was developed. The results obtained indicate a reinforcement of the coastal erosion in the winter, when the waves are stronger (especially in January and February).

Changes in streamflow within catchments can have a significant impact on agricultural production, as soil moisture loss, as well as frequent drying and wetting, may have an effect on the nutrient availability of many soils. In order to predict future changes and explore the impact of different scenarios, machine learning techniques have been used recently in the hydrological sector for simulation streamflow. This paper compares the use of four different models, namely artificial neural networks (ANNs), support vector machine regression (SVR), wavelet-ANN, and wavelet-SVR as surrogate models for a geophysical hydrological model to simulate the long-term daily water level and water flow in the River Shannon hydrological system in Ireland. The performance of the models has been tested for multi-lag values and for forecasting both short- and long-term time scales. For simulating the water flow of the catchment hydrological system, the SVR-based surrogate model performs best overall. Regarding modeling the water level on the catchment scale, the hybrid model wavelet-ANN performs the best among all the constructed models. It is shown that the data-driven methods are useful for exploring hydrological changes in a large multi-station catchment, with low computational cost.

Coastal climate services play a crucial role in developing customised climate information for diverse end-users and stakeholders. To build climate-resilient societies, decision-makers should be empowered through easy access to powerful tools that enable timely adaptation to future and ongoing hazards. For this reason, fit-for-purpose climate services are needed to conduct accurate historical characterisation and projections for interpretative studies on climate- and water-related risks at the local coastal scale. The EU-funded SCORE project (Smart Control of Climate Resilience in European Coastal Cities) utilises climate and marine services for the development of smart technologies that support nature-based solutions to address specific concerns, including rising sea levels, coastal erosion, and coastal flooding due to extreme weather events. As part of the SCORE project, decision-makers will be able to address climate change-related coastal effects in their own cities through novel participatory approaches (Coastal City Living Labs—CCLLs). As part of this framework, this work (i) discusses the main requirements for the identification of fit-for-purpose coastal climate services for local-scale impact studies in European coastal cities based on CCLL requests and prior knowledge and (ii) provides relevant parameters and features that fulfil the users’ needs.

Living Labs are an innovative concept that combines research, governance, and citizens, using technology and knowledge. Using design thinking techniques as a method of approach, this innovative idea builds a bridge between decision makers and stakeholders, promoting a shared vision of growth and innovation at the community level. The coastal zone is an extremely dynamic area in terms of human and natural activities. This is a particularly sensitive area to climate change, necessitating ongoing adaptation and mitigating action. This paper aims to introduce the application of the Living lab concept in the management of the coastal area of Constanta (Romania). The concept of the Living Lab means involving citizens along with public bodies and research structures. This new coastal management model will use the design thinking approach and will consider the pressures that exist between the activities that occur in the examined coastal zone. In the study, “Multi-Criteria Analysis of the Mass Tourism Management Model Related to the Impact on the Local Community in Constanța (Romania)”, published in MDPI Inventions on 28 June 2021, a coastal management model was built that took into consideration only the data given by the government. In this paper, the authors aim to expand their research by including data from independent sources, using the concept of a Living Lab.