The systems behind the formation of the world’s seas, oceans and coastlines and the way they work are complex and specific. These spaces are also under considerable anthropogenic pressure and are facing crucial challenges regarding their future. By studying these dynamic and constantly evolving processes, we can improve our understanding of them, describe them more accurately, and explain them to the public, involving different means of communication and media in doing so. This section showcases current research on maritime and coastal spaces and takes a multidisciplinary approach to highlight the range of knowledge that exist about these areas, how these forms of knowledge are constructed and the many ways of viewing and reviewing (reinterpreting, redefining) a study, topic or location.

Articles in this section form part of a broad field of thought about ways of building knowledge and reproducing it in map form, ranging from survey processes to their results, from explaining complex natural phenomena to their impact on societies, and from accounts of expeditions to maritime fantasies.

Whether discussing ongoing or finalised studies, questions of methodology or proven approaches, these contributions draw on all aspects of coastal and maritime research. Proposals should be as educational as possible and written with the aim of sharing knowledge and making it accessible to the layperson.