In the face of climate change, building and improving existing coastal monitoring capabilities and developing innovative digital coastal products are vital for effective coastal adaptation, risk reduction, and the building of resilient coastal communities. Coastal systems represent the dynamic interface between terrestrial, atmospheric, and oceanic processes across the land–sea continuum. Advancing knowledge in this complex transition zone requires science-driven methodological developments that integrate high-resolution satellite and in situ observations, hydrological inputs, data products, theory, and process-based modelling.

Innovation across the full coastal system is integral to advancement, from river discharge and estuarine dynamics to coastal and shelf processes. This includes advances in observational methodologies, multi-platform data integration, and high-resolution modelling, as well as developments in data assimilation and hybrid AI approaches. Cross-scale coupling ensures consistency across the land–sea continuum.

This Special Issue is dedicated to contributions on digital services, products, and applications, highlighting how integrated observations, data, and models support coastal monitoring, prediction, and decision-making. The contributions address coastal protection and management, blue economy activities, and climate resilience and, in the context of the Horizon Europe FOCCUS project, provide a scientific basis for policy-relevant applications.

Review process: all papers of this special issue underwent the regular interactive peer-review process of Ocean Science handled by members of the editorial board as well as guest editors designated by the OS co-editors-in-chief.