MARID2008 Overview

Background

Under the aegis of the North Sea Hydrographic Commission, a workshop on marine sandwave dynamics was held in Lille (France) in 2000 and on marine sandwave and river dune dynamics in Twente (Enschede, the Netherlands) in April 2004. Following the success of these two international workshops, a third workshop was held in Leeds (UK) in April 2008. The workshop (Marine and River Dune Dynamics III) was organised by the University of Leeds, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and the French Naval Hydrographic and Oceanographic Service (SHOM). The Workshop was sponsored by the US Office of Naval Research Global. Over 70 delegates attended.

Conference Aims

The primary goal of the workshop was to bring together researchers and users in the field of sand wave and river dune dynamics. Participants included those involved with field data acquisition, laboratory investigations and process modelling. A diverse range of papers that deal with this complex but important topic were presented over the two days.

Scientific Scope

This workshop considered marine sand wave and river dune dynamics and related processes and products. Participants submitted papers on:

• bedform evolution (migration, growth, spatial variation)

• sedimentary properties of bedforms

• hydrodynamic and morphodynamic modelling

• field data collection

• practical applications and human influences (e.g., bedform-related problems for navigation, power generation)