Date: 6-9 November 2013
Venue: Libson, Portugal
Summary:
8th International SedNet conference, 6-9 November 2013, Lisbon, Portugal
INNOVATIVE SEDIMENT MANAGEMENT: HOW TO DO MORE WITH LESS
Hosted and co-organised by LNEC
Sediment management has proven to be a significant issue in European rivers, estuaries and coastal areas. This has both a quantity and a quality aspect, as prior SedNet activities have clearly shown.
Human interventions, such as river regulation, dredging, coastal and port construction and soil degradation often have large impacts on sediment supply, sediment transport and river and coastal morphology. Sediment-starved systems, particularly in coastal, lowland areas, are more vulnerable to extreme events, putting people, infrastructure and natural capital at risk. Mitigation measures may be technically feasible, but are quickly becoming too costly.
Sediment and biota in river systems have been exposed to multiple and interacting stressors for decades or even centuries. Europe has responded to the most apparent contaminants and pressures with a range of policies and measures since the 1970s. Clear improvements in water quality can be attributed to integrated river basin action plans and to the Programmes of Measures that resulted from the major and coordinated effort of the Water Framework Directive. However, improvements in sediment and longer-lived or bottom feeding biota lag behind due to storage and accumulation of contaminants, costly and laborious monitoring techniques, and sometimes lack of sufficient legal integration of sediment management into legislation.
To sustainably manage sediments, innovative and cost-efficient approaches and solutions are needed. Sediment management, which tends to be focused only on the apparent areas of concern, comes with the challenge of avoiding measures which have only short-term and locally positive effects, whilst having unforeseen negative consequences elsewhere.
Against this background SedNet is organising its 8th international conference in Lisbon. Given the tremendous diversity of Europe’s southwest coast, Lisbon is a highly appropriate venue for a conference that will pay special attention to estuarine and coastal sediment management.
CALL FOR ABSTRACTS
SedNet would be pleased to receive abstracts addressing one or more of the following topics:
• Sediment and ecosystems (and their services);
• Sediment quantity issues;
• Sediment quality issues;
• Interaction between fluvial, estuarine and coastal sediment (dynamics);
• Sustainable dredged material management.
Abstracts on these topics will preferably relate to improved sediment management in terms of more efficient, less costly, more sustainable solutions. Conceptual approaches (such as for instance eco-engineering or ‘working-with-nature’ approaches), and application of scientific results will be particularly welcomed. Case studies are of special importance in these fields; success stories but also accounts of actions that did not work out as planned are specifically invited. Abstracts should address sediment management in the context of rivers, lakes, estuaries, coastal and/or marine areas.
Abstracts will be selected by the SedNet Steering Group either for platform presentation or for poster presentation.
SPECIAL SESSIONS
Special sessions will form part of the conference program. Two special sessions are scheduled already:
1) Changing hydrodynamics of estuaries and tidal river systems; organised by ECSA (Estuarine & Coastal Sciences Association)
2) Management of multiple pressures on estuaries and lagoons in a changing climate; organised by ARCH (Architecture and roadmap to manage multiple pressures on lagoons).
SedNet would welcome initiatives for additional special sessions for half or full days. These sessions could focus on any sustainable sediment management related topic. A special session proposal should be a maximum of one A4 page containing:
• title of the session;
• names of the organizers and their affiliation;
• email and telephone number of the main contact;
• introduction to the session;
• session objective(s); and
• tentative outline of the session.
YOUR ABSTRACT
A template for abstracts can be downloaded from www.sednet.org.
On the website you will also find a format for submitting proposals for special sessions.
Abstracts and session proposals can be sent to the SedNet secretariat: marjan.euser@deltares.nl
DEADLINE
Deadline for submission of abstract/special session proposal: 1 April 2013
MORE INFO
The full text of the First Announcement and Call for Abstracts of the 8th International SedNet Conference "Innovative Sediment Management: How to do more with less" can be downloaded from www.sednet.org.
The SedNet Steering Group and Secretariat wish you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year,
and look forward to receiving your proposals for presentations and sessions!
SedNet Secretariat:
Marjan Euser
Deltares
PO Box 85467
3508 AL Utrecht
The Netherlands
mobile +31 651286087
email marjan.euser@deltares.nl
www.sednet.org