River, Coastal and Estuarine Morphodynamics. Rcem 2009, Two Volume Set

Coastal, estuarine, fluvial and submarine morphodynamics encompass some of the leading processes shaping our planet. They stem mainly, but not only, from the interaction of water in motion and movable sediment boundaries, resulting in morphological changes produced by erosion, transport and deposition of sediments that generate a variety of landscapes and seascapes over time. Morphodynamics allows for a better understanding and interpretation of self adjustments in drainage basins, longitudinal river profiles and shorelines shapes, as well as characteristic features such as beach cusps, bed forms such as dunes, and channel patterns.

The River, Coastal and Estuarine Morphodynamics (RCEM) Symposia represent a successful series of conferences that have played a key role in promoting an interdisciplinary approach to river and coastal problems. River, Coastal and Estuarine Morphodynamic: RCEM 2009 is unique in its emphasis on the intersection among basic research, engineering and environmental applications, by blending aspects from fundamentals in fluid mechanics to laboratory and field studies in river, coastal, deltaic and estuarine morphodynamics. Both large- and small-scale morphodynamic processes, ranging from mountain mass sedimentation and alluvial fans, to low-land large rivers and evolution of deltas, vegetated-channel and tidal flat morphology, and submarine debris flows and turbidity currents are integrated in both volumes.

This collection of about 150 contributions should be invaluable to wetland ecologists interested in flow-vegetation-sediment interaction, fish biologists concerned with benthic boundarylayer flows, engineers involved in designing streambank and bridge-pier protections against erosion and scour, geomorphologists concerned with stream naturalization and restoration, fluvial engineers involved in maintaining navigation channels and performing flow measurements using the latest technologies, coastal scientists addressing the stability of tidal channels and flats, as well as to scientists interested in processes responsible for Earth-surface landscape evolution.