AGU Special Session on Heterogeneous Sedimentary Environments - Ocean Sciences Meeting 26-30 January 2004

To those interested in attending the AGU Session on Heterogeneous
Sedimentary Coasts: Coupled Hydrodynamic and Sedimentary Processes
(description below), to be held at the AGU Oceans Science Meeting, 26-30
January 2004, Portland, Oregon:

Please remember that the deadline for submitting abstracts to this meeting
is Oct 9 for mailed abstracts and Oct 16 for electronic submissions.
registration deadline for the meeting is December 29. For additional
information contact Alex Sheremet, Todd Holland, or Jim Kaihatu.


Alexandru Sheremet
Coastal Studies Institute,
Louisiana State University
USA
225-578-2951
[EMAIL PROTECTED]

Todd Holland
Naval Research Laboratory
Stennis Space Center
USA
228-688-5320
[EMAIL PROTECTED]

James M Kaihatu
Naval Research Laboratory
Stennis Space Center
USA
228-688-5710
[EMAIL PROTECTED]

OS03 Heterogeneous Sedimentary Coasts: Coupled Hydrodynamic and
Sedimentary Processes

Heterogeneous coastal environments range from areas with isolated patches
of sediments of different sizes (sand, silt, mud) to spatially extensive
areas with complex mixtures of sediments with dissimilar grain types.
These types of sedimentary systems may comprise as much as 80% of the
world's nonrocky coastal regions, yet recent advances in understanding and
predicting coastal processes have focused mostly on homogeneous
coarse-grained environments. Heterogeneous coastal systems exhibit strong
coupling between hydrodynamic and morphodynamic processes on similar
spatial and temporal scales, in clear contrast to the slow morphodynamic
response to hydrodynamic forcing evident in homogeneous, coarse-grained
sedimentary systems. This session will address issues pertaining to the
coupling and feedback between hydrodynamic and morphodynamic processes
under the conditions of heterogeneous sediment distribution. Welcome
contributions include (but are not limited to) those that may provide
improved understanding and prediction of waves, currents, sediment
transport, and morphologic evolution in heterogeneous environments, such
as: (1) observational studies that classify and quantify complex,
spatially variant sediment characteristics in mixed grain environments;
(2) research into new sensors and methodologies to quantify the spatial
and temporal patterns of variability in sediment characteristics and their
effects on hydrodynamics; (3) theoretical studies investigating the
coupling of hydrodynamic and morphodynamic processes in heterogeneous
sedimentary systems; and (4) modeling studies to improve the prediction of
the hydrodynamic and morphodynamic processes in heterogeneous sedimentary
systems.