Ten years ago Polar Biology published the book, Weddell Sea Ecology, containing the European "Polarstern" study EPOS in the Weddell Sea and Peninsula waters 1988/89. In certain respects, the present collection of papers, first published in Polar Biology in 2001, is a follow-up as it combines papers partly based on three "Polarstern" expeditions to the same region. Further articles relate to both land-based and shipborne studies, again primarily in the Atlantic sector and around the Antarctic Peninsula. The SCAR programme, "Ecology of the Antarctic Sea Ice Zone" (EASIZ), served as an umbrella for a truly international cooperation. Although funding came exclusively from national sources, 40% of the scientists on board "Polarstern" were foreigners. Out of the 35 papers of the present volume not less than 14 papers have multinational authorship. The scope of EASIZ is wider ilian the Southern Ocean Studies in JGOFS and GLOBEC. The Contents reflect emphasis on the study of benthos, which hitherto had not received the necessary attention in the attempt to understand key questions of evolution and zoogeography of fauna from the Southern Hemisphere. The information collected under EASIZ enhanced greatly our recognition of the rather high biodiversity of ilie Antarctic shelf benthos. In order to extend these studies to ilie deeper continental slopes and the deep sea, "Polarstern" is presently on her way for ilie first international survey of deep-sea benthos in the Atlantic sector of ilie Southern Ocean.

The papers appearing in this volume reflect the current attention in sediment/water science to five main topics of investigation: Sediment dynamics in estuaries, coastal waters, lakes, reservoirs and rivers; Sediment-associated biological processes; Contaminant accumulation, distribution and geochemistry; Fluxes from sediments; and Element cycling. Contributors address sediment/water interactions related to both fresh and salt water conditions.

This proceedings contains nearly 200 papers on cutting-edge research presented at the seventh international Symposium on Coastal Engineering and Science of Coastal Sediment Processes, held May 2-6, 2011, in Miami, Florida, USA. This technical specialty conference was devoted to promoting an interdisciplinary exchange of state-of-the-art knowledge among researchers in the fields of coastal engineering, geology, oceanography, and related disciplines, with a theme of bringing together theory and practice.Focusing on the physical aspects of sediment processes in various coastal environments, this three-volume conference proceedings provides findings from the latest research and newest engineering applications. Session topics cover a wide range including barrier-island morphodynamics and evolution, beach nourishment and shore protection, coastal dunes, cohesive sediment transport, field and laboratory measurements of sediment transport processes and numerical modeling, gravel transport, large-scale and long-term coastal changes, LiDAR and remote sensing, longshore and cross-shore sediment transport, marsh and wetlands, regional sediment management, river deltas, sea-level changes, shelf and sand bodies, shoreline changes, tidal inlets and navigation channels. A special session on recent research findings at the Northern Gulf of Mexico is also included.

This proceedings contains nearly 200 papers on cutting-edge research presented at the seventh international Symposium on Coastal Engineering and Science of Coastal Sediment Processes, held May 2OCo6, 2011, in Miami, Florida, USA. This technical specialty conference was devoted to promoting an interdisciplinary exchange of state-of-the-art knowledge among researchers in the fields of coastal engineering, geology, oceanography, and related disciplines, with a theme of bringing together theory and practice. Focusing on the physical aspects of sediment processes in various coastal environments, this three-volume conference proceedings provides findings from the latest research and newest engineering applications. Session topics cover a wide range including barrier-island morphodynamics and evolution, beach nourishment and shore protection, coastal dunes, cohesive sediment transport, field and laboratory measurements of sediment transport processes and numerical modeling, gravel transport, large-scale and long-term coastal changes, LiDAR and remote sensing, longshore and cross-shore sediment transport, marsh and wetlands, regional sediment management, river deltas, sea-level changes, shelf and sand bodies, shoreline changes, tidal inlets and navigation channels. A special session on recent research findings at the Northern Gulf of Mexico is also included."