Working toward a common strategy for U.K. sediment transport research

U.K. Sediment Initiative 2009: Developing Multidisciplinary Sediment Dynamics Research in a Strategic Context; Liverpool, United Kingdom, 27–29 April 2009; A workshop funded by the U.K. Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) brought together U.K.-based researchers, stakeholders, and policy makers with an interest in sediment processes to foster collaborative links and to help NERC theme leaders develop future Theme Action Plans (TAPs). This could be achieved only by identifying gaps in knowledge and prioritizing research needs toward formulating a U.K. sediment transport research strategy. More than 50 participants from NERC research and collaborative centers, U.K. higher education institution researchers, industry consultants, and government departments and agencies attended the workshop. The workshop was divided into three parts. First, in an introduction, guest speakers discussed the importance of sediment transport from different perspectives. The speakers included Darius Campbell (U.K. Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs) on policy drivers, Richard Whitehouse (HR Wallingford, Ltd.) and David Lambkin (ABPMer, Ltd.) on industry needs, John Rees (NERC theme leader) on the NERC TAPs and possible funding opportunities, Alan Davies (University of Bangor) on the academic research perspective, and Chris Sherwood (U.S. Geological Survey) on international insight on large sediment transport projects and on developments of the U.S. National Community Sediment Transport Model project. Second, in a series of breakout sessions, participants considered the stakeholders’ needs, the different dynamic areas of the coastal ocean, and the process time scales. Third, the workshop group discussed possible funding streams and ways to better formulate a concerted research plan for presentation to funding bodies