Dynamics of estuaries and muddy coasts is one of key research topics of the International programs of MARGINS and LOCIZ. Over the past 50 years both the large river catchments and coasts around the world have been greatly modified by extensive human activities including river damming, coastal land reclamation and port construction. These have altered both the flux of terrestrial materials to the sea and their transport processes in the coastal ocean, therefore resulting in distinct physical, chemical and biological responses in the coastal environment. The pressing environmental issues have presented challenges to the sustainable social and economic development. Therefore, research on sediment dynamics in muddy coasts and estuaries is in its urgent need.

There have been two successful series workshops on this important topic thus far. The First Workshop was held in Guilin in September 2009 by State Key Laboratory of Satellite Ocean Environment Dynamics, Second Institute of Oceanography, State Oceanic Administration. The Second Workshop was held in Zhoushan in October 2015 by the Ocean College, Zhejiang University. The previous two workshops summarized the cutting-edge research progresses and produced two special issues in the international journal of Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, in 2012 and 2016, respectively. To continue this workshop series, and consolidate and expand sediment and coastal research community, we have successfully held the third Workshop in Pilot National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology (Qingdao), China. This Workshop has received a total of 110 abstracts submitted by over 200 participants from 39 institutions. These papers represent the most recent work in various fields of sediment dynamics, and its related estuarine and coastal ocean observation and modelling, as well as BGM processes/economics/management analyses.