The coastal zone of the North Sea is highly dynamic. The present-day coastal landscape started to develop during the Holocene and is characterised by barrier islands, estuaries, tidal basins, and marshlands. Apart from natural dynamics, it is subject to anthropogenic induced changes such as dike building, fairway deepening, and harbour constructions. To better understand natural and anthropogenic induced dynamics and their possible consequences for the ecosystem, interdisciplinary research is essential.

Since 2008, the joint-venture "Jade Bay Project" has been focusing on a baseline study for the coastal region of the tidal inlet of the Jade Bay, southern German North Sea, in order to collect data from geosphere, biosphere and anthroposphere for scientific studies and a coastal database of Lower Saxony.

We would like to invite you to discuss natural and anthropogenic induced dynamics occurring in tidal basins in the Wadden Sea Region.

Questions which may be addressed are:

1. What were the major controlling parameters for the recent tidal inlet of the Jade Bay to evolve during the Holocene?
2. How did the Jade Bay area respond to different climatic and morphodynamic conditions prior and after human influence?
3. How do coastal eco- and geosystems respond to changing future conditions?
4. What are the threats of a complex Data Management System to support interdisciplinary research?
5. Do increased anthropogenic activities lead to changes in the chemical and biological inventory? Do sediment, water, and/or biota exhibit an increasing level of contamination?

Answers require complex and interdisciplinary approaches; therefore, the symposium offers a platform for scientists from all relevant fields of coastal research (geology, archaeology, historical geography, biology, chemistry and data management). Scientists from the Jade Bay Project will present their research findings and are keen to share them and discuss them with experts from other projects, institutions and the wider scientific community.

Symposium structure

The symposium is organised into plenary sessions and moderated poster sessions. Plenary sessions will be organised around thematic topics (geology, chemistry and biology, archaeology and historical geography, and data management), introduced by keynote speeches from invited speakers. Oral presentations will last 20 minutes, plus time for discussion. The poster sessions will be introduced to the plenary by the authors, who will give a 3-minute oral summary for each poster. The aim is to encourage discussion and to highlight the value of poster contributions.

Accommodation

Participants are responsible for arranging their own accommodation (www.wilhelmshaven-tourist.de). There are a considerable number of small and large hotels in the vicinity of the conference venue, situated on the ‘Südstrand’ in Wilhelmshaven. For BSc, MSc and PhD students, we offer the opportunity to stay at the ICBM-Terramare student accommodation. Please contact Ms Heike Scheele () and quote the keyword ‘Jade Bay Symposium 2011’.

Abstract submission

Abstracts and registrations must be submitted via email . The guidelines for abstracts are available at www.jade.icbm.de.

Abstracts must follow the suggested format and must be submitted online by 31 July 2011. We encourage you to submit early to ensure prompt processing.

• The abstract is limited to 500 words

• It must include the title, authors and their affiliations

• The content should cover objectives, methods, results and brief conclusions

• Keywords are mandatory to facilitate session allocation

• Please specify whether the presentation will be an oral talk or a poster

For accepted abstracts, we offer the opportunity to publish full papers of approximately 10–15 pages as part of a special issue of an international peer-reviewed journal. To ensure prompt publication, manuscripts should be submitted to the organisers by October at the latest.

Important Dates:

• Registration and abstract submission for oral presentations and posters opens on 15 June 2011

• Notification of acceptance: September 2011

• Symposium: 6–7 October 2011 at the ICBM-Terramare, Schleusenstr. 1; 26382 Wilhelmshaven

• Publication: 2012