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Recent studies have changed our understanding of the scales of processes such as flow, chemical exchange, and biological activity within permeable sediments. The recognition that these systems operate as optimized reactors for mobile and particulate phases has sparked a reassessment of exchange rates at meso and macro scale interfaces (e.g. sediment/water, terrestrial/marine). The importance of these processes has promoted collaborations among such varied groups as hydrologists, geophysicists, biologists, geochemists, and oceanographers. The second Gordon Research Conference on Permeable Sediments will continue to promote interdisciplinary approaches to understanding the processes and reactions characteristic of these dynamic systems. The discussion and presentations will include: 1. State of the art for techniques and instrumentation for sampling, measurements and analyses in permeable sediments; 2. Case studies of the cycling of matter through these systems; 3. Methods for modeling transport and reactions along pore water flow paths; and 4. The impact of these systems on the exchange of materials and water between terrestrial and marine environments and across benthic/aqueous interfaces. In recognition of the broad community now interested in permeable systems the discussions will be expanded to include environmental and human health concerns, increased emphasis on terrestrial hydrogeology, implications for climate change, bio-molecular properties, and engineering models applicable to these systems (e.g. heterogeneous catalysis). The conference will provide an opportunity to exchange ideas and technologies among diverse disciplinary groups working on permeable systems. The overall goal will be to identify new research foci in permeable sediments and to develop strategies to integrate the field into the science objectives of the larger community of earth, ocean, and environmental scientists.

The participants would like to acknowledge additional support for this conference from the Office of Naval Research and the University of South Carolina, Columbia.