Brazilian Sandy Beaches Symposium: Morphodynamics, Ecology, Uses, Hazards and Management (Itajai, Santa Catarina, Brazil, 3 to 6 September 2000)

Abstract

The first international symposium on sandy beaches was held on the campus of UNIVALI (University of the ltajai Valley) in Itajai, SC, Brazil. Antonio Klein and coworkers in the Center for Earth and Marine Technological Sciences (CTTMar) at UNIVALI organized the meeting. Cosponsors provided assistance in many ways that helped to make the meeting a success. Travel grants were, for example made available to plenary speakers from overseas. Reduced registration fees for the meeting encouraged significant student participation in this international meeting. With nearly three hundred delegates in attendance, this was the largest single grouping of coastal researchers in Brazil. Because the main theme of the meeting focused on beach biophysical processes, hazards, and management, a wide range of researchers were present with professional backgrounds in biology, geography, geology, oceanography, engineering, law, economics, and various social or human sciences. The integration of these diverse subject areas and focus on aspects of applied beach morphodynamics provided new insight to management of beach systems in different coastal environments.