The 3rd International Conference on Estuaries and Coasts (ICEC-2009) was held successfully in Sendai, Japan on Sept.14-16, 2009. The ICEC-2009 was organized by the International Research and Training Center on Erosion and Sedimentation (IRTCES) and Tohoku University, and co-sponsored by UNESCO, International Association of Hydraulic Engineering and Research (IAHR), International Association of Hydrological Sciences (IAHS), World Association for Sedimentation and Erosion Research (WASER), IAHR Asian and Pacific Division (IAHR-APD) and Japan Society of Civil Engineers (JSCE). More than 100 participants from over 20 countries and regions attended this technical event. A Chinese Ministry of Water Resources delegation with 25 members headed by Prof. HU Chunhong, Secretary General and Deputy Director of IRTCES participated in the conference.

At the opening ceremony, Prof. Nobuyuki Tamai, President of IAHR, Prof. Joseph H.W. Lee, Vice President of IAHR and Prof. Hitoshi Tanaka, Chairman of Local Organizing Committee (LOC) made welcome speeches respectively. Prof. Hu Chunhong on behalf of IRTCES that acts as the ICEC Permanent Secretariat, congratulated the conference opening, appraised the great efforts of Tohoku University in conference organization, and appreciated the support from all participants all over the world.

The ICEC-2009, including 3 keynote presentations, 3 parallel sessions and half-day technical tour, lasted for 3 days. Total 108 papers has been presented and discussed, related the estuary and coasts fluvial processes, estuary eco-system conservation, estuary and coasts management, coast disaster, estuary engineering research, etc. Keynote presentations are:

 Mixing of Inclined Dense Jet Discharges (Joseph H.W. Lee)
 Perturbation of Tidal Current and Sedimentation Regimes due to a Barrier at Saemangeum (Byung Ho Choi)
 Spatial and Temporal Distribution of Humic-Iron Complex in Matsushima Bay (Tatsuo Omura)

Participants had a technical tour at the Yamamoto Coast and Abukuma River estuary on Sept. 15.

During the conference, IRTCES delegation with 6 experts headed by Prof. Hu Chunhong had a meeting with Vietnam Water Resources University (WRU) delegation headed by Vice-chancellor Prof. Pham Ngoc QUY for discussion relevant issues of WRU hosting the ICEC-2012. Prof. H. Tanaka attended the meeting.

The ICEC-2009 was closed successfully on Sept. 16. Prof. Hu Chunhong, on behalf of the ICEC Permanent Secretariat, announced that the 4th ICEC will be hosted by Water Resources University (WRU) and looking forward to welcome all participants again in Hanoi, Vietnam in 2012.
(by SHI Hongling, IRTCES)




Opening Ceremony of the ICEC-2009


Up left: Prof. Hitoshi Tanaka, Chairmen of LOC, speeches in the opening ceremony
Up right: Prof. Nobuyuki Tamai, President of IAHR, speeches in the opening ceremony
Down left: Prof. Joseph H.W. Lee, Vice President of IAHR, speeches in the opening ceremony
Down right: Prof. Hu Chunhong, Secretary General of IRTCES, speeches in the opening ceremony


Technical tour at the Yamamoto Coast


Meeting with Vietnam Water Resources University