During the SedNet Conference 2025, participants had the opportunity to vote for this year’s Best Poster Award a wonderful tradition that highlights the creativity, dedication, and scientific excellence of our sediment community.
The award celebrates outstanding contributions to the sustainable management of sediments bridging science, policy, and practice and showcasing the next generation of ideas shaping Europe’s water and soil systems.
The first place winner receives a ticket to a next SedNet Conference. The first, second and third place winners each get the opportunity to contribute an item to this SedNet E-newsletter. Below you will find their contributions.
If you read this, you already know that freshwater sediments are a sink of contaminants. If not, now you know. Those contaminants are polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon1 (PAH), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB), pharmaceuticals and personal care products2 (PPCP), per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances3 (PFAS), metals4,5… This is a non-exhaustive list. Today, chemical analyses are the primary approach for studying sediment contamination, in line with the Water Framework Directive (WFD)requirements. However, it is important to complete these with bioassays to provide an effects-based assessment of sediment quality and to integrate chemical mixtures and bioavailable compounds. Click here to read further.
The UK’s largest container port, Felixstowe, faces sedimentation challenges, with approximately 2.4 million m³ of sediment requiring management annually [1]. To optimize their maintenance strategies and enhance navigability, Harwich Haven Authority is exploring the implementation of PIANC’s nautical bottom concept [2], which relies on understanding the rheological and settling behavior of the muddy bed in the port. Rheological behavior of muddy bed differs from port to port, therefore it is necessary to characterize the mud locally to understand mud behavior. Click here to read further.
Mercury contamination: an old story, an open question Mercury remains one of the most critical contaminants in freshwater ecosystems. Today, around 50% of European surface water bodies fail to achieve good chemical status due to mercury concentrations. But where does this pollutant actually accumulate? The answer lies in sediments, which act not only as a sink for mercury, but also as the ideal environment for its transformation into methylmercury, the most toxic and bioavailable form. This is where our SedNet award-winning study begins. In the Toce River (Northern Italy), legacy mercury contamination is still present in sediments at low concentrations, while levels in the water column are often below detection limits. Yet, this apparent absence in water does not mean the risk has disappeared. In fact, benthic invertebrates play a crucial role in transferring mercury from sediments into the aquatic food web. Click here to read further.
