Given ever expanding global trade, the international economy is linked to the well-being of major coastal infrastructures such as waterways and ports. Coastal areas comprise about 69% of the major cities of the world; therefore the understanding of how coastal aquatic environments are evolving due to sediment transport is important. This manuscript discusses topics from both modelling and observation of sediment transport, erosion and siltation in estuarine environments, coastal zones, ports, and harbour areas. It emphasises particular cases of water and sediment dynamics in the high energy system of the Po River Estuary (Italy), the Adriatic Sea, the Mokpo Coastal Zone (South Korea), the Yangtze Estuary and the Shanghai Port, the Yellow Sea (near China), and Darwin Harbour (Northern Australia). These systems are under the influence of strong sediment resuspension/deposition and transport that are driven by different mechanisms such as surface waves, tides, winds, and density driven currents.

The development of cities around ports is often associated with the expansion of port activities such as oil, coal, and gas exportation. Such development results in multiple environmental pressures, such as dredging to facilitate the navigation of larger ships, land reclamation, and changes in the sediment and nutrient run-off to catchment areas caused by human activities [1]. The increase in mud concentrations in coastal waters is a worldwide ecological issue. In addition, marine sediment may carry nutrients and pollutants from land sources. An understanding of sediment transport leads to a better comprehension of pollution control, and thus helps to preserve the marine ecosystem and further establish an integrated coastal management system [e.g., 2-3]. [4] observed that many historical sandy coasts have been replaced by muddy coasts, and is considered permanent degradation. Additionally, [5] reported that recreational and maritime activities may be adversely impacted by processes of sediment resuspension and deposition. It was shown by [6] that increased sediment concentration in the Adriatic Sea has affected the growth of phytoplankton at the subsurface, because sunlight penetration is considerably reduced.